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Dancing for Change in Udaipur, India

Help a nonprofit dance & music company create the first performing arts & health center for at-risk youth in Udaipur, India.

Dancing for Change in Udaipur, India

Help a nonprofit dance & music company create the first performing arts & health center for at-risk youth in Udaipur, India.

2 Campaigns |

Udaipur, India

$3,646 USD 61 backers

36% of $10,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 7

Comments 12

Highlights

2 Projects 2 Projects

The Vanaver Caravan

Changing lives through Dance & Music

Where Will Your Donation Go?

The Vanaver Caravan is seeking funds to cover airfare, visas, and travel insurance for five teaching artists--Livia and Bill Vanaver, Joel Hanna, Marina Lopez, and Miranda ten Broeke--to travel to Udaipur this January, for a month of community outreach, development, and teaching. Our partners in India have pledged to provide full room, board and land transportation.

All additional funding will go directly to the successful growth and expansion of the Shakti Academy of Performing Arts and Healing: The first performing arts center in the city, to be built on one of the only remaining plots of land along Udaipur's majestic lake not owned by a luxury hotel or resort.

Read on to learn all about us and what we're doing . . .

Who Are We?

The Vanaver Caravan (TVC) is an internationally acclaimed nonprofit dance and music troupe based out of New Paltz, New York. For 40 years, we have danced across the globe, sharing our mission to enliven, educate and inspire diverse audiences through the celebration of world dance and music.

What Moves Us?

It's no new story. Today, many education systems have cast the arts aside to make way for standards and testing. We bring movement to the classroom. We don't just teach the steps of a dance, we teach the stories behind the them—linking to history, social movements, and tradition. We have worked in a lot a schools, and have seen the positive impact that our dance programs make. From the complex history and rhythms of the South African Gumboot dance to the honored life of the Hula Dancer, our high-spirited performances and arts-in-education programs teach people how dance can connect the world.

The Situation in Udaipur . . .

Udaipur, "the city of lakes” is known for its ancient Rajasthani arts traditions and its picturesque resorts and palaces. Home to one of India’s oldest arts festivals (Shilpgram Utsav) and hundreds cutting edge NGOs, Udaipur serves as a meeting ground for intellectuals, artists, activists and world-travelers. It is also a city of intense contrasts - where a vibrant history of wealth, luxury and royalty crosses paths with massive economic devastation, inequality, and disparities. While Udaipur boasts many fine education institutions, the literacy rate is still just 62%, with little-to-no access to quality education for poor children, and very few arts programs within the city schools.

Our Project . . .

We have a groundbreaking opportunity to bring our arts-in-ed work into the city. We've partnered with Big Medicine Charitable Trust (BMCT), an NGO based in Udaipur that develops communities committed to leading the world towards peace and nonviolence.

We are going to Udaipur this January to help them build the Shakti Academy of Performing Arts and Healing. The Shakti Academy will create a space in Udaipur where class, gender, and economic means become irrelevant, and the arts are a primary avenue for growth and social change.

Our Three Long-term Goals at Shakti Academy . . .

Actively reach out to impoverished / at-risk youth—provide access to nutritious food, dance education, and professional development.
Keep local traditions alive—exchange dance and teaching practices with local artists and communities.
Connect on a global level—create international cultural exchange programs for students, activists, and adventurers in the US and India.

How Are We Going To Achieve These Goals?

As Shakti Academy gets to its feet, TVC will coordinate...

1. Community Outreach

Expand our world dance programs in five schools in Udaipur.
Create the Shakti Dance Food Initiative. We are linking up with local farms, NGOs, and restaurants to provide nutritious food to low-income children on Shakti Academy's land--and teach them dance.

2. Development

Design teacher training programs for local / international teachers and performers.
Work with BMCT on curriculum & pedagogy.
Initiate intensive dance workshops with local dancers and tribes.

3. Cultural Exchange...

We running a winter study abroad program with New York University alongside our Teaching Tour this January.
Companion tours with the Friendship Ambassador's Foundation (Read on for more info!).

