EarthBeat! Wows Outer Banks Audience
Livia Drapkin Vanaver performing the opening dance for EarthBeat! Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
By: Tatum Clements
“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,” said founders of The Vanaver Caravan Livia Drapkin Vanaver and Bill Vanaver.
The Vanaver Caravan, a Hudson Valley-based nonprofit organization that has been performing original, world-infused choreography and music for over 50 years, arrived on the Outer Banks on Saturday, April 26 to close out the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Art’s 41st season with their renowned EarthBeat! show.
Supported by a Community Enrichment Grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation, the EarthBeat! performance was created to take audiences on a journey around the globe in a whirlwind of dance and music.
“Hangman’s Reel”, an ensemble of EarthBeat dancers performing a traditional Canadian dance that mimicked footwork of French Canadian fiddlers seated in their chairs. Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
“The Forum’s goal with bringing The Vanaver Caravan’s EarthBeat! to the Outer Banks was to introduce our community, especially young audiences, to global cultures and rhythms through an engaging, interactive experience,” said Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts President Carl Curnutte. “We wanted to inspire a deeper appreciation for world music and dance in a fun and memorable way. The Community Foundation’s generous support was instrumental in helping us present EarthBeat! Without the Community Enrichment Grant, we would not have been able to offer this unique performance and workshop to our community, particularly in a way that was accessible to families and young people.”
The day began with a free, public arts education experience for local students and families in First Flight High School’s auditorium, including a complimentary performance, a Q&A session, and an interactive Capoeira (a Brazilian martial art and dance form with African origins) workshop.
The audience participating in the “Tagore Poem” led by Livia Vanaver. Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
The audience, made up of children, parents, and grandparents, was instantly engaged with a vibrant mix of dances and music from around the world, including Tagore Poem performed by Livia Vanaver, which included an interactive hand dance accompanied by peace poem by 20th century Indian Poet Laureate Rbindranath Tagore. The hand dance portrayed Tagore’s universal wish for peace using hand movements, based on the mudras of the Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam. The performance closed with Hangman’s Reel, an ensemble of dancers performing a traditional Canadian dance that mimicked footwork of French Canadian fiddlers seated in their chairs.
During the Q&A when a young member of the audience asked how they pick which cultures to perform, Vanaver Caravan co-founder Livia Vanaver said, “We like to honor the cultures of the performers in our company, like Brazil, Poland, and Guyana, and we travel to India often and like to bring back things we learn there to perform and share.”
EarthBeat! performer Gustavo Caldas teaching the children Capoeira. Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
Immediately captivating the audience with the berimbau, a traditional string instrument from Brazil used to set the tempo and rhythm in Capoeira, dancer Gustavo Caldas invited the audience of children and parents up on stage to learn Capoeira. Caldas explained in the workshop that Capoeira is a martial art, but participants do not ‘fight’, they ‘play’, so it is more akin to a dance battle.
During the workshop attendees participated in music, dance and camaraderie with the EarthBeat! company while learning new words, new movements, and new forms of art from all over the globe.
EarthBeat! performer Gustavo Caldas leading parents, grandparents and children through a Capoeira workshop. Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
“I loved all of the different dances from different countries, and I especially loved learning the dance that told a story,” said Manteo Elementary School student Maizie Stewart. “I couldn’t pick a favorite part, I really enjoyed it all so much.”
At the end of the workshop, Caldas relayed a message of peace and the importance of accepting others for who they are and ‘embracing our differences because that is what makes us all unique’.
On the evening of April 26 over 500 people gathered in First Flight High School’s auditorium for the full EarthBeat! performance.
Livia Vanaver introduced EarthBeat! and told the audience to enjoy ‘while we are taking you around the world tonight.’
EarthBeat! Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
The eclectic program took folks to Appalachia with clogging, Brazil with a berimbau solo, and to the Caribbean with a Soca solo. There were dances from Armenia, India, Ireland, Canada, and America as well as original stick dances, body percussion, and stomp dances.
Each dance was complemented by live music played by numerous musicians on a wide variety of instruments, including violin, keyboard, drums, berimbau, and other authentic instruments.
“EarthBeat! was super cool,” said Nags Head resident Sara Ahrendt. “Not only was the dancing beautiful and well-executed, but it was performed to live music, which was a pleasant surprise. My favorite was the ‘stick dance,’ but the Brazilian capoeira and Senegalese “Mama” dances were not far behind. This was my first time attending an Outer Banks Forum event, and it won’t be my last. I brought my four-year-old daughter with me, and she was entranced the whole time. After the show I looked at her and said “Two thumbs up, yes?” – to which she replied “300 thumbs up!”
In an interactive moment, Livia Vanaver invited the audience to learn “Juba” a rhythmic body percussion dance rooted in the African American tradition of hamboning. Developed by enslaved people in the United States when drums were banned, “Juba” became a form of resistance, storytelling and survival- using the body itself as an instrument. Vanaver led the audience through the traditional song and body percussion, teaching them how to “Juba”.
Livia Vanaver and violin player performing during EarthBeat! Photo courtesy of Biff Jennings.
The audience was still fully captivated by EarthBeat! at the end of the 90 minute performance, which concluded with a huge round of applause.
The EarthBeat! show was the finale of the Forum’s 41st season, and President Carl Curnutte said, “For over four decades, the Forum has been committed to bringing diverse, high-quality art experiences to the Outer Banks, and EarthBeat! fit beautifully into that tradition. We are excited to continue expanding our programming, with plans to feature more diverse performances that celebrate different cultures, art forms, and ideas. We are currently working to finalize our 2025/2026 season lineup!”
The mission of the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts is to promote the appreciation of and involvement in the performing arts on the Outer Banks and nearby areas through the presentation of an annual affordable series of concerts by diverse artists, integrated with activities of other community organizations.
To learn more about the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts, visit OuterBanksForum.org.
The Outer Banks Community Foundation’s second Community Enrichment Grant application deadline of 2025 is Friday, July 25.
Nonprofits are encouraged to visit OBCF’s website for detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria, and the application portal. Early submissions are encouraged to allow time for review and feedback.
For more information or assistance with the grant application process, visit OBCF.org/grants or contact the staff at 252-423-3003.
About the Outer Banks Community Foundation: The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to fostering philanthropy and supporting local causes. Through its charitable funds and grant programs, the Foundation strives to enrich the quality of life for residents of the Outer Banks.
