GALLIM: A New Dance Film by Andrea Miller and Ben Stamper based on BOAT

Good evening!

Fall is typically one of my favorite times of the year here in Minnesota. For me it conjures images of the campus coming to life with students, visits to apple orchards and pumpkin patches, and driving along the Mississippi to admire the beauty of the fall colors on display. As I write this note in mid-October, I’m looking out my window at a landscape covered in snow, while watching icy rain fall from the sky. It feels more like the depths of winter than it does the middle of fall. Yet somehow this feels oddly appropriate in a year when nothing is as it should be.

When we originally planned the 2020-21 Northrop Season, we

had anticipated welcoming you into the theater tonight to share an evening of mixed repertory created by Andrea Miller, and danced by

her company GALLIM. The original program included Miller’s work BOAT, which explores what it looks like, feels like, and means to be searching for home, and utilizes both a local choir and live music played on a pipe organ. Instead of canceling the event when it became apparent that

an in-person performance would not be possible, Northrop and Miller worked together to pivot, innovate, and adapt – a practice we’ve become very adept at over the last eight months.

As part of Northrop’s newly launched Centennial Commissions program, Andrea Miller partnered with Ben Stamper, co-founder of Helix Films, to co-direct this evocative new dance film based on BOAT. They worked from afar with University of Minnesota organist Dean Billmeyer and the Twin Cities based Pop-Up Choir, who came together on the Northrop stage in August (fully masked and physically distanced, of course!) to record the soundtrack for the film using Northrop’s historic Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Tonight, from the comfort of your home, you will be the first to see the fruit of this incredible collaboration.

When nothing is as it should be, we have a unique opportunity to create something new. In

a season like none before it, you can experience many of our events in person, and all of them online. Some of the online events can be watched in real time, and others can be enjoyed at your leisure. Many events are free. Check out the Film Series related to the companies, choreographers, and themes explored in this year’s Dance Series. Join us for the Spotlight Series events that focus on polarization and identities, inspired by both the 2020 Presidential election and the polarization that has appeared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are performances, master classes, lectures, intimate conversations and activities with artists, and so much more. I want

to encourage you to explore the full range of upcoming events and to participate in as many as you are able. This crisis has been devastating to the arts and culture sector worldwide. Your attendance and financial support are critical to sustaining Northrop, the staff and local crew who work the events, and the artists we bring to our communities.

Thank you for joining us. I am especially grateful to our subscribers and donors. Now more than ever before, it is your active involvement that will ensure Northrop can continue bringing world-class artists and performances to the Twin Cities—now and for generations to come.

Enjoy the evening!

Kari Schloner
Director of Northrop

This event runs approximately 1 hour.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Film adaptation commissioned by Northrop, University of Minnesota, 2020

Theatrical commission by the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA, 2016 and reworked for The Ted Shawn, Jacob’s Pillow 2019

Score: “Berliner Messe: II. Gloria” & “Salve Regina,” composed by Arvo Pärt. Performed by Twin Cities- based PopUp Choir and University of Minnesota Organist Director Dean Billmeyer. “Fratres,” composed by Arvo Pärt. Performed by Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett. Used by arrangement with ECM Records. All musical compositions used with permission of Universal Edition EG, Vienna, universaledition.com

Shot in the GALLIM Studio at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY, and on location at Killam’s Point, Branford, CT; Surf Club Beach, Madison, CT; and Bayley Seton Hospital, Staten Island, NY.

Music recorded at Northrop, University of Minnesota, 2020

BOAT 

BOAT is told in three short stories that trace tragic narratives, both contemporary and ancient: environmental destruction, collective displacement, and an intimate struggle with death. The roles of media and technology insert themselves subtly throughout the several captivating locations, from rocky islands off the Atlantic shore to a hospital in Staten Island, and a red, shape-shifting “nowhere” room. 

Creating a film in a pandemic has been the result of many efforts and collaborations initiated by Northrop and GALLIM and extending to director and cinematographer team Ben Stamper and Andrew Michael Ellis of Helix Films, Minneapolis-based PopUp Choir, UMN organist Dean Billmeyer, Producer Stephani De Luca, and Art Director Scott Dougan. 

