Tales from The Road

2011-08-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

On Generosity

Where would we be without the generosity of our extended community? I often ask myself how have we existied....nay...thrived for almost 40 years now. There are so many people and organizations to thank. I'm going to focus on our recent month of concerts and SummerDance! programs. Tuesday evening we performed at the uniquely fabulous Mohonk Mountain House. The Smiley family, who have owned Mohonk for 142 years, has been so generous to the Company over the decades. Not only are we invited to perform annually in their wonderful Summer Festival of the Arts, produced by Pat Guralnik, but they have been so forthcoming by providing space and time for Bill and myself to write our book about the Arts Education work we do in the schools.

Just taking a moment here to reflect the beautiful three weeks of our 20th annual SummerDance! program at Stone Mountain Farm. If you haven't been to this magical land owned by Robin and Stephen Larsen, where we dance from 9:30-3:30 daily for 3 weeks, please do visit and come to the activities offered by the Center for Symbolic Studies symbolicstudies.org. Our excellent SummerDance! faculty hails from all over the world. Nina Jirka (originally from the Kremlin Ballet) offers envigorating and challenging ballet classes, Toby Stover who has been with The Vanaver Caravan for 34 years, creates new Senegalese/West African choreography. Joel Hanna (1/2 Irish, 1/2 Philippino, from Vancouver, BC, spends his summers with us and offers flashy percussive footwork classes and amazing performances, Kantham Chatlapalli (from India, living in Wappingers Falls) & her daughter Harika teach kuchipudi and Bollywood . Mirah Moriarty of DANCE MONKS (who has relocated from San Francisco and teach in our Fall and SpringDance Institute as well), created a site-specific piece for Stone Mountain Farm. Talli Jackson who grew up dancing with The Vanaver Caravan and is now a member of Bill T. Jones' Dance Company and Gustavo Caldas, our resident capoeirista from Brazil, created pieces for the SummerDancers as well. Many of these dances will be performed on the Walkway-Over-the- Hudson Bridge on Friday evening, August 12th from 5:30-7 PM. All of these teachers and artists share their hearts and souls with the dancers and make an indellible impression for life.

In the midst of all this, the Company travelled to Ithaca two weeks ago to perform EarthBeat! at Cornell University. Harry Aceto, who has played bass with us in the past, put the word out that we were looking for housing for nine members of the Caravan. As a result, we received an e-mail from Scott Wiggins at LaTourelle Resort and Spa www.latourelle.com, inviting the entire Vanaver Caravan to be their guests while we were in Ithaca! The generosity of spirit was such a welcoming energy for us weary travelers! The accomodations were more than sensational. Scott put the guys in a beautiful historic converted carriage barn that was complete with jacuzzi (for Joel's room) and dining/living room where we all ordered Thai take-out for dinner. Eating together, laughing and relaxing, we were able to joyfully plan our rehearsal schedule and talk through the program which was brand new for some members. Sara Milonovich and Moustapha Diedhiou hadn't performed with us for many years. Hannah Tobias had her debut with TVC and everyone was thrilled to welcome her into the fold. What the audience sees onstage is not only dancing and music, it is the culmination of much time together and the ongoing development of relationships. What people also see, perhaps unbeknownst to themselves, is the result of the extention of this generosity of Scott Wiggins who "set the stage" for a beautiful concert evening by offering La Tourelle and making us feel so welcome. Before we go on stage, we always circle up and build that energetic focus and foundation for the performance. We remind each other to be generous with our dancing and that performing is a gift we give to the audience and is then received. How profound is that idea of generosity. There's something about being open and receptive. After the gift of a fabulous night's sleep, great food and a reception from Scott, the Company was then in an even better place to offer themselves and the EarthBeat! concert.

This spirit of generosity was experienced again last week at PS 21 (www.ps21chatham.org) where the Company entered Judy Grunberg's vision of creating a dance and theatre space in the middle of an orchard/farm in Chatham NY. Judy housed the Company for a week in a farmhouse on the property. Nathan and Emily taught Swing dance and Bill composed music for his upcoming symphony. Thank you Judy for your vision and your incredible generosity. Please take the opportunity to visit Public Space for the 21st Century and become a part of their community as well. Generosity begets generosity. We all have so much to share.

Summer events begin!!!

2011-06-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

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.

WELCOME

2011-03-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Vanaver Caravan Website and to our blog. We have some joyful Arts Education news to report. Last week was the culmination of our 22nd Annual Calico Ball with every third grader in the Beacon City School District. Over 275 dancers were joined by Vanaver Caravan musicians and dancers and our very special guest Pete Seeger (who made this year's festival possible!). The Calico Ball has been a template for our World Dance & Music festivals in schools.

Sixteen years ago Vassar Road Elementary School began a biannual residency with TVC, spearheaded by music teacher extraordinaire, Karen MacLeod. Karen and the entire faculty at VRS really took the ball and ran with it, creating a deep learning experience where the entire school came alive with the arts. We culminated the second and third graders in a Festival of Sharing and here are Karen's remarks to the community that day:

Last week a reporter asked me what the Vanaver Dance Residency is all about. I thought about it this past weekend and I think I finally have an answer. The Vanaver Dance Residency here at Vassar Road is like a beautiful garden. To make a beautiful garden you need many things. First, someone needs to buy seeds and tools. The PTA and NYSCA generously gave money. There teachers selected the first seeds - the countries. Next they started preparing the soil, by planning interesting activities to help you learn. Just about 1 month ago we started planting seeds. Mrs. Coyne began projects in Library and you first met Gaby and Livia. Each day the seeds were watered as you practiced your dance. More seeds were planted in music, art and gym classes learning songs in different languages, listening to instruments, playing games and studying artists and art from different countries. Even more seeds were planted as you worked with your partner classes in kindergarten and first grade.

