Alumni Spotlight: Ted McKnight
“I am a Vanaver Caravan alumnus, having danced in the Company for fifteen years. My last Company performance was with Pete Seeger in 1996, in the original creation of "Turn, Turn, Turn". Now, I have returned to the community as a member of the Board of Directors, investing in The Vanaver Caravan Mission.” — Ted McKnight, Company Member from 1981-1996 and current Vice President of The Vanaver Caravan Board of Directors.
The Vanaver Caravan Company, circa 1983. Dancers from left to right: Bill Vanaver, Sharon Burnston, Rachel List, Calvin Smith, Livia Vanaver, Ted McKnight, Toni Smith, Byron Richards. Dance: Tribute to Hoary Carmichael, choreographed by Brenda Bufalino.
“The Vanaver Caravan provides a nurturing atmosphere where a multi-cultural awareness is paramount. The immersive approach promotes diversity and community-building. Audiences, students and performers are inspired, educated, and uplifted through The Vanaver Caravan. This is how we change our world, one (dance!) step at a time!”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Ted McKnight
Ted McKnight, Vice President of The Vanaver Caravan Board of Directors. After graduating from Julliard, Ted joined The Vanaver Caravan, and danced with them from 1981 – 1996. He then moved to Princeton, NJ, and became a senior a Senior Managing Consultant for IBM. Ted recently returned to his dance beginnings as a member of TVC's board of directors, and has joyously rejoined a community of enthusiasts for Eastern European music and dance. Like many of those who danced in the Hudson Valley with The Vanaver Caravan, Ted was called back to this region and the community that The Vanaver Caravan creates. Just this year, he moved into a new historic 1860's farm house on a hill, surrounded by orchards and vineyards and farm land. Today, Ted enjoys good food, community, and blazing sunrises.
Here's What Ted Has To Say About His Time w/ The Vanaver Caravan . . .
For how many years did you perform with TVC? I first toured through out New England with TVC the summer of 1981 and last performed with them in 1997 at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie NY with Pete Seeger.
In what ways has The Vanaver Caravan mpacted/shaped the life you live today? Through my years working with Bill, Livia and the company I learned about community and about family. I have brought that that larger "sense" into all work I do. Community, whether in business or in social groups, is what it is all about.
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 moments . . . Touring France for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville with The Company and sitting around after dinner with Bill, Michael and John swapping quips and puns. One day, we arrived very late to an Olympic dorm and The Company was so very tired and we could barely drag ourselves up the 2 flights of stairs to plop into our cots. At around three in the morning a trio of very happily tipsy Fins began pounding on our door. I popped out of bed and persuaded them outside where, after I sang several songs with them in my PJs , I pointed them back towards their own hostel.
Five words you'd use to describe the overall feeling you get when you think of your time with us? Joyous, uproarious, community, clickity-clack, cluck-cluck.
Thank you, Ted, for all that you do. We love you!
What's all this about? See our Spring Fund-Drive 2018 Letter of Giving
This spring, our goal is to fill our alumni scholarship fund, which will help bring new students with low income backgrounds into our after school and summer programs. As a gift to you, we're bringing you stories from our dear alumni each week. Now it's your turn: Our programs make a huge impact on children's lives. You can make a difference too--by sponsoring a student, donating any amount to our after school or arts-ed programs, or becoming a sustaining member. Every cent you donate this spring will go towards bringing new students into our dance community. Make your tax deductible contribution today!
Alumni Spotlight: Marina Lopez
This week we caught up with Marina Lopez, god-daughter of Livia and Bill, and life-long member of The Vanaver Caravan—playing every role imaginable within the organization. Marina wrote beautiful, intelligent, and moving responses to each question we asked her. By reading about her life with us, you will truly understand what it is to be educated and raised by an institution such as The Vanaver Caravan.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Marina Lopez
Photo by Justin Maxon
Marina Lopez began her movement training at three years old and has studied multiple forms of dance from modern technique to Lindy Hop, Flamenco, Capoeira and Appalachian Clogging. Through her study of traditional world dance, she has cultivated a greater appreciation and understanding of her Mexican heritage as well as the stories each dance tells. For Marina, dance is about more than just the steps; the beauty lies in the stories that place the movements in a socio-historical context that is unique to each culture. At sixteen she began her professional career with The Vanaver Caravan as a performer, as well as, coordinating and teaching in Arts Education programs around the globe.
