Faculty Bios
last name begins with "U"or "V"
Reanna Ursin, Ph.D. University of Notre Dame, is an Assistant Professor of English at McDaniel College where she specializes in African American and Black Diaspora Literature. Courses she teaches include Authors and Activists: Charles Johnson and Toni Morrison, Historical Novels of the Black Diaspora, and Survey of African American Literature I & II. She also teaches interdisciplinary courses such as Rites of Passage: Global Perspectives and Living in the Margins: The Production, Perpetuation, and Experience of Stereotypes. As a teacher, Reanna seeks to foster in students an appreciation of literature as a means of examining the human condition.
Bill and Livia Vanaver, founders and directors of the Vanaver Caravan dance and music ensemble, have headlined at all major folk festivals in the U.S. Bill, a well known musician and composer, has played to audiences throughout the world for the past forty-five years. Known for his stellar work on the banjo and a myriad of other folk instruments, he has a vast knowledge of traditional songs and musical styles. Livia has researched and performed dance styles from the US and abroad for the past thirty-five years. A leading authority and pioneer in dance education, she has introduced world dance styles to schools, conferences and workshops in the US and Europe and writes a regular dance column in Sing Out!magazine. Their recording project, Pastures of Plenty - Tribute to Woody Guthrie in Dance and Music, was honored as Best Independently Produced Folk Album. www.vanavercaravan.org
Gabriel Vanaver grew up in the performance art world. As a singer and dancer of the Vanaver Caravan, he learned a wide variety of world dance and musical styles. Since high school, his passion for Hip-Hop took form in B-boying (Breakdancing) and Spoken Word. As one of the co-founders of the High Falls Breakers he taught Breakdancing and Popping styles at the Marbletown Teen Center and Arlington High School. Through his travels, Gabe performed his poetry in bars and coffee shops from Ithaca to New Paltz to the renowned venues; the Bowery Poetry Club and Nuyorican Poetís Cafe in Manhattan. Currently he is working with several artists, writing songs for bands and is working on a couple of projects of his own to debut early 2011.
Linda Van Hart is a metalsmith and sculptor of non-ferrous metals. This woman dances with hammers. Her botanical portraits range in scale from half inch to eight feet. The body adornment is formed of sterling gold and copper: the architectural adornment of copper, steel and found metal. In addition to the planished surfaces and diminished diameter forging for which she is well know, she has added the texture of reticulation to the jewelry as she explores Spanish Moss native to the south where Harriet Tubman freed so many slaves. Lindaís new line is inspired by this favorite Marylander and incorporates features of her Heart Armor and Savannah lines. She is on the Board of The Metals Guild of Maryland. Linda finds as much joy in teaching and has received the highest honors of Outstanding Art Educator from The National Art Education Association. She was selected to teach at McDaniel's Budapest Campus Spring 2008 where she developed the Mixed Media Collage class now part of the curriculum she offers at McDanielís main campus along with Design and Metalsmithing courses. Refer to the calendar of events on her website at http://www.tollhousestudio.com. Linda has been the Visual Arts Coordinator of Common Ground since its inception.
Phillipe Varlet Although French-born, Philippe Varlet has been performing and teaching Irish traditional music in the Washington DC area for over 35 years. Primarily a fiddle player, Philippe is also proficient on a variety of string instruments as well as on the B/C button accordion. Philippe has a wealth of experience playing for dancers in social and performance settings and leading sessions in DC-area Irish pubs. Currently, Philippe can be heard hosting a bi-monthly session at the Limerick Pub in Wheaton MD on Wednesday evenings (8-11pm). Philippe is also an ethnomusicologist and has conducted research on Irish traditional music for many years. A specialist of the history of early recordings of Irish music, he has produced several reissue CDs of Irish music from the 78 era for the Copley and Rounder labels. Philippe draws on that knowledge to expose his students not only to the technical intricacies of the traditional style, but also to the cultural and historical context of the tradition, the nuances of regional styles, and the art of improvisation. Phillipe's website
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