Summer events begin!!!

The Clearwater Festival kicked off the summer for the Caravan last Sunday! TVC has been part of the The Great Hudson Clearwater Revival since it’s inception. (I remember sitting at a meeting in the old Towne Crier in Beekman when I actually first suggested the festival’s name!) Then… just a week from today we open Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out stage! I remember our first year at the Pillow in 1981, when the original Inside/Out stage was built. Terry Creach, Sharon Leahy, Terry Fister, Jim Lepore, Rachel List and Toni Smith were all part of our troupe at the time. All of us scrambled onto the newly built platform stage in a beautiful clearing on the west side of the Pillow property, and gleefully clogged and improvised among the surrounding trees and sky. I must say that we were probably one of the rowdiest bunches to hit the ground dancing at the Pillow. That summer we presented a reconstruction of Ted Shawn’s “Boston Fancy:1854” staged by former Denishawn Dancer, Jane Sherman (who would have celebrated her 103^rd birthday two days ago!). We also performed, “Appalachian & Southern Medley” for which the barn doors of the Ted Shawn Theater parted and at first the outdoors and then the actual wooden barn wall became our very memorable entrance and backdrop. That was a thrill! For those of you who joined us last August when we premiered, “EarthBeat! A Journey” you know what an amazing place the Pillow has become. Just a few months ago, President Obama declared Jacob’s Pillow a National Landmark. For us dancers, it is living history. I feel so honored that Ella Baff invited us to return this year to open the new Henry J. Leir Inside/Out Stage and be part of the celebration. I’m so very grateful to the Laskin Family for their generous and enthusiastic support making next week’s performance possible! Hope YOU will join us too. Stay tuned and stay with us as we navigate these challenging times in light of the many incredible new events happening for The Vanaver Caravan this year.