India 2023
Unity Through Diversity: Shakti Caravan, India 2023
Reflections from Livia Vanaver
In the 70's and 80's The Vanaver Caravan toured for the US State Department as Cultural Ambassadors of Good Will. Over the years, we continued to do this representing New York State and Ulster County. Truly, we are still doing that wherever we go. I have always been drawn to India and never imagined how it would affect me and broaden the work of The Vanaver Caravan until we began in 2011. Every time we have visited India, I never know what to expect . . . but I do know that something unexpected and miraculous will happen every day. This was our 4th time working with the Aikiyam faculty and students grades 1-8. For 2023, they asked us to create something special for the whole school to celebrate Republic Day . The theme this year was Unity Through Diversity.
In January, we worked with the faculty and 200 children from the Aikiyam School, one of Auroville's seven schools, which serves the village of Kuyilapaliam, bordering Auroville in Tamil Nadu. We chose eight countries that represent the peoples and cultures who reside in, and helped to build, Auroville. Created by Sri Aurobindo and his main disciple, known as The Mother, Auroville is an idealistic community with a vision to model global unity. West Africa, Germany, Brazil, Italy, France, China, South Africa and the USA were the cultures of choice. Each class/grade level studied and portrayed these countries through dance, music, song, and history.
One of the highlights for all of us was working with the teachers and having them perform dances from Greece and Israel. After the school day (and after chai and unwinding together), we rehearsed. The teachers were received like rock stars by the entire student body. You should have heard the audience cheering! The crumbling theater on the property next door to Aikiyam was renovated, and refurbished to accommodate this event and the whole school performed and shared their dances and all that they learned. Hopefully the space will now serve as a lovely performance area for future events.
You may know that every Thursday morning since April 2020, a month after the Covid lockdown in India, we began weekly world dance classes with the students at Malarchi home, the boarding house for Aikiyam and the high school. When it's 6:30 AM here, it's 5:00 PM there: a perfect time to Dance for Joy (their title for the class). That class still continues remotely today. Bharat Verma (an amazing dancer and body percussionist whom we met 11 years ago when the Company first went to Udaipur, India to work in the schools there) is currently teaching Rajasthani folk dance, Bollywood and body percussion to the students. We are all so happy to see each other on Zoom every week to dance. Last week we were ALL thrilled to dance together in person for the first time in 3 years!
Jill Ann Schwartz and I were the Teaching Artists. Chelsea Needham and Bill were the musicians extraordinaire. Jonah Grossman and Kyan Malone, two of our Youth Company, assisted in teaching these dances to the entire school, and they had the time of their lives. We all performed together at SAWCHU in front of their main theatre, Bharat Nivas, which brought people from throughout the Auroville communities together for the concert and participatory dancing. It was a true celebration of global connection and continuing to build community, in the way Auroville was intended. Big shout out to Laura Stotz and Marc Grossman, the two VanaParents on board for this tour, documenting and supporting the experience.
New Year's Tidings
A year ago, our artistic founders, administrative team and board of directors gathered to envision the future we hope to see for this nonprofit. We worked together to understand the impact and possibilities that exist within the Caravan’s legacy. The emerging vision for the future is one in which this organization continues to thrive, inspire, and nurture community for another half a century. We enter into 2023 with an important shift in company leadership: the Vanavers are officially passing the torch to the next generation. Never fear . . .
New Year, New Tidings: A Letter from the Incoming Executive Director
Miranda (Moo) Wilde Way
A year ago, our Founders, Artistic Directors, Administrative Team and Board of Directors gathered to envision the future we hope to see for this nonprofit. We have since worked together to understand the impact and possibilities that exist within the Caravan’s legacy. The emerging vision for the future is one in which this organization continues to educate, inspire and nurture community for another half a century.
We set out to do this with a collective agenda to shake up the traditional non-profit structure—moving away from top-down leadership to team-led decision-making. This has been a peaceful evolution for us: the nature of The Vanaver Caravan has often defied convention in search of a more beautiful and true way of being. As we plan for the future, we plan to use our artistic creativity to break down social barriers and build a more inclusive and loving world. These concepts are not new to the Caravan, but they are actively being woven into our strategic planning process today—through the fabric of our organization, across every fold and fiber.
And so we enter into 2023 with an important shift in company management: the Vanavers are officially passing the torch to the next generation. Never fear! Livia and Bill aren’t going anywhere (well, actually, they fly out to India next week to teach and produce a school-wide dance performance for India’s Republic Day!). But they remain steadfast in their roles as co-Founders and Artistic Directors—guiding my generation through the labyrinth of nonprofit life.