ORILLA 

Directed by: Andrea Miller and Ben Stamper 

Dancers: Chris Bloom and Gabrielle Sprauve, Ballet Hispanico company members 

Choreographed by: Andrea Miller in collaboration with the dancers 

Edited by: Ben Stamper 

Filmed by: Chris Bloom and Gabrielle Sprauve 

Music by: Nicola Cruz 

Commissioned by: Ballet Hispánico (2020) 

Notes on Gathering 

Directed by: Ben Stamper and Andrea Miller 

Choreography by: Andrea Miller 

Performance by: Misa Lucyshyn and Arden Stamper 

Music by: Jordan T. Chiolis 

Camerawork by: Ben Stamper and Misa Lucyshyn 

Editing by: Ben Stamper 

Commissioned by: Works & Process at the Guggenheim (2020) 

GALLIM 

Artistic Director: Andrea Miller 

Interim Executive Director: Lily Binns 

Company Manager: Anna McDunn 

Booking Agent: Johanna Rajamäki 

Brooklyn-based company GALLIM kneads movement into raw emotions, distills it from existential uncertainty and unleashes it onto unexpected paths of connection between artists and audiences. Underpinned by physicality, virtuosity, and a distinct approach to performance, the company has an expansive language bridging theater, visual arts, music, fashion, and film. Under the direction of Andrea Miller, GALLIM is recognized worldwide for its powerful and transcendent works, movement language and commitment to the creative praxis. 

Helix Films 

Helix is a bi-coastal production company that uses dance to tell stories on film. From experimental performance pieces to commercials for Broadway shows to feature documentaries, Helix’s films always interweave narrative and performance for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience.

PopUp Choir 

PopUp Choir was created in 2014 by a community of friends who are experienced choral singers so they could perform together. They invite emerging and established female and male conductors from the U.S. and U.K. to lead projects throughout Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN and around Great Britain, including for Her Majesty the Queen and members of the Royal Family. 

Andrea Miller (Co-Director, BOAT; Founder, GALLIM) is the choreographer, artistic director, and founder of Brooklyn-based company GALLIM. An internationally known artist whose works are ancient and ultra-modern, nuanced and explosive, fantastical and honest, Miller creates movement-based works for stage, film, and the visual arts. Her works have been presented by major venues including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim Museum, Art Basel, Sadler’s Wells, London Royal Opera House, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, BAM, The Joyce, Jacob’s Pillow, Theatre National de Chaillot, Grec of Barcelona, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, and Canal Madrid among others. 

From 2017–2018, Miller became the first choreographer to hold the distinction of being named Artist-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, she has also received fellowships from Sadler’s Wells, New York City Center, and the Princess Grace Foundation. In Oct 2018, she was featured in Forbes as a female entrepreneur and leader in the dance world, and in 2008, as Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” 

Recent live dance commissions include New York City Ballet, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Martha Graham Dance Company, Ailey II, Rambert 2, Netherlands Dance Theater 2, Bern Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, The Juilliard School, Pennsylvania Ballet, Grace Farms, Ballet Hispánico, Abraham.in.Motion, and Noord Nederlands Dans. 

Collaborations in fashion include work with Hermès, Vogue, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, Lane Crawford, 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; Notes on Gathering (2020) directed by Andrea Miller and Ben Stamper; How Not to Make a Dance Film (2020), directed by Ariel Schulman; Shaping Absence (2020), directed by Andrea Miller and Ben Stamper; ORILLA (2020), directed by Andrea Miller and Ben Stamper. 

Miller currently lives in New York City with her family and serves as an adjunct professor at Marymount Manhattan College. She has been an adjunct professor for Barnard College and a guest teacher across the US, including at Harvard University, the Juilliard School, NYU, Wesleyan University, UCSB, and SJSU, among others. 

Miller’s own educational programming is run from GALLIM’s Brooklyn home studio and has been brought to universities and educational centers across the US. Currently, GALLIM is running classes and programming virtually through gallim.org. 

Ben Stamper (Co-Director, BOAT; Co-Founder, Helix Films) is an award-winning filmmaker and artist based in the northeastern United States. His work spans narrative, documentary and contemplative genres with a particular interest in the patterns of nature and human movement. With a background in fine art and music, Stamper’s intuitive approach to imagery and sound has led him to a broad range of human interests around the world. 

In recent years, Stamper has been commissioned to create numerous short films, video installations and projections by MetLiveArts, GALLIM Dance, Utah State University, Center for Faith & Work and All Angels’ Church (NYC). Stamper is also a Lincoln City Fellow and has been the artist-in-residence at Center for Faith & Work and Grace Farms Foundation. He has received numerous awards for his documentary work about survivors of human trafficking in India and Africa, as well as his films about young people on the autism spectrum. 

