Alumni Spotlight: Sariyah Idan
... I think what made a more lasting impact on me is that Livia and Bill live [their] mission as people--it’s not just a job practice, it’s their way of life and thus by extension I believe it becomes a way of life for anyone who spends significant time in their community. — Sariyah Idan
Watch our Sariyah’s beautiful music video—the first single from her DEEPER THAN SKIN EP.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SARIYAH IDAN
Photo credit: Lisha Riabinina
Sariyah Idan is an internationally touring actor, writer, dancer, singer-songwriter, and educator who utilizes interdisciplinary theater and multi-genre music to create transformational experiences. Her work interrogates toxic forms of patriarchy while offering alternative ways of navigating its landscape and embodying a complex identity. Committed to the intersection of multiple narratives through a lens of compassion, she investigates the responsibility that comes with privilege and provides spaces for connectivity. As an educator/coach she passionately empowers the authentic voice of individuals while encouraging communal accountability. Her solo documentary/autobiographical theater show HOMELESS IN HOMELAND, reviewed as “a dramatic tour-de-force…not to be missed (Hollywood Progressive),”
combines poetry, dance, and seventeen character monologues, to convey a young Jewish-American woman’s struggle to understand her identity, her family, justice, and the meaning of home through the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a singer-songwriter, band leader, and multi-instrumentalist she has played iconic cultural centers including The Kennedy Center in DC, The Skirball Cultural Center in LA, and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC. Jazz trained, hip-hop educated and influenced by her Jewish roots Sariyah embodies fiery sensuality rooted in cultural, social and verbal poetry. With a passion for ethnomusicology and social movements, Ms Idan intentionally mixes multiple genres not simply as a sonic tapestry of her environment but also as an expression of social activism and is indebted to her mentors, including Melanie DeMore, for guiding her in this practice. Her understanding of world cultures, sounds and rhythms began at a young age touring as dancer and singer with world music and dance ensemble The Vanaver Caravan. Fusicology reviewed her Deeper Than Skin EP as “powerful, soulful, spirited songs filled with stories of joy, struggle, love and social justice”. Her collaboration with world music DJ/producer Haj i Ji drew vocal comparisons to Sade by the Canadian publication The Voice Magazine. With a long list of collaborations in the hip-hop, dub, soul and world music scene, Sariyah is currently working on her debut LP currently being recorded in both Los Angeles and Berlin.
Sariyah began dancing with The Vanaver Caravan at age 4, became a member of the first Caravan Kids group and Youth Company, and went on to perform in the touring Company. This is what she has to say about the 20+ years she spent with The Vanaver Caravan.
“... I think what made a more lasting impact on me is that Livia and Bill live [their] mission as people—it’s not just a job practice, it’s their way of life and thus by extension I believe it becomes a way of life for anyone who spends significant time in their community.””
In what ways do you think The Vanaver Caravan impacted/shaped the life you live today? My interest in cultures. My fascination with ethnomusicology and the fusion of cultural sounds in my own music. The social justice nature of much of my work as a writer and performer. My understanding of “proper body alignment” as a dancer and my subsequent commitment to educating others about it when working with massage clients. My investment in my poetry and theater students to not just focus on their own unique expression to be solid ensemble members, to be accountable to each other. I continue to have a strong appreciation for music and dance traditions because of the curiosity The Vanaver Caravan instilled in me. But I think the strongest way The Vanaver Caravan impacts my life today is by inspiring me to create my own music and movement traditions; ones representative of the coexistence committed counter-culture I was raised in, and mixed with my own identity as an american kid nurtured by the African-American music canon.
Tell us a story! Can you share an event, memory, funny anecdote, or quote from your history with Livia and Bill & the rest of The 'Caravan? So many! Making site specific dance pieces with Rachel Prince and the goats in the goat pen at Summer Dance. Early morning small ensemble school shows with improvised blocking, improvised dressing closets, and ecstatic mind blown kids. Bill looking for his socks while packing up from a show. The encyclopedia of corny, punny, mildly dirty folksy jokes. Livia after one glass of wine and a big concert in Scotland exiting a lounge saying — with her quintessential Jewish mother point— “you all might not fully appreshmiate me now but one day, one day, you’ll appreshmiate me.” All of us doubled over with laughter and appreciation.