The need for clear leadership roles and tangible infrastructure has emerged with the growth of the organization. It is no secret that Livia and Bill have lovingly carried the Caravan mantle for 5 decades—sometimes through sheer force of will and powerful optimism. They have shlepped and housed every musical instrument, costume, dancer, musician, leaf of sheet music and errant tap shoe in their home, cars, and memories (and sometimes their neighbor’s homes, cars, and memories😉) from the get. Now, the company expands beyond the capacity of Vanaver family’s household—but everyone is still welcome for dinner.
It is with great humility, gratitude and commitment that I step into the role of Executive Director for The Vanaver Caravan this year. I come into this role knowing that I am not filling anyone’s shoes, but rather charting a path alongside the village of incredible artists, activists, friends, family, colleagues, and elders who have paved the way for us all.
What began from a seed of love and a yearning to celebrate our incredible world has evolved into one of the most unique, long-standing, and change-making nonprofits the world has seen. Livia said it best, “We never planned for any of this to happen. It just felt right, and we just kept going”. And now, we, the people who love and celebrate this organization, have the chance to lead the Caravan forward, with integrity and intention.
So, this New Year’s, I’d like to share some resolutions for the Caravan.
Exciting new projects are on the horizon! In addition to our Dance Institute programs and year-round performances, our goal is to build a home base. The Caravan Center will create a much-needed four season space for our classes and workshops. It will be an accessible hub for artistic excellence, community belonging, and creative education in the Hudson Valley. The capital campaign officially launches this month and we will need the support of our community to realize this visionary space. Learn more.
In 2023, the company also aims to expand its music program, train new teaching artists, and provide tangible curricula for our beloved arts-education programs (read: Bill & Livia are writing a book!).
As the Caravan stretches into new ways of being, we honor the central tenets of why we exist and how we operate. This company began as a family whose values revolve around togetherness, vibrancy, adventure, and joy. Built into the very heart of The Vanaver Caravan’s mission statement is the recognition and celebration of our own humanity.
Thus, the ethos of the company will continue to prioritize the health, well-being, and happiness of our employees, performers, and communities. We aim to make sure that the actions this organization takes ensure that the people and places with whom we work are treated with dignity, respect, and love. And, last but not least, we plan to have a whole lot of fun along the way. We hope you, our community, will join us!
Three cheers to many more years of whimsy, wonder, and good work.
Happy New Year,
Miranda (Moo) Wilde Way
CARAVAN CENTER
This is a very special year for the Center for Symbolic Studies and The Vanaver Caravan--and we need your support. Please consider making a contribution to our campaign to Build the Caravan Center at Stone Mountain Farm. Your donation will help build a new forever home for The Vanaver Caravan and a much-needed four-season creative space for a myriad of wonderful classes, workshops, performances, and local/international artist residencies.
CARAVAN CENTER
A SPACE FOR THE ARTS TO THRIVE
This is a very special year for the Center for Symbolic Studies and The Vanaver Caravan--and we need your support.
Please consider making a contribution to our campaign to Build the Caravan Center at Stone Mountain Farm. Your donation will help build a new forever home for The Vanaver Caravan and a much-needed four-season creative space for a myriad of wonderful classes, workshops, performances, and local/international artist residencies.
Hudson Valley One Magazine Article::
Read full article at: https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2022/08/19/vanaver-caravan-center-for-symbolic-studies-seeks-permanent-hq/
Vanaver Caravan, Center for Symbolic Studies seek permanent HQ
Young performers from Vanaver Caravan’s Summerdance event rehearse at Stone Mountain Farm in Tillson. (Photo by Lauren Thomas)
. . . Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in the Hudson Valley this year, with a mission to “inspire, through dance and music, the harmonious co-existence of world cultures and traditions,” the Vanaver Caravan has become a fixture in the cultural landscape of this region, especially via the generations of children who have participated in its arts-in-education programs. Its partnership with CSS over the years includes co-organizing the pageantry of the much-loved Beltane Festival that takes place at the Farm each year on the weekend closest to the first of May.
Miranda [Way], Interim Executive Director of The Vanaver Caravan, stands on the site where there are hopes to build a theater at Stone Mountain Farm in Tillson. (Photo by Lauren Thomas)
“A new generation of Caravan veterans is now stepping up to the plate, prepared to shepherd in the next phase. . .”
Like many not-for-profits founded in the 1960s and ‘70s by young idealists steeped in counterculture values, the Caravan is facing the same issues of generational transition as CSS. Co-founders Bill and Livia Vanaver will undoubtedly go on making music, dancing and teaching until they drop; but like the Larsens, they’ve reached the age where it becomes necessary to ponder who’s going to take up the torch when they’re gone – not to mention how to ensure that the organization’s mission will remain relevant in the decades to come.
The Caravan has a small rented office in New Paltz’s Water Street Market, and much of the planning process over the years has happened at the Vanavers’ kitchen table, but finding class and rehearsal space for dance has been an ongoing challenge. A new generation of Caravan veterans is now stepping up to the plate, prepared to shepherd in the next phase. And that includes the dream of a “forever home,” co-owned by the organization.