Soon plants were sprouting up all over the school. I could hardly keep track of all the wonderful things going on. There was more practicing and studying and learning. So the plants kept growing. Before long, flowers began blooming all over the school. Colorful maps and projects were hung on the walls. First graders told me about working with you and watching you dance. They could hardly wait to see all of the dances today.

In every garden there are rocks and weeds that must be removed. The weeds in our garden were our doubts – we didn’t think we could ever earn those challenging parts. But then along came Livia with words of encouragement, always believing in us and telling us we could do it. Gaby was there to help us and show us exactly how to do the steps. So we kept on practicing and things got better. Lots of parents came to help in the garden too. They helped you practice. Some sewed costumes. Others counted, washed and fitted your costumes, making sure that we had everything we needed. Some days the ice and snow kept us indoors at home and we couldn’t even get to the garden! Along the way there was lots of hard work and even sweat. It was fun working together. But sometimes you might have wondered if all that hard work was worth it. I know sometimes I wondered myself.

But now we know it was all worth it. Today you gathered some of the flowers from our Vanaver garden. You gave a big, beautiful bouquet to your parents and to everyone here at Vassar. We are all so very proud of you.

And the garden keeps growing. Some plants have begun to drop their seeds which will start new plants as you taught your dance to others. The first graders are already gathering seeds to plant in the garden in two years.

Many years ago, even before you were born, two very special people dreamed of this beautiful garden – Livia Vanaver and her husband, Bill. Livia and Bill, thank you for making that dream come true. We will always remember this wonderful Vanaver garden, because as the garden grew, each of us also grew. Livia, Gaby and Bill, in addition to and, I believe, even more important and lasting than the beautiful flowers we see today, are the seeds that have been planted in our hearts –

Seeds of friendship with buddy classes,

Seeds of cooperation and teamwork as we help each other to do our best

Seeds of discipline, perseverance, and practice.

Seeds of pride and accomplishment in our work.

Boys and girls, these are the seeds you need to water and care for so these seeds grow inside of you. These seeds will grow and blossom for the rest of your lives.

Livia, Gaby and Bill, the children have written notes to thank you for helping us to grow and work together to create this beautiful garden. Here are just a few of their words:

GRADE 3: read Beck & Wexler & Edwards

I never knew how to dance, but you guys changed that fact. You are great dancers.

I feel like I know the dance so well, like I’m a person from the Netherlands.

When we played it felt like we were really in South Africa.

The Gumboot dance is my favorite because you have to use teamwork.

I know two dances now because my brother knows the dance from Italy!

It is going to be the best day ever.

And yes, boys and girls this surely was the best day ever!

GRADE 2 – read Zmud & a few Moy

Thank you Gaby for helping us exaggerate our movements.

The dance has awesome motions and I love the dance.

It was amazing how you fixed my mistakes.

I felt so nervous at first. Then I felt impressed with myself. Just when I started dancing I thought it was so cool. When I danced I felt so free. It has been so fun.

This is just the beginning of a regular blog on our new website. We'll have entries by myself as well as Company members and guests.

May Peace Prevail on Earth,

Livia

Help Elementary Student build community through Swing Dance

2010-02-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

We are raising votes to win a corporate grant which will bring more swing dance to the students of Glenmont Elementary School.

Please vote right now, and every day of February by clicking right here

TVC dancers Mike Jagger & Evita Arce jump for joy at your vote!

With this grant, Kinder - 5th grade students can learn about Frankie Manning, Lindy Hop, and what it means to dance with a partner with TVC dancers Michael Jagger and Evita Arce.

Overview

Building Community Through Dance brings together elementary students, their parents, siblings, grandparents, teen dancers, college students, and other senior adults in our community. Our mission is to use swing dance to build meaningful relationships within our community and to pass on the tradition of this American art form.

•Students will learn the Big Apple, the Shim Sham, and Lindy Hop moves from Vanaver Caravan dancers, Evita Arce and Michael Jagger.

•Older students will be dance partners with our younger students while they learn new steps. •Students will practice their dancing with college students from RPI's Swing Club.

•Parents will receive swing dance lessons from Isabelle's School of Dance high school dance team. •Each classroom of students will "adopt" a senior adult from an assisted living facility to share histories and to dance with.

•A Community Dance in June with live swing music will help everyone celebrate all of the social and communication skills we have learned.

Goals

To teach children communication and social skills
To build meaningful relationships in our school community
To ensure, swing dance, an original American art form continues
To learn swing dancing as a social activity

About Glenmont Elementary School

The Glenmont Elementary School in upstate New York has 400 students; 4.4% free lunch, 1.3% reduced lunch. Recently it has become more ethnically diverse. 19% of our students receive Special Education services, creating a greater need to build community.

How will the 25K be Used?
$ 5000	Alan Thomson Little Big Band
$ 6000	2 dance instructors - 1 week in April
$ 8000	Peter Davis & Lindy Hop Heaven - 1 week
$ 6000	2 dance instructors - 1 week in June

Sinterklaas

2008-12-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

Blog December 7, 2008

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

Philadephia Folk Festival 2008

2008-09-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

Square dancers join us for our dance workshop.

Livia Vanaver performing "Union Maid" on the Camp Stage.

