Entry by TVC Director and Founder Livia Vanaver
I woke up this morning and my eyes greeted the Jackson Pollock-like patterns of tossled branches of vines and trees against the grey sky. A dusting of snow covered the woods and that chilly knowing revealed winter and darker times are truly here. In contrast, I had this tremendous warmth of feeling that resides in me often for a week, after a meaningful and satisfying performance.
It’s not that our show yesterday at the Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck,NY as a part of the Sinterklaas winter festival, was flawless....but something else took place. I expect a lot of our dancers and musicians...but I got more than I bargained for. We already knew that going into this space to recreate excerpts from Into the Light, was going to be challenging. The collaboration with Arm of the Sea giant puppet theaterr for our holiday show this year (which will be held at Quimby Theatre in Stone Ridge on December 19-21) would require far more rehearsal in this unusual space than 3 hours alotted on the morning of the performance. This is a challenge that comes up in the lives of dance companies that tour or perform in spaces that demand the creation of an instantaneous site specific piece. Patrick Wadden, co-director of Arm of the Sea Theater and I had visited the sanctuary of the amazingly beautiful church last month, along with Jeanne Fleming, who I have dubbed Festival Coordinator Extraordinaire and planned out the sections we could conceivably recreate and the puppets we could actually use in this particular space. We discussed not only logistics but the effect of the various sections of our show that would lend themselves best to this situation.
Yesterday morning we loaded in and everyone now got an eyeful of what I had described in rehearsals in the previous weeks. I told them of the absolute necessity more than ever, to work together like an amoeba (a term the Company has fondly coined when we are on tour as a group of 16 + and tooling around a town to find a restaurant.....or navigating through a crowded festiival going quickly from one gig to the next.). Now we had our multi-generational version, 30 member cast of The Vanaver Caravan from age 9-65, finding our way “ into the light “ and actually seeing what worked, and what didn’t work and how we could create this as a site specific piece in this jewel of a space.
We rehearsed up until a half hour before show time, bending and restructuring choreography, entrances and exits and hoped for the best. Of course, when the audience arrived happily taking shelter from the cold and anticipating this heart opening holiday show that we offer, we all slipped into “amoeba mode” which I find for myself, strenghtening to the core. Pulling this show together with so many unknowns and with each person weaving his or her own part of the production led us into 60 minutes of exquisite focus. The musicians (who as many of you know, are always onstage with us) played from the balcony overlooking the sanctuary with no sound system. The dancers and giant puppets moved deftly through in an 8 foot deep runway across the front of the 25 foot wide sanctuary and through the audience down the center isle (the 2 side isles which we had staged much of the action during our rehearsal were now stuffed with more people who could not be turned away after the pews were fillled).
Good work is when everyone involved offers their very best from the deepest part of themself to each other and to the common goal. Into the Light was received by our eager audience members....who I am fondly reminded are half of the show....with the intention for which was offered. I so look forward to filling the houses in our 4 performances of this light filled production 2 weeks from now in Stone Ridge. Hope you can be there!!
Just about to go out on my daily walk on Mountain Road, down to the ever-changing waterfall to see the new ice formations and have a moment of gratitude in this profound natural setting. I do feel grateful for all the people in my life who bring their inner light to join with my own inner light in often the darkest of times. Namaste
I woke up this morning and my eyes greeted the Jackson Pollock-like patterns of tossled branches of vines and trees against the grey sky. A dusting of snow covered the woods and that chilly knowing revealed winter and darker times are truly here. In contrast, I had this tremendous warmth of feeling that resides in me often for a week, after a meaningful and satisfying performance.
It’s not that our show yesterday at the Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck,NY as a part of the Sinterklaas winter festival, was flawless....but something else took place. I expect a lot of our dancers and musicians...but I got more than I bargained for. We already knew that going into this space to recreate excerpts from Into the Light, was going to be challenging. The collaboration with Arm of the Sea giant puppet theaterr for our holiday show this year (which will be held at Quimby Theatre in Stone Ridge on December 19-21) would require far more rehearsal in this unusual space than 3 hours alotted on the morning of the performance. This is a challenge that comes up in the lives of dance companies that tour or perform in spaces that demand the creation of an instantaneous site specific piece. Patrick Wadden, co-director of Arm of the Sea Theater and I had visited the sanctuary of the amazingly beautiful church last month, along with Jeanne Fleming, who I have dubbed Festival Coordinator Extraordinaire and planned out the sections we could conceivably recreate and the puppets we could actually use in this particular space. We discussed not only logistics but the effect of the various sections of our show that would lend themselves best to this situation.
Yesterday morning we loaded in and everyone now got an eyeful of what I had described in rehearsals in the previous weeks. I told them of the absolute necessity more than ever, to work together like an amoeba (a term the Company has fondly coined when we are on tour as a group of 16 + and tooling around a town to find a restaurant.....or navigating through a crowded festiival going quickly from one gig to the next.). Now we had our multi-generational version, 30 member cast of The Vanaver Caravan from age 9-65, finding our way “ into the light “ and actually seeing what worked, and what didn’t work and how we could create this as a site specific piece in this jewel of a space.
We rehearsed up until a half hour before show time, bending and restructuring choreography, entrances and exits and hoped for the best. Of course, when the audience arrived happily taking shelter from the cold and anticipating this heart opening holiday show that we offer, we all slipped into “amoeba mode” which I find for myself, strenghtening to the core. Pulling this show together with so many unknowns and with each person weaving his or her own part of the production led us into 60 minutes of exquisite focus. The musicians (who as many of you know, are always onstage with us) played from the balcony overlooking the sanctuary with no sound system. The dancers and giant puppets moved deftly through in an 8 foot deep runway across the front of the 25 foot wide sanctuary and through the audience down the center isle (the 2 side isles which we had staged much of the action during our rehearsal were now stuffed with more people who could not be turned away after the pews were fillled).
Good work is when everyone involved offers their very best from the deepest part of themself to each other and to the common goal. Into the Light was received by our eager audience members....who I am fondly reminded are half of the show....with the intention for which was offered. I so look forward to filling the houses in our 4 performances of this light filled production 2 weeks from now in Stone Ridge. Hope you can be there!!
Just about to go out on my daily walk on Mountain Road, down to the ever-changing waterfall to see the new ice formations and have a moment of gratitude in this profound natural setting. I do feel grateful for all the people in my life who bring their inner light to join with my own inner light in often the darkest of times. Namaste
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