“We’re interested in having a physical space to dance year-round,” says interim executive director Miranda [Way], known to the troupe as Moo since she began taking dance lessons with the CaravanKids as a preschooler. “A natural evolution that feels very organic is building a four-season space…It’ll make it possible to do a lot more collaborations like Beltane.”
Presuming that its $125,000 pricetag can be raised through grants and donations, that space will be a round yurt 50 feet in diameter, made of insulated canvas by an Alaska-based company called Nomad Shelters, according to Gwyneth, who’s handling the construction logistics. “These things have serious R-value and can take a heavy-duty snow load. Some people in Alaska live in them year-round.”
Dance-friendly marley vinyl flooring will be installed atop a platform of structural insulated panels supported by Sonotube piers. The yurt will be wired for electrical service, with mini-splits for heating and air conditioning, and the ceiling will be high enough to accommodate aerial dance classes in inclement weather. Part of the plan is to make the Caravan Center available for residencies at an affordable rate to other artists for about a third of the year, says Moo. “It’ll be a space for all of the arts to thrive.”
On Saturday, capital campaign director Chelsea Miller took Wellness Festival attendees on tours to the location where this new facility is proposed to be built: in what is now a meadow, just before the first parking lot on the south side of the access road to Stone Mountain Farm, at the terminus of River Road Extension. The building site is opposite (though out of sight of) the Rail Trail Café, and there’s a bathhouse near completion right next door. Proximity to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail will make it feasible for New Paltz and Rosendale residents to bicycle to the Caravan Center, grab a quick shower before class or quaff a local microbrew at the Café afterwards.
Organizers of the project say that a few anonymous donors have put up seed money for the campaign, whose goal is to raise $125,000 . . . “We want to close out the fundraising by the year’s end and break ground as soon as it thaws,” says Miller. . .
Looking Back, Dancing Forward
The Vanaver Caravan celebrates their 50th Anniversary this year with a series of events that highlight the best aspects of their impactful work; both past and present. Join founders, Livia and Bill Vanaver, and the Caravan community as they reflect on their legacy and imagine a bright future – handing the leadership torch to the next generation and building a home dance center in the Hudson Valley. . . READ ON.
Looking Back, Dancing Forward:
The Vanaver Caravan Celebrates 50 Years
The Vanaver Caravan celebrates their 50th Anniversary this year with a series of events that highlight the best aspects of their impactful work; both past and present. Join founders, Livia and Bill Vanaver, and the Caravan community as they reflect on their legacy and imagine a bright future – handing the leadership torch to the next generation and building a home dance center in the Hudson Valley.
50th Anniversary Year Events & Workshops
Thank you to everyone who attended our 50th Anniversary Reunion Gala at the Ashokan Center on October 22nd, 2022. It was a beautiful event and we were so happy you joined us. Share your Caravan Tale here.
Images from the 50th Anniversary Gala
Snapshot Gallery of meaningful moments
Volunteer Opportunities
Become A Caravan Community Ambassador!
To celebrate The Vanaver Caravan's 50th Birthday, we also celebrate YOUR birthday We are asking members of our community (of any age!) to get involved by hosting a birthday fundraiser on Facebook.
Volunteer Packet
2022 Dance Institute Dates
The Vanaver Caravan offers a variety of dance classes and special workshops for children, teens, and adults throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. Students who train in our institute learn styles taught by world-renowned dancers, in a wholesome atmosphere.
SpringDance - March 15 - May 25
SpringDance classes Tues & Wednesdays, ages 4-18
Summer Programs - July 11 - Aug 5
CaravanKids (ages 4-8) & SummerDance (ages 9-18) Week-long Workshops
FallDance Classes - Sept 13 - December 15
FallDance classes Tues & Wednesdays, ages 4-18
Moving Forward
Moving Forward was co-created to build community, uplift our shared audiences, and to be made accessible though free public performances. The impetus for the project was to co-create a new dance piece that would express both dance companies' desire to unite and address multi-racial communities, including those of our own dance companies.
Moving Forward was co-created to build community, uplift our shared audiences, and to be made accessible though free public performances. The impetus for the project was to co-create a new dance piece that would express both dance companies' desire to unite and address multi-racial communities, including those of our own dance companies. Moving Forward builds artistic capacity through the development and performance of this new collaborative work added to our repertoire - as well as audience sharing between two local dance companies.
MOVING FORWARD DATES:
Moving Forward will be performed at our upcoming participation in the annual Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs, (postponed due to COVID, date TBA, 2022). Click here: Visit FlurryFestival.org to learn more and purchase tickets
Stay tuned in 2022: Moving Forward will be performed in urban, suburban, and rural spaces in the coming season, for all to see!
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor’s office and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.