Amy Fradon, Bill Vanaver, and Jim Barbero performing on the Camp Stage

Scene from "Vigilante Man", TVC dancers

All photographs by Eric Sagotsky

Moments in Dance History

2008-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

by Livia Vanaver
July 15th, 1:45 AM

Just returned home from an historic day in the life of The Vanaver Caravan. Yesterday we celebrated Jane Sherman’s 100th Birthday at the Actor’s Fund Residence in Englewood, NJ. To tell you the truth, I was apprehensive about the whole event. I knew that Jane was literally “ living for this day” and was excited to have people with whom she is very close joining her at this milestone in her life. But most of our Company was out of town for this particular weekend. Even Toby, who has missed only one or two shows in the past 30 years and has never missed a performance for Jane at the Actor’s Home over the past 15 years, was in Utah. Nevertheless, there were 6 Caravan Kids ages 11-14 (most of whom have been with us since age 4 : Anna Rose, Emma Baker, Rachel Campbell, Rebe Underhill-Hval, Ginger Clickner and Juliet ten Broeke). They worked diligently to prepare 3 of our favorite suites of ethnic dances, some fancy footwork/odd rhythm percussive dances, and they learned the Denishawn Floor Plastique as recreated by the Denishawn Repertory Dancers with Jane years ago, especially for this occasion. Jan Campbell, one of our rock steady Caravan Moms, would drive there and would be ready as dresser and go-for. Of the Company members, Fode Sissoko, Ramona Staffeld, Amber Wirthmann, Bill and myself would be perform. I would be the congenial M.C. as usual and try to weave the program together. The program would also feature Lyudmilla Melerud, a fabulous pianist who toured with us in France, during the 1990 Bienale as accompanist for the DRD. Would this be enough? We always have our own fiddler and pianist and a larger Company. I wanted ideally to perform several pieces from our repertoire of 10 Denishawn dances that Jane has recreated for us over the past 28 years, but as I mentioned most of the Company happened to be out of town. I wanted it to be special for Jane and wanted it to meet her expectations. I needed to get out of my own way and remember what was important. Jane had for the past 3 montths been living the Nursing Home section of the Actor’s Fund Residence and no longer in her well loved room with her writing desk, copy machine and a flurry of papers indicating many active projects, in the Assisted Living section. In the Nursing Home section, she could receive more attention after several falls. Jane had not been back to the upstairs Assisted Living section that she’s known home for the past 15 years since her transfer. This event would ultimately be wonderful for her as is.

The drive down was uneventful. Another particularly hot and humid day and by the time we got down to New Jersey from New Paltz, we were all schvitzing. We set up and Amber began rehearsing the Caravan Kids in the high celilinged lounge. I went down to check on Jane. She was just getting up from a rest and a bit apprehensive about seeing everyone and having to greet so many people individually when she couldn’t necessarily even see or hear them well. Then I heard my inner voice say, “Get out of the way, Livia, and just offer this loving gesture and enjoy every moment “. 2 PM arrived and so did Jane, wearing for the first time the white tiger patterned flowing floor length vest that I gave to her, which had been given to me in Oklahoma spontaneously by an audience member in the lobby of one of our shows this past winter. The program began with Lydumilla playing 2 pieces including, “Soaring”. I watched from the lobby and wept with the Caravan Kids and some of the beloved Actors Fund staff members as Jane literally danced in her chair. I could see her being transported back to the 20’s when that piece was actually set on her. She moved to every nuance of Lyudmilla’s forceful and fabulous rendition of Schumann’s masterpiece. Then the Caravan Kids took their places for Floor Plastique. Lyudmilla accompanied them (without even a rehearsal). This was our surprise gift to Jane and it was performed with great love and reverence, flawlessly. Amber danced, "The Legend of the Peacock”, the final piece that Jane recreated for TVC. It seemed as though Miss Ruth herself was coming to pay homage to Jane on this auspicious day. Fode Sissoko played the ngoni (a West African harp that he made on his last trip to Senegal and which never leaves his side these days) and the djembe (a West African drum which he plays like nobody’s business! No one even comes close to his stroke of genious touch and spiritual connection on these instruments). Fode sings while he plays the ngoni, often improvising in Mandinko about whatever or whomever is on his mind. Today, he sang to Jane. He stood right up in front of her. You could hear the unrecognizable words interspersed with the gently sung English sounds of, “happy birthday, Jane.” I moved the microphone close to her so that the audience could hear her comments. She brightened noticieably as the concert continued. Ramona danced a Charleston. The audience could really relate to this! They just loved it. Ramona’s gracious and ebulent style was a perfect offering in this spirit of generosity. Michelle Mathesius, Director of the Dance Department at NYC’s High School of Performig Arts. (She and I have the good fortune and karma to be Jane’s “Dancing Daughters”), Greg Cary and Bentley Roton from Kaatsbaan and several of Jane’s dearest friends were also present. We all agreed what a gift it was it was for us all to be together to celebrate Jane during while she was still alive. There were beautiful flowers from Margaret Myers (daughter of Clifford Vaughn who wrote many of the Denishawn accompaniments and also toured in the Orient with Jane in the 1920’s). Howard Gardner, who maintains a long time correspondence with Jane, sent his regards which was read during the performance and really said it all:

"To live a full century is a remarkable achievement for anyone. To have lived life to the fullest, to have given so much to so many, and to remain actively and optimistically engaged with the world, despite all its wrinkles and mis-steps, is a singular accomplishment. I join your multitude of friends and admirers in saluting you on this historic day."

It was indeed an historic day for all of us! Livia

Colorado

2008-02-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Entry by TVC Director and Founder Livia Vanaver

Friday, 2/1/08

10 AM We left La Junta, Colorado early this morning, after being hunkered down there for 3 nights. Herman wanted to get a head start in case we got caught on a potential snowy mountain pass that we would encounter before reaching Durango (our first destination today). There, we’ll be bidding farewell to Herman and his fabulous Stagecoach Bus and picking up 3 vehicles to finish the last week of the tour.