Stamper also works in close collaboration with cinematographer Andrew Ellis to create films that explore the dance-on-film genre through their production company Helix Films. Past works have featured Meredith Monk, the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Company, GALLIM Dance, New Chamber Ballet, Bill T. Jones, Ernest Felton Baker, and Matthew Rushing of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Stamper is also a regular contributor to the Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective Nomadique, as well as a frequent collaborator with Mason Jar Music, a pioneering audio/visual production company and creative collective. 

Andrew Michael Ellis (Cinematographer, BOAT; Co-Founder, Helix Films) is a cinematographer based in Austin, TX, who uses heartfelt stories to raise consciousness around complex social issues. Having made films in 52 countries, he specializes in using thoughtful imagery to foster cross-cultural communication. At large, his work has been featured by festivals such as Sundance, DOC NYC, and Camerimage, as well as through outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. Most recently, Ellis spent the past year working under film director Terrence Malick, as both an editor and a 2nd unit cinematographer.

Allysen Hooks (Dancer, Rehearsal Director) is from Houston, TX, where she attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts. She graduated from The Juilliard School in 2010 and went on to work with Dance Heginbotham, directed by John Heginbotham. Hooks has been working with GALLIM since 2012, and is a close collaborator of Artistic Director Andrea Miller’s. She has created her own work at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts and Indiana University.

Christopher Kinsey (Dancer) earned a BFA in contemporary dance performance with an emphasis in creating performance from Boston Conservatory in 2018. Following graduation, Kinsey danced for MADBOOTS DANCE and Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern in Germany. He has performed the work of James Sutherland, Aszure Barton, Doug Varone, Jasmine Ellis, José Limón, and Francesco Nappa, among others. 

Sean Lammer (Dancer) was born in Lancaster, PA. Upon graduating from Walnut Hill School for the Arts in 2015, Lammer attended The Juilliard School. He received his BFA in dance and performed works by Ohad Naharin, Roy Assaf, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato, José Limón, Helen Simoneau and Katarzyna Skarpetowska, while exploring his own choreographic work. Lammer has worked and volunteered as a teaching artist internationally and domestically at programs in Botswana, New Orleans and Orlando, and has performed in free and interactive concerts at health care facilities across New York City’s five boroughs. 

Haley Sung (Dancer) is originally from South Korea, where she received Korean folk dance and ballet training starting at the age of eight. She earned her BFA in Dance from University of the Arts with a “Promising Artist” Scholarship in May 2017. Sung further studied dance at The Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and has performed abroad in France, Korea, Italy, and Luxembourg. Sung first joined GALLIM as an apprentice in 2017 for Stone Skipping and is thrilled to continue working with the company. 

Taylor Stanley (Guest Artist) was born in Philadelphia, PA and began his dance training at the age of three at The Rock School for Dance Education. He attended summer programs at Miami City Ballet in 2006 and 2007 and at The School of American Ballet during the summer of 2008 before enrolling full-time at SAB in the fall of that same year. In Sep 2009, Stanley became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in Sep 2010. He was promoted to Soloist in Feb 2013 and to Principal Dancer in May 2016. Stanley received the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2009 and was the 2011-2012 recipient of the Janice Levin Award. He also performed in NYCB Soloist Troy Schumacher’s BalletCollective from 2010-2015. He has had the pleasure of working with various choreographers including Andrea Miller, Jodi Melnick, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Liz Gerring, Pam Tanowitz, Kim Brandstrup, and Christopher Williams, and has participated in dance workshops with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Batsheva Dance Company. In 2019, Stanley received a Bessie Award for “Outstanding Performance” in Kyle Abraham’s The Runaway, choreographed for NYCB in 2018, and in Jun 2020 collaborated with Abraham on a dance film titled Ces noms que nous portons. 

Georgia Usborne (Dancer) was born in Sheffield, England. Upon graduating from Central School of Ballet, she joined Bern Ballet in Switzerland under the direction of Cathy Marston. There, Usborne worked with choreographers including Orjan Andersson, Alexander Ekman, Adonis Foniadakis, Johan Inger, Didy Veldman and Noa Zuk, and completed her MA in Contemporary Dance. Usborne joined GALLIM in 2014, and has since created, performed, and taught with the company nationally and internationally. She is also the founder and producer of Create:ART, a pop-up performance and residency platform for emerging artists in NYC, supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council. 

