Hello Northrop community,
Welcome to this week’s Northrop MOVES Online. I’m stepping in this week for Northrop Director Kari Schloner to continue informing you about the many great 2020-21 Northrop Season events announced Aug 4. We invite you to participate in the premiere event of the series next week: the first of four FREE Virtual Happy Hour conversations with Andrea Miller, Founder, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of GALLIM.
I’ve known Andrea since 2008 when she made a piece titled Blushfor Hubbard Street 2. I saw her and GALLIM most recently a year ago (almost exactly) at Jacob’s Pillow and we’ve been working together since that time to bring the company back to Northrop. GALLIM will be opening our online performance season this fall with a new dance film based on BOAT. I’m especially excited that the film will feature a recording of our Northrop Pipe Organ played by University of Minnesota organist Dean Billmeyer, but that’s a topic for another Northrop MOVES Online.
Andrea and GALLIM have been hosting Happy Hour conversations for a couple of years now, first in their studios in Brooklyn and more recently via Instagram. These are up-close personal and professional conversations between Andrea and friends who are arts luminaries, focused on the evolution of the dance field: “What can change, how we can grow, and what we can create through collaboration.” I’m delighted that Andrea has agreed to bring this series to Northrop audiences via monthly Virtual Happy Hour conversations starting next week and running through November.
On Aug 19, Andrea’s guest is Limor Tomer. Tomer has led The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Live Arts program for 8 years, during which time she completely transformed the program into a world leader in museum-based performance. Tomer invited Andrea Miller to be the Met’s 2017-18 Artist in Residence, the first choreographer to hold that distinction. Register for the Aug 19 happy hour.
On Sep 23, we welcome Kyle Abraham, whose company A.I.M was the last to perform in person at Northrop. Abraham is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow who began his dance training at the Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, PA. His choreography has been presented, via his own company and others, across the U.S. and internationally. Register for the Sep 23 happy hour.
On Oct 21,we welcome back another 2019-20 Northrop Artist, Michelle Dorrance. Dorrance is a New York City–based artist. Mentored by Gene Medler (North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble), she studied under many of the last master hoofers. Dorrance holds a B.A. from New York University and is a Capezio Athlete. Register for the Oct 21 happy hour.
And on Nov 18, Andrea hosts Camille A. Brown. Brown is a 2020 Obie Award winner for Sustained Excellence in Choreography. She is a prolific Black female choreographer, who is reclaiming the cultural narratives of African American identity. Her bold work taps into both ancestral stories and contemporary culture to capture a range of deeply personal experiences, and her company is featured in Google Arts & Culture. Register for the Nov 18 happy hour.
We hope you’ll sign up for one or all of these Virtual Happy Hour events. Over four months, you’ll get to know Andrea Miller and hear from extraordinary artists about the present and future of dance and performance. All conversations will be hosted via Zoom and are FREE and open to the public. Join us, and be moved.
Yours truly,
Kristen Brogdon
Director of Programming, Northrop