I have to share with you one of the typical Vanaver road experiences that will forever stand out in my memory of this tour:
When we arrived in La Junta, (The Junction between 4 states...and a real railroad town) it was Tuesday afternoon and Herman made great time driving in from Nebraska. I immediately called a seamstress in town to repair Ambe’s zipper which broke at the end of the last show. The seamstress said she’d come by the motel and pick it up. I then, sought out some interesting local places of interest, as we had a day off and a chance to relax, do laundry and connect with the local community. I picked up a brochure in the hotel lobby for the Koshare indian Museum and gave them call. I inquired about the Company coming to visit the Museum the next day and whether there were any Koshare dancers who might be around to share some of their dances with us. The museum director, Susie Sarlo, who answered the phone, knew exactly who we were, as she was on the board of the community concert association that was sponsoring our concert on Thursday night. In fact, she said, “I have to do a radio show about your concert tomorrow morning. Is there someone from your troupe who could do the show with me since you know more about your work than I do?” So, Bill and I met her at 8 AM and went over to the radio station to promote concert. I have to say that she was so delightful and so was the talk host. We had the best time!. At the end of the radio spot, someone handed me a note. The seamstress had heard us on the radio and called the station to ask us to drop the dress off, as she had forgotten to pick it up from the motel the night before but had remembered when she heard us on the radio. Susie took us straight over and while it was being repaired, she arranged for us to have a tour of the museum with program director, Jeremy Manyik, one of the head Koshares. The adobe style Museum is built with a giant Kiva -like theatre within. I can’t even describe to you how it is so beautifully and creatively constructed. The paintings, crafts and artifacts that this museum houses are so unique....so many treasures!! It was founded in 1933 by James Francis “Buck” Burshears and a group of Boy Scouts...long fabulous story. Best thing is for you to look it up on the internet (Koshare.org). We spent hours in the museum. They even took us down into the basement where much more items that had been bought or donated were being stored, awaiting the building of their extension which will eventually house their library and more exhibit halls. Some of the young Koshare children were beading and creating their own costumes. One of the elder Koshares drummed and sang for us and demonstrated some steps. The whole community that has evolved around this organization is so wonderful. They are dedicated keepers of Native American dance, song crafts and culture of mostly the Pueblo traditions even though most of the members are not Indian. Their dance practices, performances and community service keep them active well into their young adult lives and beyond. We were so happy when a big group of them attended our concert last night in La Junta at Otero Community College. The concert hall was packed last night and Zack made magic with a minimum of lights. They were a warm and enthusiastic audience of great singers..who bought all of our remaining albums. We lovingly donated the proceeds of our cd’s last night to the Koshare Museum and to the great work that this organizaiton is doing. I know this will be a long lasting friendship between the Koshares and The Vanaver Caravan. We can’t wait for them to come to our area and host them for a performance and cultural sharing.

Later on.....afternoon....we’re driving through the snowy mountain pass in the Rio Grande National Park just outside of Durango. It’s breathtaking! Nature is forever inspiring to me, I’m truly loving touring with such a wonderful group of people, bringing Woody Guthrie’s music to the land that inspired him to write thousands of songs.

Bringing Woody back to Bob Dylan

2008-02-01T09:10:00.001-08:00

by Livia
1/29/08
10 AM Mountain Time

Today is a travel day from Nebraska (where it was 45 below this morning) to southern Colorado. Bus time is great catchup time (sleeping, reading, organizing).
Just a quick recap of the last few days: We had a wonderful reunion with Eileen and Lisa Channer and Lara Ciganko...all formerly from the New Paltz area. On the morning of the 24th, Nathan, Evita, Michael, Bill and myself taught 2 swing dance, clogging and percussive dance workshops for the Main Street Performing Arts Charter School where Lara teaches. The bus picked us up there after the workshops and we drove up to Hibbing, Minnesota where we performed at the most beautiful old, ornate auditorium, where Bob Dylan went to high school. I thought that was ironic....Woody Guthrie comes to Bob Dylan’s home after so many years of Dylan visiting Woody in his home and in hosptial in Queens in the sixties. After the show we all went out to a restaurant/pub called: Zimmy’s, where Linda, the propietress treated us all to t shirts and various Dylan memorabiilia.....we went back the next morning to take a Caravan photo with her in front of Zimmy’s. I have to say again how warm and welcoming everyone is our here in the Midwest. The audiences have been packed and on their feet with standing ovations after every concert. There’s a real rapport felt between the Company and every audience we meet. These are real commuities of people who enjoy their subscription seriees for the year. We then drove to North Dakota
for a concert in Dickinson and last night we performed in Nebraska. Each day we get into the theatre and do a sound check with Ross, our fabulous sound engineer and then spend 2 1/2 hours warming up, going over notes from the show before, and fine tuning 2 pieces at a time from the show. It’s such a pleasure to have this time to work out details, work in dancers to pieces they haven’t performed before (last night Talli and Michael danced Hangman’s Reel for the first time, and Isa and Talli danced in Do Re Mi for the first time as well). It’s always interesting to me to go into a theatre/new space and try to make it your “home”, orienting ourselves to new dimensions, floor quality and just the ambiance of the theatre itself. The Company gets stronger each day as we each explore the art of dance and communicating with each other and our new audiences. Having Herman as our tour bus guide is pretty fabulous.