Dean Billmeyer (Organist) is the longtime University Organist and a Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches core courses in the keyboard curriculum as Organ Literature and History, Continuo Realization, and Advanced Keyboard Skills. Billmeyer began his organ studies at the age of five, eventually going on to complete both his undergraduate degree and doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, Billmeyer was the winner of the American Guild of Organists’ S. Lewis Elmer Award, given for the highest scores in the nation on the Guild’s Certification examinations, in two consecutive years. Billmeyer has been praised for his “steely control” and “absolute musical and technical assurance and concentration.” (Irish National Radio)

GALLIM is generously supported by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Arnhold Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, First Republic Bank, the Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund, the Jerome Robbins Foundation, the NY Community Trust, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. GALLIM gratefully acknowledges the individual donors who support our creativity and work. 

GALLIM would like to express our special gratitude to Kristen Brogdon and her team at Northrop at the University of Minnesota, for being the strongest imaginable advocates for artists during this most difficult year of our collective experience. You’ve given us reason to get up in the morning and get to work. Thank you! 

For support of the ambitious and successful production of BOAT, many thanks go to: 

• Carly Callahan and Caroline Callahan 
• Stephani De Luca and Scott Dougan 
• Rashida Jones 
• The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew 
• Lily Binns 
• Anna McDunn 
• Michael Rosenthal and Irena Tocino 
• The Residents of Killam’s Point, CT 
• First Congregational Church of Branford, CT 
• Surf Club Park 

Andrea’s personal tremendous thanks go to GALLIM’s Board of Directors, who, through their extraordinary guidance, have made it possible for the company to not only survive but thrive this year. Thank you Jim and Cecilia Herbert, First Republic Bank, David and Marian Parker, Meryl Rosofsky and Stuart Coleman, Irena Tocino, Michael Rosenthal, Shannon Houston, Jody and John Arnhold, and John Costantino, for your friendship, wisdom, and support. A special thanks go to her family, Irena and Michael, her partner JuanFe, and her inspiring children. 

Thank you for joining us, virtually or in person, for these remarkable performances at Northrop!

We have run out of words to describe the last few months and are so grateful for the arts and to be able to experience all that Northrop has to offer, which is now more accessible than ever.

Northrop continues to move forward, and all of us on the Advisory Board are so proud to be part of the launch of our new commissioning program. Now more than ever, Northrop’s commitment to presenting, and now commissioning, the greatest of the world of dance remains strong and innovative.

I am honored to be part of an organization that has been serving the community for so many years, not only with great art but great outreach to the community. I support Northrop because I believe in its mission and love the amazing work we see on this stage each season. I hope you will join me in supporting Northrop in any way that best fits you. There are many opportunities, and we welcome your participation. Let me know and we can get you involved.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming performance or event.

Jeff Bieganek, Northrop Advisory Board Chair

Thank you for supporting Northrop! 

MAKE LEGENDARY PERFORMANCES POSSIBLE! 

At Northrop, we believe in connecting great artists and ideas with our community and to a new generation of audiences. Your gift helps make memorable arts experiences possible by supporting extraordinary performances and new arts commissions, and helping ensure accessibility to everyone through live-streamed programming, outreach to diverse communities and subsidized student tickets. Our Friends are at the center of Northrop’s biggest ideas and brightest moments on stage. 

Become a Friend of Northrop today! Donate online at northrop.umn.edu/support-northrop 

Ways to Give: 

Annual Giving, a yearly gift amount of your choice. 

Monthly Giving, choose a recurring gift amount that works for you. 

Stock Gifts, Northrop accepts charitable gifts of stock. 

Planned Giving, consider a legacy gift by including Northrop in your will or trust, or by designating Northrop as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy. 

Matching Gifts, double your gift through your company’s matching gift program. 

To learn more about supporting Northrop please contact: 

Cynthia Betz betzx011@umn.edu or 612-626-7554

FRIENDS OF NORTHROP

A special thank you to our patrons whose generous support makes Northrop’s transformative arts experiences possible. Make your mark on Northrop’s future by becoming a Friend today, learn more by visiting northrop.umn.edu/support-northrop. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support from, Arts Midwest Touring Fund, Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts and RBC Wealth Management. 

We extend a special thank you to our event sponsors PNC Bank, RBC Wealth Management, and HGA. 

This season’s listing is current as of 11/02/20. Please contact Cynthia Betz at betzx011@umn.edu if you have any corrections or questions.

Thank you to the generous donors who continue to support programming for Northrop’s beloved Aeolian-Skinner Organ. It is because of you that this magnificent instrument’s voice will be enjoyed by many for years to come.

THE NORTHROP ORGAN COMMITTEE