Can you give us three to five words you'd use to describe the overall feeling you get when you think of your time with TVC? Rhythmic, community, jokes, van rides, spontaneous, multicultural, spiral of traditions, schlepping, the Tetris of packing.
Anything else you want to say to us? ...I appreshmiate.
Thank you, Sariyah. We love you!
What's all this about? See our Spring Fund-Drive 2018 Letter of Giving
One of the common threads in any thriving, happy, peaceful society, is a feeling among the people, of belonging and being understood. The Vanaver Caravan provides workshops, performances, and on-going school programs that directly help people understand and connect to one-another.
This spring, our goal is to fill our alumni scholarship fund, which will help bring new students of lower means into our after school and summer programs--into our dance community.
We have a lot of alumni. Over 50,000 students and dancers across the globe, from more than 1,000 schools. We couldn't get in touch with every one of them, but we have reached out to some of our alumni to see how they are using their Vanaver Caravan teachings to make an impact in the world. For the next 6 weeks, we'll bring you new stories from old friends, just like Rachel's! Next week, we catch up with our beloved Adrienne Barr-Chait.
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel List
This week, we caught up with Rachel List, who was part of the first Vanaver Company in the 1970s-'80s. Read about Rachel's experience on the road with Bill & Liv, and how The Vanaver Caravan has influenced the incredible life she has lived since then.
"Streets of Gold.". with The Company, circa 1988. Photo by Gideon Lewin. Company Members, clockwise spiral from top left: David Tichner, Michael Scott, Margaret Morrison, Michael Samsonia, Evan Stover, Marco Brehm, Ira Bernstein, Ted McKnight, Marjorie Berman, JeanneChin, Rachel List, Bill Vanaver and Livia Vanaver Drapkin Vanaver.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: RACHEL LIST
Rachel List, headshot.
Rachel List, Director of the Dance Program at Hofstra University
Rachel was a longtime member of The Vanaver Caravan (beginning in 1975) and toured with the company both nationally and internationally. She was also a member of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Partridge/Benford/Dance/Music and the New York Baroque Dance Company. Currently, Ms. List is the Director of the Dance Program at Hofstra University and also teaches ballet at the Peridance Capezio Center in Manhattan.
She has served on the faculties of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Queens College, Barnard College, the Balettakademien in Stockholm, Sweden and Danse Projektet in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ms. List has taught master classes in Baroque dance at a variety of schools and universities including the Juilliard School, New York University, Vassar College, Swarthmore College, Columbia University, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Bard Graduate Center, and Texas Woman’s University. Ms. List was the movement consultant for the Pearl Theatre Company’s production of Marivaux’s Double Infidelities and the choreographer for their production of Wycherly’s The Gentleman Dancing Master. She also choreographed Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), The Tender Land (Copland), and Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach) for the Bronx Opera Company and was a consultant for New York City Opera’s production of Telemann’s Orpheus. Ms. List created numerous works for her own company from 1985-’95 and continues to choreograph for students at Hofstra. She was the founder and director of Manchester Dance, a summer workshop in Vermont from 1987-’97 and is frequently on the faculty of the Bates Dance Festival in Maine.
“Working with the Vanaver Caravan was definitely one of the most important experiences of my life ... I carry this experience with me every day. Livia and Bill are so talented, generous, and tireless in their efforts to spread joy and understanding in the world. I wish them many, many more productive years. Sending much, much love. ”
Here's What Rachel Had To Say About Her Time w/ The Vanaver Caravan . . .
1. What age did you start dancing with The Vanaver Caravan? 18
2. For how many years did you study/perform with TVC? About 20, though not all in a row.
3. Give us three to five words you'd use to describe the overall feeling you get when you think of that time. It was exciting, inspiring, fun, crazy and opened my eyes to so many new worlds of dance and music that I had never even know about before meeting Livia and Bill.