On our day off, he took us to the town of Deadwood, and then to see the rock sculpture of Crazy Horse which has been in process since 1948. This is well worth looking up on the internet. I sat in the theatre there holding Amy Fradon’s hand and weeping....similarly to the way we connected 10 years ago visiting Terezinstaat outside of Prague. When we really constate how the Native Americans have been treated, how greed for gold overrode the promise to leave the Black Hills of North Dakota to the Indians, untouched as sacred land, our hearts break. I could have spent the entire day here but we had places to go and more that Herman wanted us to see. Herman and his bus company, Stagecoach Tours take 300,000 people each year on these exact tours to Deadwood, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore (which was our next stop). When we got there, the wind was so strong, it literally blew us through the archway through all the State flags and onto the stone terrace where we could behold the 4 great sculptures of our Founding Fathers. One of the highlights was stopping in Rapid City to visit Herman’s digs. He created his own town, where the busses are stored. He purchased the set from Dances with Wolves and they serve as an education center and a place for him to store the antiques he collects while on tour with companies such as ours. Herman and his wife, Wanda, have a chuckwagan/theatre venue there as well, that holds 700. They entertain during the warmer months as well as running bus tours for thousands of folks to Deadwood, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore..

Long travel day but beautiful clear blue sky, lots of trains carrying coal and vast expanse of prairies, cows and buffalo.

Tour Bus Blues

2008-01-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

by Livia Vanaver
1/23/08
1:30 PM Central Time

Well, here we are on the bus zooming along from Iowa, just 91 miles outside of Minneapolis. Michael brought a dvd of Stomp and we all thoroughly enjoyed seeing this fantastic movie on the bus today....... a great show with kindred percussive dance spirits! All in all, this is a well paced and comfortable tour with Herman Jones of Stagecoach bus tours at the helm. We all get out every time Herman pulls into a rest stop and have a brisk walk in the snow and some crispy fresh air!!....as per Diana Byer’s suggestion (she toured with Allied Concert Series many times over the years in this area with her amazing company, New York Theatre Ballet) Her advice has been invaluable and we’ve found ways to save time and money by doing a good grocery shopping yesterday for supplies for the next few days. Last night’s concert at the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Iowa was just great. The outside of the theatre resembled a ship. We were told that the marines did their drilling actually in the theatre at one point. The theatre was built on the banks of the Mississippi with Indiana seen just across the ice floes. Many huge bald eagles greated us when we arrived. We performed for a very full and receptive audience and wow could they sing! Our sponsors and stage crew were all so warm and welcoming. It’s a pleasure to set up, rehearse and perform when you feel an immediate rapport with the whole team involved; from Roger the concert coordinato;, to wardrobe mistresses Jeanie and Sherry, who pressed costumes, to a delicious, hot home cooked meal before the show.

Tonight, some of us will stay at Days Inn (Mall of America....one of the biggest mega malls in the US....complete with indoor amusement park) and some at Lisa Channer’s and Lara Ciganko’s homes. Lisa and Lara were 2 of my first students in New Paltz when we the Arts Community first began. Lisa is now an established theatre director and professor at the University in Minneapolis and Lara is on the faculty of the Main Street School, a performing arts high school where Nathan, Evita and Michael with do some swing dance workshops tomorrow morning (early). Tonight we’re all going to Lisa’s for dinner and then off to a choreographer’s showcase. We’ll get to see Eileen Channer, Lisa’s mom, who is visiting. Eileen was on our first Board of Directors for many years as well as being the assistant to the Dean of Fine Arts at SUNY New Paltz, where we held our Institute classes for about 15 years. We’ve got a hot game of chess going with Nathan and Elijah. Evita is crocheting an amazing, expanding round item that she says will be a dress, Michael, Talli and Isa are finding bizarre ways of stretching and warming up, hunkering down with good books, Bill and I are finally having the time to edit over 8,000 of the Caringbridge e-mails in preparation for publishing a book about how a community came forth to heal and found healing for themselves as well....... and Amber is studying the gowns in bridal magazines.

On tour-The Midwest

2008-01-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

by Livia Vanaver
1/21/08

Several people have asked us to keep close touch while we’re on our 3 week tour in the Midwest with our Woody Guthrie show, to that end, we’ll try to keep a blog during our travels...Taking you on tour with us.

I have vivid memories of being little, bicycle riding age, and sitting in my kitchen in Queens drawing a map at the formica table: Go 4 blocks and make a right. Then go 3 blocks and make a left, 10 blocks and go right, make the next left and go 13 blocks. On and on I would draw my map, not having a clue where I would end up and excited by the prospect of great surprise. I would then pack a sandwich and a can of Mott’s apple juice, put it all in the basket in the fron tof my bike and away I rode...with a plan. This could have been a good staging for a Merce Cunningham piece. Life hasn’t changed that much for me. Somehow looking at the itinerary of this Woody Guthrie tour that we’ve just embarked upon, the memory of my bicycle journeys keeps flashing strongly in my mind.

We just arrived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and were met by Herman Jones, our bus driver with Stagecoach Tours, and new traveling companion...or rather we’re his new entourage of gypies.. Flying in was so beautiful ...everytime I woke up, the cloud formations were morphing from perfect patterns to completely being engulfed by a snowcloud. I’m so glad that Herman is driving and not us because we’re going through a wintry mix. on the highway heading towards Burlington, Iowa where we’ll do our first 2 concerts tomorrow. The bus is brand, spanking new complete with couch and card table in the back and a big space for grand battements holding onto the seat tops, or stretching on a yoga mat...alternately. I see that Herman is following a big sand truck...good move I say. I hope I made the right decision to plow ahead to our hotel eat dinner there, as opposed to eating now and having travel time later. We’re all hungry but I think it would be so much nicer to have a relaxing dinner together and turn in for the night. Aside from Amber’s luggage getting eaten by a conveyor belt, the trip was uneventful. Meeting up with Talli in the Chicago airport on his way back from San Francisco to join us on tour was heartening...so far everything is going well...We’re folllowing the plan.

