Andrea Miller's Gallim Dance Makes Chicago Debut, 10/11-13

Andrea Miller, a rising star in American post-modern dance, brings her company Gallim Dance to The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., for its Chicago debut October 11–13. The company also will open The Dance Center's 14th season ofFamilyDance Matinees Saturday, October 13, including a free movement workshop with the artists followed by a family-friendly performance.

Gallim Dance will perform Miller's evening-length Blush (2009), an invigorating work dense with emotion and physical exertion that takes the moment of blushing and expands it into a 60-minute journey. As the battlefield of the dance develops, with movement that draws on Butoh and ballet, the six dancers covered in white paint increasingly make contact; icy movement leads to achingly tender moments. The raw, explosive power ofBlush exposes the dancers' rosy flesh and the ecstasy of their existence. The piece is set to music by Mannyfingers, Andrej Przybytkowski, Chopin, Kap Bambino, Arvo Part and Wolf Parade. In a Chicago connection, the two-year development of Blush began with a short piece for Hubbard Street 2 in 2008, when Miller was a National Choreographic Competition winner.

RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES
There will be a post-performance conversation with the artists Thursday, October 11 and a pre-performance discussion with Andrea Miller Friday, October 12 at 7 p.m., both free to ticket holders. Andrea Miller will participate in The Dance Center's DanceMasters class series, this season presented in partnership with DanceWorks Chicago. Miller's class takes place Tuesday, October 9 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Pkwy.

GALLIM DANCE
Founded in 2007, Gallim Dance is a Brooklyn-based contemporary dance company dedicated to creating and performing original work by Andrea Miller, nurturing the careers of young artists and stimulating the imagination of a diverse international audience. Miller's work embodies fearless physicality, grounded by deep humanity and expressed through the madness and joy of the imagination. A Juilliard graduate, Miller performed with Ohad Naharin's Batsheva Dance Company in Israel for two years. Her work has been commissioned throughout the world.

Though these performances mark Gallim Dance's Chicago debut, Miller's work has been seen at The Dance Center: Hedwig Dances performed Miller's Dust (for Jack) in spring 2010, and Ballet Hispanico performed her work Naci in April 2012.

FUNDING
The Dance Center's presentation of Gallim Dance is funded, in part, by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, General Mills Foundation and Land O'Lakes Foundation.

THE DANCE CENTER
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, named "Chicago's Best Dance Theatre" by Chicago magazine and "Best Dance Venue" by theChicago Reader, is the city's leading presenter of contemporary dance, showcasing artists of regional, national and international significance. Programs of The Dance Center are supported, in part, by the Alphawood Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Irving Harris Foundation, and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Special thanks to Athletico, the Official Provider of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy for The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, and the Friends of The Dance Center. 

The Dance Center's 2012–13 season continues with The Seldoms (Oct. 25–27), Double Edge Theatre (co-presented with the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department Jan. 17–19), zoe | juniper (Feb. 14–16), Stephen Petronio Company (March 7–9), Chicago Moving Company (March 21–23) and Delfos Danza Contemporánea (Apr. 4–6).

TICKET INFORMATION
Gallim Dance performs Blush October 11–13, Thursday–Saturday at 8 p.m. at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. Single tickets are $26–30; subscribers who order tickets to three or more performances from the 2012–13 season save 20%. The FamilyDance Matinee takes place Saturday, October 13 at 3 p.m., preceded by the free movement workshop with the artists at 2:15 p.m. Admission is free for children younger than 12, $15 for adults. Andrea Miller's DanceMasters class takes place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Pkwy. The cost is $15, $10 for students; those interesTed May call 312-369-8330 or register online. All programming is subject to change. The theatre is accessible to people with disabilities. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.