Past event: July 3-8: Rudolstadt, GERMANY

Nathan and Evita + Isa and Talli, performing “Peace Pin Boogie” at Rudolstadt in 2007

From July 3rd-8th, the Company will be on tour in Germany, performing at Germany’s premier folk festival, Rudolstadt.

The Vanaver Caravan performed at Rudolstadt in 1996 and 2007. We can’t wait to go back!

SCHEDULE.

If you happen to be in Germany, come find us (or plan a fun stop in Germany for your summer vacation).

Past Event: July 7-12: Common Ground on the Hill

Finding Common Ground—on the Hill

The Vanaver Caravan has been teaching workshops at Common Ground since it’s inception 25 years ago! Every year, Livia, Bill and co. pack up the Vana-Van and head down to Westminster Maryland to teach and learn, dance and sing, talk and listen, write, craft and laugh with a huge pool of diverse and talented artists and thinkers. Come join this incredible community for three individual weeks of in-depth courses in art, dance, a variety of musical instruments, film, writing, songwriting, spoken word and literary arts, along with a broad range of discussion courses. Evening art lectures, concerts, dances and jams round out this extraordinary experience! College credit available.

SIGN UP FOR TRADITIONS WEEKS NOW:

Week 1: June 23 - June 28, 2019
Week 2: June 30 - July 5, 2019
​Week 3: July 7 - 12, 2019 Livia and Bill will be teaching during week 3.

C.G.O.T.H. VISION

“What we believe … is that a healthy society is one that is highly involved in the arts.” —Walt Michael, founder and executive director of Common Ground on the Hill

Common Ground on the Hill offers three consecutive but separate weeks of workshops in music and visual arts, concerts, dances, dramatic performances, lectures, art shows and more.  These workshops and other events feature professional musicians, artists, dancers, actors, writers and thinkers from a wide variety of disciplines who hail from all over the United States and beyond, and who come to Common Ground on the Hill as instructors to teach and perform.  Common Ground on the Hill also enrolls a body of students who come to participate in workshops, attend concerts, play music, dance, paint, weave, make pottery, write, engage in dialog, learn, share, and much, much more. 

Students who enroll at Common Ground on the Hill come from the general public, from all walks of life, from varied backgrounds and places, varied interests and vocations, and with widely varying degrees of artistic inclination and training.  At Common Ground on the Hill, students will find themselves in the midst of a unique community of their fellow students and their instructors, all from diverse places and backgrounds.  In the midst of this diversity, it is not uncommon to find situations such as a professional doctor and a migrant farm worker together in a “Brazilian Guitar” workshop, a West Virginian and a West African drummer working out rhythm in “African Dance,” or a teenager and a septuagenarian weaving together in “Cherokee Basketry.”

Explore the website to learn more about Common Ground on the Hill’s Annual Traditions Weeks Workshops and Special Events.  You can view schedules of Traditions Weeks workshops and events, read course descriptions for each of the available workshops, read biographical information on each of the instructors and find their workshops, and register as a student at Common Ground on the Hill online!  Don’t forget that Common Ground on the Hill encourages family attendance.  Read about World Village to learn more about the extensive children’s programming during Traditions Weeks.

Past Event: July 14: Woody Guthrie Tribute

Photo copyright, Lois Greenfield, 2005.

Seeds of a Man: A Woody Guthrie Jubilee

Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon

Join Bill and Livia along with Christine Lavin, Mister Roper, Amy Laber, Kyle Esposito, Marc Delgado, Dave Brown, Sara Hulse, the Uncommon Gesture for a celebration of Woody Guthrie's 107 birthday. A portion of the proceeds to benefit Huntington's Disease Society of America.

Sunday, July 14, 7pm-9pm
$15 advance/ $20 at the door
Towne Crier Cafe / 379 Main St, Beacon, NY 12508, USA

Past Event: Jacob's Pillow "Inside/Out Festival"

Jacob’s Pillow “Inside/Out” Festival

The Vanaver Caravan will be performing excerpts of Turn Turn Turn at the Pillow on Thursday June 27th. Performance at 6:15pm. FREE PERFORMANCE.

About the Festival:

Bring family and friends of all ages to the Inside/Out series, offering free outdoor performances by emerging and established dance companies and presentations by dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow every Wednesday through Saturday at 6:15pm during the Festival.

The Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space, comprise this outdoor amphitheatre with a panoramic view of the Berkshires Hills. An essential part of the Pillow’s mission and a beloved tradition, Inside/Out performances are free and open to the public. Audiences of all ages and walks of life travel from around the world and right down the road to meet new people and enjoy the art of dance as a community.

Every year Inside/Out performances feature a variety of styles. Past performances have included classical ballet, tap, jazz/musical theatre dance, hip-hop, flamenco, traditional Korean dance, India’s bharata natyam, and many other genres. Performances are family-friendly and are followed by a brief question and answer session with the audience.

Patrons are welcome to arrive early to claim a seat or to bring chairs from home. Food and drink are welcome in the performance space. While at Inside/Out, we ask that you do not video record performances. Photography is permitted for personal use only, please do not solicit. Photography is not permitted at Saturday performances by The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

Picture from “Earthbeat: A Journey”, our last full-length performance at Jacob’s Pillow. 2011.

Past event: Clearwater Festival

Join The Vanaver Caravan at The Great Hudson River Revival! Festival headliners include Ani Difranco, the Wailers, and Tom Paxton and the Donjuans.

CLEARWATER INFO & MISSION:

The 2019 Clearwater Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16 at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County, NY. Festival gates open to attendees at 9AM.

Clearwater Festival (aka “The Great Hudson River Revival” or “Revival”) features seven sustainably powered stages with diverse music, dance, storytelling and family-oriented programming as well as a juried Handcrafters’ Village, the Green Living Expo, the Working Waterfront with small boat exhibits and rides, the Artisanal Food & Farm Market, environmental education displays and exhibits, and the Circle of Song where audience participation is the focus. The festival is wheelchair accessible and stage programming is staffed with American Sign Language interpreters.

Inspired by Pete Seeger’s desire to clean up the river over forty years ago, The Great Hudson River Revival initially helped raise the funds to build the sloop Clearwater, which has since become a world-renowned floating classroom and a symbol of effective grassroots action. Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a non-profit organization that sails at the forefront of the nation’s environmental challenges. The revenue raised by the Revival goes to support Clearwater’s numerous educational programs and its work toward environmental and social justice—as well as keeping the sloop Clearwater afloat.