California Connections

2007-10-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

August 21, 2007 6AM
by Livia Vanaver

Bill, Elijah and I are en route to San Francisco to visit Livia Blankman (otherwise known as “Little Livia”...from NYU and NYC dances studio days) and Chris Bigelow, both of whom were in my graduating class at School of the Arts (now better known as Tisch). We got an early start on the trip, leaving last night after a dress rehearsal of Gwynnie (Larsen) and her Airealistic crew in Burbank. One of the absolute joys in my life is to connect and reconnect with people in the past, especially those who, like Gwynnie, have grown up in the Caravan and are now out in the world doing their own dance thing so beautifully. Gwyneth will be 30 in October, so this has been a long time now watching her grow since age 5, into the amazing woman and performer she is today. Aminah, the director of the project we saw last night, was from the original production of Stomp in NYC. Talk about full circles....In 1994 when The Vanaver Caravan and Caravan Kids & Youth Dance Company (Gwyneth included), were doing a 3 day series of performances down at the South Street Seaport, we decided to go en
masse to see Stomp. 25 of us flooded the Orpheum Theatre and were absolutely inspired and entranced...as this percussive production is so close to our rhyhmic/dancing hearts. We all went backstage afterwards to tell the cast how thrilled we were to be there and also to invite them to come down to South Street to see us perform on their dark night. Well, they came to see us the next day and were excited about what we were about in turn. The nex week we received a huge box in
the mail with 25 Stomp T-shirts and a warm note from Aminah. We never saw them again....until last night, when I reminded Aminah of that “cultural exchange”. I love these full circles that make life so abundant.

Redlands Bowl

2007-10-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

August 18th, 2007 2 AM
by Livia Vanaver

Just finished a week out here in Redlands California culiminating with one of the most unique concerts of Pastures of Plenty that we’ve ever performed. When we first got this booking, I remembered seeing an old photo in the hallway of Mohonk Mountain House,(where we have performed annually since 1975) depicting Smiley Heights and the City of Redlands below. In reviewing the contract and detailed information in the Redlands Bowl packet, I noticed it was built on Smiley Heights. I
immediately spoke with Gerow Smiley and Pat Smiley Guralnik (Board of Advisors) and they confirmed that this is indeed a big Smiley territory, that Gerow spends several months of the winter here and that we must visit the Smiley Library when we got out there. The Smiley family is indeed a big presence in Redlands since the 1800’s as they are in the Hudson Valley, and we were proud to be an unofficial part of the family performing at the Bowl. For 84 years the Redlands Bowl (the oldest free theatre in the country, existiing on donations by audience and supporters alone), has been offering stellar concerts every Tuesday and Friday of the summer months. The cypress tree flanked amphitheatre itself is gorgeous and seats 6,000 including the grassyTanglewood-like seating, where people arrive 2 hours in advance of the show and set up their tables, chairs and candlelit picnic suppers. It is very hot in Redlands during the summer! Luckily a cool breeze brought the over 100 degree temperatures down enough for us to achieve our quick costume changes. We knew that our Pastures of Plenty show would appeal to this crowd and indeed this was true. The audience sang on all the songs and eagerly took a ride with us from the Dust Bowl ballads to Peace Pin Boogie, to This Land.....and enjoyed Woody’s wilndow into America HIstory and humanity, through his prolific music. The dancers had a blast performing in this magical space! We clogged out into the audience at the end and brought the children of Redlands up on stage with us for the finale. They were well prepared for this, as we spent the week prior to the show in the Redlands elementary schools offering school assembly concerts. We reached over 4,000 children during the week who now know that:
- This Land is Your Land is not an old country song,
- that Woody Guthrie wrote thousands of songs in his lifetime,
- that the dust storms REALLY happened ( just like Hurricane Katrina, and other natural disasters),
-that you can tell stories and express yourself through music and dance. (Some teachers are even tollowing up by having the children create their own dances to describe historic events that they are studying).

Last week we toured the Redlands Schools with Bill, myself and12 of the Caravan Kids (ages 11-16).. What an extraordinary experience for the CK to be 3000 miles away from home.... in intense desert heat The Caravan Kids fundraised to cover the costs of this trip and it was thanks to many of you for helping this to happen! They were absolute pros and were such good representatives of The Vanaver Caravan spirit of sharing. Julie Rose, Sarah Underhill and Greta Baker...three of the
amazing Caravan Moms group were there to drive, chaperone and stage manage. I think we were all impressed by how the CK rose to the occasion....waking up at 6 AM and performing 2-4 shows per day! We were all so taken by the warmth and receptivity of the Redlands elementary school children who listened attentively and participated so fully in the programs and then ran to hug us affectionately at the end. Marsha Gebara, the program director at the Redlands Bowl arranged all of this as part of their community outreadh, and was a wonderful hostess...meeting us each morning and guding us to the schools. We stayed in a beautiful motel with a pool and sauna where we alternately warmed up and cooled off for the day. The beach in Malibu bookended the trip as we worked hard and played hard with our usual serious fun. Having our newest Company members: Evita Arce, Michael Jagger (recently seen on, “So You Think You Can Dance?”) and Nathan Bugh spiced up the Swing dance sections of the show as we inserted one of their trios into Woody’s Rag,. Again, as I write about all of this...I
am struck once again with how grateful I am to have the opportunity to tour with this extraodinary group of dancers and musicians. Check out this website for a great preview article from Redlands. One of the TV stations did a 4 camera shoot and is creating a special about our show last night in the Redlands Bowl that should be out in the Fall. Let us know if you’re interested in seeing this. We’re all off to some days off and preparing for the Fall.