Marina is a New York State Licensed and California Certified massage therapist and is perusing her B.A. in Neuroscience and Trauma Studies at Goddard College. She is a co-founder of Shakti Caravan, an international group of visual and performing artists who are united by a big mission to enhance cultural understanding and create social change through movement and the arts.
Marina wrote a beautiful, thoughtful, and eloquent response to each of the questions below. Here are just some excerpts.
Mina! What age did you start dancing with The Vanaver Caravan? As soon as I turned four, my mom made sure that I was enrolled in Livia’s creative movement class. . . I still remember the exhilaration of running across the creaky wooden stage of the Studley Theatre, thick velvet wing curtains a blur as I sped, eyes fixed on Livia; my small hands waiting for the upward and equal force of her hands in mine, propelling me upwards. A moment of pure ecstasy. (Read the rest of Marina's answer here...)
For how long did you study/perform/work for TVC? . . . I spent close to twenty years as a consistent member of the Vanaver team: as a dance institute student, a dancer in the Youth Company, a member of the professional company, a teaching artist, and as an administrator. In the last four years of living in Northern California, I have had the privilege of returning to perform with the Company on a few occasions: always amazed to see the younger generations growing gorgeously into incredible people and performers alike, just like generations before. (Read more...)
In what ways has The Vanaver Caravan mpacted/shaped the life you live today? In every way. What Livia and Bill do is an incredible manifestation of all of the ways in which dance can be a connective point and catalyst for creating and maintaining community. Growing up with them as my dance and music parents as well as my God parents, they have nurtured a desire to find those connective points in person and place alike. (Read more...)
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? Wow, there are so many. Life in the caravan never lacks adventure, and has a way of drawing out the humor no matter how jet lagged, lost, or small the stage is. One that always makes me laugh involves Bill’s navigation system he named Simone (this was before smartphones). Simone was programmed to only speak French, and was a staple in the ‘Vana-van.’ On this particular evening, we were lost leaving a venue, and of the six or seven of us in the van, none of us knew what Simone was saying. With each wrong turn, her French words pleaded more desperately. For what? I could not tell you. I can’t remember how we found our way, but here I am to write about it, so it must have worked out! I just love that Bill was set on learning French from his navigation system.
Do you have a favorite song/dance that you learned with The Vanaver Caravan? Deportee. It is a gorgeous piece from Pastures of Plenty: Woody Guthrie in Dance and Music. Over the years my rendering of the movements and meaning has significantly changed for me, but my love and connection to it remains deeply visceral. (Read more...)
One last question...
“Recognizing that the arts often communicate what words fail to express, the mission of The Vanaver Caravan is to inspire, through dance and music, the harmonious co-existence of world cultures and traditions, to promote peace and celebrate our humanity. ”
... Do you feel that your experience with The Vanaver Caravan reflects our mission statement? In what ways? The Vanaver Caravan is an organization that authentically embodies their mission and vision. Their work as pioneers in Arts Education provides children (across socio-economic backgrounds, age, and gender) access to a greater understanding of the diverse ways of being, knowing, and expressing that exist in this world. So much of compulsory education is geared toward visual and auditory learners, who are expected to sit still while engaging information. TVC's Arts-Education residencies provide the opportunity to activate the brain through movement and enlist the use of kinesthetic learning styles. Children are given the chance to connect with each other through healthy touch and a shared excitement and camaraderie. Equally as important is the connection that is made to the academic information that is now tied to a visceral experience. (Read More...)
Psst! Marina had so much more to say about The Vanaver Caravan. Read the rest of her beautiful responses. >>>
Marina, thank you for all the passionate work you have contributed to TVC over the years. This company wouldn't be what it is without 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.