*We have already paved a major path in our work in Udaipur. Check out our 2012 Pilot Project to learn more.

What's in it for You?

In addition to feeling great about supporting this project, you can . . .

COME WITH US! Through the Friendship Ambassador's Foundation Companion Tour you will have the opportunity to travel with us for up to 3 weeks in January, as an official Ambassador of Goodwill, attending festivals, performances, and classes with TVC company.
Expand your own understanding of the world! We will document our dance & music celebrations throughout our journey. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr
Check out our other awesome PERKS! →

Other Ways to Get Involved . . .

Spread the Word! Tell friends who may have interest in supporting the longevity of this project and post this campaign to all of your social media networks.
Visit our website to learn about our companion tour options, classes, performances, events, volunteer and membership opportunities.

The Vanaver Caravan is a 501-c3 Nonprofit organization. All donations made to them are tax deductible.

Thank you for your generous support.

Vanaver Dancers, clockwise from Top Left: Rachel Prince, Talli Jackson, Miarden Jackson, Gustavo Caldas, Miranda ten Broeke, Joel Hannah and Marina Lopez. Taken after a performance in Glen Gove, L.I.

*Joel, Miranda, and Marina will be teaching in Udaipur this January.

India Team . . .

The Vanaver Caravan:
Livia Vanaver - Artistic Director / Lead teacher
Miranda ten Broeke - 2012-2014 Program Director / Coordinator / Teacher / Dancer
Marina Lopez - 2012-2014 Program Coordinator / Teacher / Dancer
Joel Hanna - 2014 Program Coordinator / Dancer / Teacher
Gustavo Caldas - 2012 Pilot Project Teacher
Ramona Staffield - 2012 Pilot Project Teacher
Andy Tierstein - NYU Tisch Program Director / Fiddler
Big Medicine Charitable Trust:
Rita Dixit-Kubiak - Founder Trustee
David Kubiak - Adviser
Premilla Dixit-Nag - Director

Volunteers & Donations:

All photography donated by R.J. Partington III. Udaipur, India. 2012.
Film editing donated by Madeline Cottingham and Hans ten Broeke. July 2013.
Music contributed by Steve Gorn. June 2013.

The Vanaver Caravan. 2013.

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Choose your Perk

Your name on our radar!

$10 USD

We'll give you a personal shout out on our Facebook & Twitter pages! TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

5 claimed

Pen Pal!

$25 USD

You'll receive a letter from one of our incredible students in Udaipur.

Estimated Shipping

February 2014

7 claimed

Your name on a plaque!

$40 USD

In addition to the above, Your name will forever be engraved on a plaque on Shakti Academy's walls! TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

13 claimed

Pastures of Plenty CD

$75 USD

In addition to above, we'll send you our award-winning folk album "Pastures of Plenty" A Tribute to Woody Guthrie. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

2 out of 50 of claimed

Caravan tee-shirt

$100 USD

In addition to the above, you receive a sleek Vanaver Caravan T-shirt. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

Estimated Shipping

November 2013

3 out of 30 of claimed

RJ Partington III Print

$200 USD

In addition to above, you'll get a signed and framed print of an original R.J. Partington III photograph from our 2012 Udaipur Pilot Project. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

0 out of 30 of claimed

Sponsor a Shakti Student!

$500 USD

In addition to the above, you become an honored patron of one of the scholarship students, who will write and show you each semester how he/she is progressing thanks to you. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

0 claimed

Honored Patron

$1,000 USD

In addition to the above, you are named an Honored Patron of The Vanaver Caravan and receive two free passes to all of their performances for the next 2 years. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

0 out of 25 of claimed

Founding Member

$2,000 USD

In addition to the above, you are now fully involved and invited to join the Shakti project advisory board, participate in online meetings, and contribute ideas for its future development. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

0 out of 15 of claimed

Fly With Us!

$5,000 USD

In addition to the above, you come on our Companion Tour with the Friendship Ambassador's Foundation. Attend all festivals, performances, workshops, lectures, and tours. *Airfare, travel, and accommodations included. TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

0 out of 20 of claimed

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