4. In what ways has The Vanaver Caravan impacted/shaped the life you live today? Probably the most important thing is that I met my husband Michael Sansonia who was a member of Bill's band. After going on a 7 week tour of Europe with the VC we moved in together and haven't been apart ever since. And that resulted in our wonderful son, Mason Sansonia.
5. Tell us a story! Can you share an event, memory, funny anecdote, or quote from your history with Livia and Bill & the rest of The Caravan? Our travels around Europe resulted in many, many amazing experiences since Livia and Bill would never miss an opportunity to explore our surroundings. I remember one trip in our big tour bus that took us to the top of a mountain to visit a castle. After we all had a great time exploring, we got back on the bus only to find that there was no space for the driver to turn around. So, he had to back this huge bus down a small winding road all the way to the bottom. Luckily, he was an excellent driver! Another amazing experience was when I got to "call" a square dance for about 500 people in a train station in Lyon, France. Of course, many of the participants felt the need to come up to the stage and correct my French afterward...oh well.
6. Do you have a favorite song/dance that you learned with The Vanaver Caravan? So many! Appalachian clogging, French Canadian clogging, Kopanitza, Boston Fancy, Motherless Children, the swing dance between Grandma Sunni and the Cowboy, Wondrous Love, "Run Carrot Run" - and even though I didn't get to perform them, I loved watching the Sword Dance, the Boot Dance and hearing Bill and Livia sing many songs like the Engineer Song and songs from Greece and Eastern Europe.
7. One last question...
... Do you feel that your experience with The Vanaver Caravan reflects our mission statement? In what ways? Absolutely! Through working and traveling with TVC, I learned about many other cultures that I had never known about. This knowledge and understanding is now passed down to the college students I work with every day. I feel blessed to have had the experiences that I did with the Caravan and I am so impressed with the way Livia and Bill continue their work both in the US and around the world. They are outstanding cultural ambassadors!
Thank you, Rachel. We love you!
In case you missed it, Here is Our Spring Fund Drive 2018 Mission:
One of the common threads in any thriving, happy, peaceful society, is a feeling among the people, of belonging and being understood. The Vanaver Caravan provides workshops, performances, and on-going school programs that directly help people understand and connect to one-another.
This spring, our goal is to fill our alumni scholarship fund, which will help bring new students of lower means into our after school and summer programs--into our dance community.
We have a lot of alumni. Over 50,000 students and dancers across the globe, from more than 1,000 schools. We couldn't get in touch with every one of them, but we have reached out to some of our alumni to see how they are using their Vanaver Caravan teachings to make an impact in the world. For the next 6 weeks, we'll bring you new stories from old friends, just like Rachel's! Next week, we catch up with our beloved Sariyah Idan.
Spring into Summer!
Upcoming 2018 spring and summer events and performances! As the flowers bloom, The Vanaver Caravan looks forward to an abundant spring and summer. See what's in store, and join us.
2018 Spring & Summer Events
As the flowers bloom, The Vanaver Caravan looks forward to an abundant spring and summer. See what's in store, and join us.
SPRING & SUMMER EVENT SCHEDULE:
MAY
5/13, Join Livia Vanaver and Linda Diamond for a lecture and film on the life and work of American dance pioneer, Ruth St. Denis “The Divine Miss Ruth”—whose dance studio was dubbed “the cradle of modern dance. Contact Rosendale Theatre. Admission is $10 for members, $12 for non-members and $6 for children 12 and under.
5/15 - 6/30, Spring Fund Drive. Our alumni scholarship fund-drive begins tomorrow. For the next six weeks, we'll bring you stories from our alumni as we raise funds to welcome new students with little means, into our dance community. Learn more.
JUNE
6/3, The CaravanKids and Youth Company will perform at the 6th annual Kingston Multicultural Festival at T.R. Gallo Park.
6/7, A performance of EarthBeat as part of the Norwood Village Green Concert Series. Location, Norwood Village Green Band Shell, Norwood, NY. More information here.
6/16 – 6/17/18, World Dance and Music Performance, Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival.