Alumni Spotlight: Adrienne Barr Chait
This week, we checked in with Adrienne Barr Chait, who stumbled upon The Vanaver Caravan at age fourteen, as the first Youth Company was forming, and fell in love with dance and movement. She now runs a holistic healing practice in NYC and is a mother of three. Read her beautiful insights on family, movement, motherhood, and how TVC influenced her on her path.
“...I feel as though I stumbled upon the vibrant community I hadn’t even realized I was seeking. I can still remember the captivating and ancient familiarity of that summer’s soundscape. The universal languages of West African drums, Flamenco rhythms, soulful Bluegrass and Brazilian songs spoke directly to my heart. ”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ADRIENNE BARR CHAIT
Photo by Halsey Chait
Adrienne Barr Chait, M.S. is a DONA Certified Doula, Educator, and Mother of three. She provides counseling and support through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Adrienne has been teaching yoga and mindfulness practices for over 15 years in New York, most recently as a faculty member at Bard High School Early College. She also teaches individual Breathwork Sessions and is currently affiliated with Carriage House Birth and the Hypnobirthing Institute. With a BA in Dance, her lifelong study of embodied spiritual practices informs her healing work with families. Her private practice is based in Brooklyn, NY where she lives with her family--when they are not running wild toward the beach or the mountains. Learn more about Adrienne's work at adriennebarrchait.com.
Here's What Adrienne Had To Say About Her Time w/ The Vanaver Caravan . . .
What age did you start dancing with The Vanaver Caravan? I had the incredible fortune of finding the Vanaver Caravan Summer Dance Program was I was 14, just as the first Youth Dance Company was forming. My family had recently moved to the area and I feel as though I stumbled upon the vibrant community I hadn't even realized I was seeking. I can still remember the captivating and ancient familiarity of that summer’s soundscape. The universal languages of West African drums, Flamenco rhythms, soulful Bluegrass and Brazilian songs spoke directly to my heart. My first embodied history lesson was learning the steps and political context of the South African Boot Dance. I continued to study and perform with the company for the next seven years (little did I know that my future husband’s family would be South African!).
And how do you spend your time these days? I currently have a private healing practice in New York where I provide counseling to new parents through childbirth and beyond. Many years of dancing absolutely informs my work and trust of the body’s intuitive wisdom. Creatively, I am working on a dance film and I also collaborate with my husband who is a visual artist. We have three gloriously wild sons who are beginning to study folk music! We recently created a site-specific installation which aimed to make a traditional art gallery exhibit more accessible and inclusive to all people, including children. I am forever inspired by the way The Vanaver Caravan manages to integrate work, art, travel and community life.
In what ways has The Vanaver Caravan impacted/shaped the life you live today? As a parent now myself, I am in awe of Livia and Bill’s limitless patience for teaching and their dedication to modeling compassion on-stage and off. They were willing to travel internationally with a motley crew of teenagers which was fabulous but could not have been easy! Touring through multiple European countries, there were missed trains, long rehearsals, lost passports, poor sound checks, travel sickness, bad jokes, hungry dancers, power naps, laughter and the list goes on. Instead of pressuring us to always perform flawlessly, they offered respect and understanding. If there were unforeseen obstacles during a show, we would come together as a collective to do our best, improvise with grace and let go of the rest. These lifelong lessons of joyful surrender continue to influence me today.
Can you share a story or memory about your time with TVC? Performing with Pete Seeger was a transcendent highlight of my time in the company. Dancing to his live accompaniment was like a dream. The important messages behind freedom songs are still so resonant today - but when Pete had the whole audience singing together - you could feel the power and possibility of peace.
What are five words you'd use to describe the overall feeling you get when you think of that time? Adventure, Creativity, Inclusivity and Joyful Chaos!
Thank you, Adrienne. 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 Adrienne's. Next week, our lovely Moraya Seeger, granddaughter of Pete!
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.