From California to the New York Islands...summer tour comes to a close

2007-08-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

8/20/07
by Rachel Prince

We have just returned from the last portion of our summer tour which took us to Redlands California. The Caravan Kids, and Youth Company spent a week teaching and doing residencies with the adult company joining them on the last night for a 3,000 person concert in the historic Redlands Bowl (apparently a stage often visited by music legends The Greatful Dead, and many others). Check out the below article which describes the Caravan Kids, and Youth Company's wonderful work in the local schools...

"Lesson in dance and music"
DAVID JAMES HEISS , Staff Writer for Redlands Daily Facts
Article Launched: 08/14/2007 03:15:34 PM PDT

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_6621130

REDLANDS - A dozen young people tapped their way onto the stage at Bryn Mawr Elementary School Monday afternoon, twirling and spiraling to music inspired by folk singer Woody Guthrie. They danced up a sandstorm, and through dance built a house and told stories about building planes.

A dozen 11- to 15-year-old members of the Vanaver Caravan Youth Company of New York gave Bryn Mawr's students a first look at Friday's scheduled performance of the Redlands Bowl, and will continue to visit schools today and throughout the week.

Bill Vanaver, leader of the group, explained to Bryn Mawr's students that "We're a caravan. Caravans are groups of people who travel, and we certainly travel all over the world sharing our music with people." He sang and played banjo as his youth company leaped, twirled and flailed their hands and arms to enact Guthrie's songs. Sometimes they clogged, sometimes they danced barefoot.

Livia Vanaver explained that, "In 1930 when your great-grandparents were still young parents, people in areas like Oklahoma were hit with a big dust storm. People had trouble breathing, and in the distance they saw what looked like new mountains - but of course, they weren't mountains, they were dust storms. Big piles of dust covered their houses and their tractors. And when it was over, they became the poorest of the poor, and many of them moved to California."

As recorded Guthrie music played, the youth company members twirled with their arms high in the air and slightly bent to imitate blowing in a flurry of circles like a dust storm, as a couple stood braced in the center of the fury, watching the intensity around them.

Bill explained that the youth group's movements were "not folk dancing. It's a form of modern dancing, a style that's newer than ballet."

The Vanavers encouraged students to participate in singing along to Guthrie songs such as "I'm Blowin' Down This Old Dusty Road" and "This Land is Your Land" while Bill played the banjo and Livia played the triangle.

"Woody Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs for children," Livia said. "One of them was called Ship in the Sky,' about all the daddies who helped build airplanes."

The youth company acted out dance movements to vignettes of different children's perspectives on how their fathers helped build, fly and land planes safely.

In another song, "Bling, Blang" youth company members swung hammers and twirled around building an imaginary house.
Alyssa Frey, a fifth-grader, thought the performances looked fun.

"I would like to dance. It seems like something like that could be possible. I really liked their dancing," she said. "They were really good."

"It was good dancing and good costumes," said Heidi Grable, a fifth-grader. "With their arms outstretched, it really looked like they were building and flying."

Fifth-grader D.J. Phelps said, "I liked the banjo. It was good how they talked to you and explained what was going on. I learned a few new songs, and I liked how they built the house. You could tell they were hammering and using saws."
"I liked the way they danced," said fifth-grader Andy Martinez. "It looked like they had to practice a lot. I think the children should've sang."

The Vanaver Caravan's visit to Bryn Mawr was part of the Redlands Community Music Association's Music in the Schools program. They will conduct similar programs this week at Crafton, Franklin, Smiley and Lugonia elementary schools.
"Young audiences react differently than older audiences, and they pick up on things that adults sometimes don't get," said Vanaver Caravan member Anna Rose, 11. "And, they aren't judgmental."

"Some of the dances inspire them and they can relate," said another member, Juliet tenBroeke, 12. "I saw kids pointing out things that they could see and tell they could understand, like when we were (acting like we were) on a swing set."
The Vanaver Caravan will present "Pastures of Plenty" at 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 17, at the Redlands Bowl

Reflections on a summer of travel...and it's not over yet!

2007-08-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

August 5, 2007
by Livia

Reflections on a summer of travel

July in Europe. This is the first time since 9/11 that we have been back to Europe as a full Company. We Caravaned with 30 people that included 16 Company members, 6 Youth Company Dancers, assorted family and 2 companions! We were thrilled to be invited back to the Rudolstadt Tanz and FolkFest, remembering our fabulous time there in 1998 where we premiered "Pastures of Plenty: Tribute to Woody Guthrie". This time, the Festival requested a program of our mixed Americana work, since the country they were honoring this summer was the USA. We brought with us our signature clogging pieces, a great rendition of Grine Kuzine (yiddish theatre song from our mini-musical, "Streets of Gold"), "Vigilante Man" and "Hanged Man's Reel" later additions to our Woody show, and 2 swing/Lindy Hop dances featuring some of our newest Company members. Visit the photo gallery by Andreas Heidrich http://www.vanavercaravan.org/rudolstadt.htm, a fabulous German photographer, who captured the essence of our mainstage performance on the Market Stage.

