Jacob's Pillow Presents THE VANAVER CARAVAN 8/25-29

The Vanaver Caravan will present a program geared towards dance and world music fans of all generations, particularly children, during its engagement at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival August 25-29. In celebration of its 35th anniversary, The Vanaver Caravan presents the world premiere of Earthbeat! A Journey, a show of rhythm and percussion journeying through Romania, India, Brazil, South Africa, the British Isles, and Spain.

"The Pillow has always felt like a second home to us", commented Livia Vanaver, co-founder and co-Artistic Director of The Vanaver Caravan, which first performed at the Pillow in 1981 and again in '82, '90, '91, and '98 as well as during the 2009 Community Day event.

Earthbeat! A Journey is an evening-length compilation of diverse dance and music styles including Spanish flamenco, Indian Kuchipudi, gumboot dance (a rhythmic South African dance form), Chinese ribbon dance, Taiko drumming, Capoeira, and Appalachian clog dances. Livia Vanaver provides much of the choreography with consultations and contributions from International Artists such as Kantham Chatlapalli, La Conja, Ngura Supartha, Sandy Silva, and Tsepo Mokone, while co-Artistic Director Bill Vanaver serves as the production's musical director. Both directors perform with the troupe, which includes members from Guatemala, Senegal, Brazil, and the United States, with experience in various dance and music forms such as Capoeira, flamenco, aerial dance, and African dance styles.

Formed in 1972, The Vanaver Caravan's mission is to educate and inspire diverse audiences and to cultivate and promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of the world's performing arts through presentations of original and traditional works. They offer summer and year-round training programs, have performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, and have collaborated with organizations such as the Friendship Ambassador's Foundation, through which the company worked at the Balkan Peace and Reconciliation Conference. A group with longtime Pillow connections, they have performed on all three stages over the past three decades, and include in their repertory a number of works by Ted Shawn, restaged for them by an original member of the Denishawn Company. The Boston Globe praises the Vanaver Caravan for its "unpretentious down-home spirit and considerable technical skill."

While at Jacob's Pillow, artistic personnel from the Vanaver Caravan will lead a Master Class on Sunday, August 29, 10-11:30am. Sunday Master Classes are open to intermediate/advanced dancers and pre-registration is required (call 413.243.9919 x5). Master Classes are $15 per class or $8 for dance instructors with proper identification. Observation is free and open to the public.

Performance and Ticket Information
Wednesday, August 25 - Saturday, August 28, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 28 & Sunday, August 29, 2:15pm

Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob's Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered on the porch of the Doris Duke Theatre 30 minutes before every performance. Following the performance on Friday, August 27, artistic personnel of The Vanaver Caravan will join Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Debra Cash onstage for a question and answer session.
Tickets range from $30-36. $10 Sunday matinee Youth Tickets available (sponsored by ALEX®; must be accompanied by an adult).

Tickets on sale now online at www.jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at Jacob's Pillow.

Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob's Pillow campus and theaters are handicapped-accessible.