Calico Ball students singing their song finale.
2023 Arts Ed Reflections
Last Friday marked the 33rd Annual Calico Ball in Beacon. The entire third grade of the Beacon City School District (12 classes and over 100 students) took to the stage of the Pete and Toshi Seeger Theatre at the Beacon High School—eight and nine-year-olds dressed up in Lederhosen and Carnivale masks weaving through the current of high school students between bells to get to the backstage wings. The high schoolers had all been part of the Calico ball when they were in third grade, of course, so none of this seemed out of place.
“When I come into the high school,” reflects Livia. “Students stop me in the hallway and start doing the steps of their third grade dances right there. It’s a riot!”
Backstage snap shot of the Calico Ball song Finale.
For those of us who didn’t grow up in the Beacon School District, the Calico Ball is the first school dance program established by The Vanaver Caravan. Caravan teachers go into the elementary schools and teach each class a different dance from a country or region around the world. Classroom and special area teachers work with students on special art projects, songs, stories, and research. At the end of this two month cultural immersion, all the school staff, students and their families gather at the High School to perform their dances and share what they’ve learned. This year’s Calico Ball took the audience to Germany, Brazil, China, Ghana, South Africa, Côte D’Ivoire, Ecuador, Argentina, Greece, Egypt, Puerto Rico, and the outback of Australia.
The Calico Ball has grown into a steadfast community tradition–integrated deeply into school curriculum, from the superintendent to the custodial staff, everybody celebrates together. It is so integrated, in fact, that the current principal of Sargent Elementary School herself performed in the inaugural Calico Ball and more than half of the students have parents or siblings who have passed through third grade and marched onto the stage to proudly celebrate the beautiful music and dance that the world has to offer.
While the Calico Ball is our oldest residency, it is not our only residency. This year saw The Vanaver Caravan in 29 schools, with over 3,000 students. Our growing team of Teaching Artists took the classrooms with aplomb, sharing the change-making power of the arts with children and adults alike. At Arlington High School, where we run a full year dance and yoga elective for sophomores-seniors, students reflected that the Dance program was one of the only places they felt truly safe to be themselves.
Arlington High School Dance Studio. Dance teachers: Miranda (Moo) Way, Mara Lileas, Debra Waner, and Cedric James
Yesterday, our Arlington High School students philosophized: “I feel so comfortable with all of you here–like we’ve all been through a trauma and it’s made us closer–except it wasn’t traumatic, it was fun! Why is that?” Eventually, they came to the conclusion that dancing together and being really present in their bodies made it way easier to shake off the walls they put up to protect themselves from judgment or hurt.
Teaching dance in schools is important. We have worked hard to ensure that our dance and music programs are available to schools. In a climate where schools are banning books and erasing history, it feels more vital than ever to make sure the stories and movements of all peoples are represented and honored with integrity. So, as we celebrate the end of the school year, we also acknowledge that there is so much more work to be done. And we are here for it.