Company members like Bill, Elijah, Rachel Prince and myself who had been to Rudolstadt in '98, knew what to expect. The whole medieval town becomes the festival grounds....from the theatres and churches and town halls, to the castle courtyard to the marketplace, to the park (with the best Kinderfest I have ever seen...run by dedicated clowns who work with children and also with the disabled population in Germany all year round. Here children and families are totally engaged in creating interesting and unique crafts, and enjoying entertainment activities). We all danced till the wee hours of the morning with the other 70,000 attendees. In fact the Tanzelt tent was so packed one night that I could only teach dances that went up and down! The first Bal du Folk (open participatory dancing in this huge dance tent) took place beginning at 1:15 AM and lasted till 3 AM! When I saw that on our itinerary, I originally thought they meant 1:15 PM but it's military time in Europe, folks...silly me! Our wonderful band: David Bernz (guitar) Harry Aceto (bass) Sara Milonovich (fiddle), Bill on Banjo and in addition, Lori Morris (saxaphone) and Rich DeCrosta (trumpet) delighted the crowd. Our dancers mixed and mingled and got everyone going on Virginia Reels, Cajun train dancing, Swing, Clogging and even a polka. We arrived late on Thursday night were taken to a converted convent about 2.5 kilometers from the Festival. We woke up in the morning overlooking the beautiful countryside and listening to the voices of a Georgian women's choir that was sharing the lodging with us. After rehearsing in a large, airy room upstairs we prepared to go down to the Festival. We brought with us a plaque from the Ulster County Legislature naming The Vanaver Caravan as Cultural Ambassadors of Good Will from the People of New York State and presented it to the Lord Mayor of Rudolstadt at the opening ceremonies. Susan Zimet from the Legislature had presented the plaque to us at our concert in June at the Colony Cafe. This is exactly the kind of work that I love to be doing with the Caravan; forging meaningful relations worldwide. It's so important to our work to be doing this globally as well as locally. We were then featured in the opening concert on the Market Stage, which was a prelude to the Festival. One of the best parts of performing at international festivals is meeting and interacting with other performers from all over the world. The highlight of the Festival for many of us was Saturday night in the Food Tent, which is always packed with performers share delicious homemade German food in between working. Bill walked past the Georgian women who were seated and eating, and started to dance Lesghinka ( a well known Georgian dance). They immediately responded by singing and clapping one of their songs. He picked up their drum and began drumming the traditional Georgian rhythm that accompanies the song. The girls from Belarus who were sitting across from them, started dancing and singing one of their pieces. Marina & Gaby began dancing Flamenco against their rhythms and Evita and Michael began doing balboa (a fast form of swing). The rhythms and clapping picked up and Nathan began tapping and doing foot percussion against all of this.. You can see this clip...although a bit dark...on You Tube. On Sunday during our performance on the Kinderfest stage, Bambi, chief clown and director, interrupted us towards the end of our show. "We have a special surprise for The Vanaver Caravan", he said. We turned around and all of the performers from Belarus flooded onto the stage to give us a gift of their dance and song. This was a result of the connection in the Food Tent. Dance and music are universal languages. These are just some moments illustrating that truth. We're hoping to return to Europe next summer for some different festivals.

Nine of us went on to Sweden for a week, where we were guests at Herrang, the summer Lindy Hop haven of the world. We were invited to perform and teach 3 workshops of very different dance forms on "Cultural Day". Talli Jackson and I taught a Contact Improvisation class in the morning, Elijah taught a South African Gumboot dance workshop in the afternoon and we all taught Clogging in the evening. What fun and again...what cultural exchange!! People at Herrang dance even later into the night than in Germany, as it never really gets dark in Sweden. I don't think we collectively have stayed up dancing for so many hours as a Company. None of us slept very much on this tour. One of the best aspects of being at Herrang, was to be in the presence of Frankie Manning (93), the guru of Swing, whose teaching of this style of dance is like no one elses....so much skill mixed with love and compassion for so much of what he created in this form. Herrang was packed with some of the most wonderful teachers of this form from all over the world.

We actually took two Companions on the tour and would love to find a way to expand on this for the future and take more people along. May Peace Prevail on Earth. Livia

Summer evening show

2007-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Nathan, Amber, and Ginger get hyped up for the evening's peformance at Sullivan County.

Summerdance

2007-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2007
by Liva

I find myself right in the middle of SummerDance at Stone Mountain Farm, nestled in this magical land where close to 4 dancers are sweating and expanding their dance horizons each day. That's the word for the day....expansion. We have such wonderful teachers this year...Mirah Moriarty and Rodrigo Esteva are teaching release technique and the students are getting to explore dancing on low levels and with courage, weight and balance challenges and a sense of freedom that they never knew they had. NIna Jirka, our amazing ballet teacher originally from the Kremlin Ballet in Russia is herself, exploring ways of teaching the basics of placement and groundedness in order to fully embody the ballet vocabulary. She uses yoga as well as her own forms to diligently demand excellence and attention in the moment from each student. Kieran Jordan, Irish/modern/sean-nos dancer from the Boston area, is here this week only to share her wealth of knowledge of Cape Breton step dancing and sean-nos (old form of Irish music and dance) combined with innovative movement ideas. Toby Stover and Fode Sissoko are working with the students on West African Drum and Dance focusing this week on a Congolese dance. The day is so full and that doesn't include the 1/2 mile walk from the stage in the meadow, to the unique studio above the horse barn. Rustic, unique, envigorating, fresh are just some of the words that come to mind. I myself love watching and helping to shuttle the students back and forth when there's a downpour. Amber Wirthmann has done a great job as program director and there's a whole new crew coming on for next week.

First Post on Springtime beginnings

2007-04-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

The first posting on our new blog, we wanted to get Livia back behind the keyboard to share all her observations, inspirations, and stories from the road. Take it away Livia.