Five Fast Facts: Andrea Miller and GALLIM

November 10, 2020
Five Facts about Gallim

A trio of films created by GALLIM's Andrea Miller, including the premiere of a film based on her dance piece BOAT with music of Northrop’s pipe organ and Twin Cities-based PopUp Choir, will screen Thu, Nov 19. Here are Five Fast Facts to know about the company and the performance in advance.

  1. The premiere of GALLIM’s new dance film for Northrop on Thu, Nov 19 is inspired by Andrea Miller’s 2016 theatrical dance, BOAT. The original choreography was first made in response to forced migration, and the film adaptation was inspired by the idea that searching for safe haven is all the more important in the year 2020.
  2. GALLIM was originally scheduled to perform live at Northrop in November before COVID-19 forced a change to programming. The company worked with Northrop to create the new film that also features the music of Northrop’s pipe organ recorded at Northrop by University Organist Dean Billmeyer, and the Twin Cities PopUp Choir to record new versions of the score for the film, which is composed by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.
  3. You may have seen Andrea Miller’s work before as she has been commissioned to choreograph dance for many past Northrop performers including: Martha Graham, Kyle Abraham, Alvin Ailey, and Ballet Hispánico.
  4. Miller is unique in the fact that her works are also used in fashion and film. Her work in fashion includes Hermès, Vogue, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, and KSwiss. Film credits include The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (2018), directed by Xavier Dolan, and In This Life (2018) starring Robbie Fairchild.
  5. Andrea Miller was the first choreographer to be named Artist in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Throughout her yearlong exploration of the collection and galleries, the museum commissioned several new works as well as offered visitors and audiences the chance to see into Miller’s creative process through open rehearsals and workshops.