On March 6 + 7, New York’s acclaimed contemporary company GALLIM makes its Victoria debut with Bodies of Matter, a mixed program celebrating 17 years of Andrea Miller’s daring and visionary choreography. Renowned for blending movement with visual art, film, fashion, and sound, GALLIM creates fully immersive emotional landscapes that put the body at the center of experience.
Bodies of Matter presents six distinct works, each exploring the body as a vessel for memory, emotion, and transcendence. From classical to pop to electronic, the eclectic soundtrack underscores a performance that is both visceral and deeply human, offering moments that will resonate with every audience member. Discover the works in detail below.
state
Originally commissioned by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, state is an exploration of five emotional and physical states of womanhood, highlighting the deep bonds women build to support one another and the urgency and beauty of their individual expression. Set to the music of pop artist RIVKA, this piece brims with humanity and emotional resonance.
“There is no weak link or moment during state … Swift yet constricted, these dancers capture the experience of womanhood.” – Broadway World
Middle Length Poem
A dance shaped like an unfinished poem, written as it’s performed. We’re as curious to discover more about this work as you must be!
“Middle Length Poem (2017) was another moment to marvel and wonder where Miller’s inspiration for movement originates.” – Palm Beach Arts Paper
BRUCE
BRUCE is an exuberant romp set to the infectious rhythms of Israeli band Balkan Beat Box, woven seamlessly with the whimsical melodies of indie icon Joanna Newsom. Originally premiered as I Can See Myself in Your Pupil in 2007 and named one of the “Best in Dance” in 2015, the work unfolds through riveting vignettes of synchronized precision and spontaneous creativity, remaining fresh, plural, extravagant, and timeless nineteen years later.
“Miller’s piece [BRUCE] clearly electrified the crowd. It was the kind of honest, exhilarated audience response that is palpable and undeniable.” – Dance Magazine
DESDE
A fleeting, atmospheric work set to the haunting soundscapes of Nicholas Jaar, DESDE appears and disappears like a sunset. Created by Andrea Miller in collaboration with The Juilliard School, the piece unfolds through intimate duets and trios that ebb and surge like the tide. Waves of dancers wash forward toward renewal, cascading through a circle of golden light conceptualized by Nicole Pearce, moving with fervour, intimacy, and quiet transcendence.
“Jarring and tranquil . . . Eerily beautiful, elements of contemporary ballet transcend the audience into another place.” – Broadway World
No Ordinary Love
Set to Sade’s iconic ballad, No Ordinary Love reflects on the labour, endurance, and tenderness of love.
“[The dancers] circled, avoided, tested, and eventually surrendered to each other. Lighting shifted with them — side lights first, then a sharp, focused downspot as they met in the middle. Their bodies finally interwoven, the duet felt like a conversation where the language was motion and the stakes were emotional intimacy.” – Smile Politely
SAMA
SAMA invites audiences into a tangible universe where individuals have space to express themselves and transcend through movement. As Miller reflects, “In the digital and information age, we might be numbing our bodies as the fundamental key of being in the world and knowing it. Is this the beginning of an apocalypse of the body?” Within SAMA, the essential, ambiguous, and complex elements of our humanity reveal themselves—accessible only through the physical experience. Forget conventional, oversimplifying, or automated rules of reasoning: “The body is the chance of being without reducing.” Also, stilts!!
“Miller plugs into some primal pulse, awakening (and ultimately pummeling) the senses, the dancers living intensely in their bodies.” – The Guardian
Curator’s Note
“Imagine sitting in a small studio, in the front row of a showing by one of NYC’s most exciting contemporary dance companies. During an ensemble piece with dancers in vibrant orange costumes and pulsing electronic music, two male dancers suddenly emerge, striding powerfully towards you… on stilts! My first introduction to GALLIM had me on the edge of my seat. I wish the same for our audiences as you experience this powerful and uncompromising company of artists.” – Gillian Jones, Dance Victoria Executive Director
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