JULY
7/8 - 7/13, Common Ground on The Hill. Join Bill & Livia in and hundreds of other international artists, musicians, dancers, and thinkers. Learn how to build a banjo, make a canoe, sing, write, dance, and discuss at Traditions Weeks at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. Learn More.
7/16 – 7/20 CaravanKids Summer Workshop Center for Symbolic Studies, (CSS) $250 half day 9:00 – 12:30; $375 full day 9:00 – 3:00. The week-long program introduces children to the wonderful world of dance! But CK Week is so much more than a dance program - it's a full week of adventure, movement, art, imagination, and creativity.
- 7/23 – 8/10 SummerDance on Tour (SDoT) Center for Symbolic Studies, three week workshop that engages students in a wide variety of dance forms and styles that expand their perceptions and vocabulary in the world of dance, while also piquing their performance skills. Classes are for all levels, and include subjects such as Modern, Percussive, Swing, Bollywood / Indian Folk, Flamenco, Improvisation, Choreography, Ballet, and more.
- 7/23 – 8/3, 6:00 pm Bollywood classes, Bharat Verma, CSS, hour class (Mon-Fri), $15
- 7/23 -8/3, 9:15 am Rajasthani Folk, Vijay Laxmi Ameta, CSS, hour class, (Mon-Fri) $15
- 7/28, 5:00 pm World Dance & Music for Families Performance, Rosendale Theatre, $15 >> The Vanaver Caravan presents World Dance and Music for Families: a riveting whirlwind of world dance and music which brings audiences on a journey around the globe.
- 7/29, 9:00 pm EarthBeat Performance, Mohonk Mountain House, Book dinner or an overnight stay to see the performance at this breathtakingly beautiful landmark property.
AUGUST
- 8/3, 5:00 pm SDoT Performance **, Rail Trail Café . Free Rajastani and Bollywood performance.
- 8/4, 7:30 pm World Dance & Music Performance and Participatory Dance,hosted by Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center l, Ashokan Center, $15, $10 for youth 16 years and under uggested donation to SummerDance on Tour" program, which offers scholarship to children in need to study with these world class teachers every summer.
- 8/5, 6:00 pm SDoT Performance, Bon Odori Festival, Kingston Point Rotary Park, Free Day long festival includes traditional Japanese dance, performance and audience participation.
- 8/8, 2:00 pm SDoT World Dance Performance, Woodland Pond
- 8/9, time tba SDoT World Dance Performance, TBA.
- 8/10, 6:00 pm SDoT Performance, Outpost BBQ
- 8/11, 4:00 pm Flamenco Performance with Anna Mazo, Rosendale Theatre, Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival, $15 ($20 at the door)
- 8/12, 2:00 pm SDoT Performance, Dance Film Sunday, Rosendale Theatre, $12 gen admission, $10 members, $6.
- 8/13, 6:00 pm World Dance & Music Performance, United Nations Youth Delegate Convention, NYC
Stay tuned for more! Have a beautiful May.
Spring Time Celebration!
Beltane 2018: Saturday April 28th (Rain Date Sunday) / Festival gates open at 12pm - 7pm / At the Stone Mountain Farm.
Join The Vanaver Caravan Dance Institute this weekend at The 28th annual Beltane Festival! Enjoy a myriad of Spring Time Celebrations at the enchanting Stone Mountain Farm. See our dancers awaken the Green Man, vanquish the winter king, and rise from the ashes!
Wishing you a Happy Spring!
Shakti Caravan's Second Tour begins Today!
Livia and Bill arrived home only last week, and already Samantha & Brian Lawton, and Joel Hanna are heading off to India to complete our second Shakti Caravan Tour of 2018.
They will be teaching at the Happy Hours School in Jodphur, Rajasthan, and then dividing up: Sam & Brian to Mumbai, to get involved in the burgeoning Lindy Hop community there. And Joel, to our home city, Udaipur, to run the third consecutive Fighting for Change program (which teaches free self-defense and martial arts courses for women & girls of any age).
Learn more & stay updated at Shakti Caravan.
We wish you three love, joy, and strength on your journey!