The University of Iowa’s Hancher will present Gallim Dance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25, at Space Place Theater, located on the first floor of North Hall on the UI campus.

Founded in 2007, Gallim Dance is a Brooklyn–based contemporary dance company dedicated to creating and performing original work by Andrea Miller, former company member of Batsheva Dance in Israel. Dance Magazine named Miller one of its 25 to Watch (2009) and featured her on the cover of the April 2011 magazine, calling her a “wild child” of movement invention. The goals of her company are to nurture the careers of young artists and to stimulate the imagination of a diverse, international audience.

Gallim’s style, presented by an award-winning ensemble of dancers, quickly caught the attention of the dance community with its visceral movement and resonant imagery. Miller’s choreographic process includes physical research and improvisation, using games, stories, or focusing on details such as textures and ornamentation. These tasks reveal characters, movement motifs, and new themes in her work.

Gallim’s mission is “to play inside the imagination, to find juxtapositions of the mind and body that resonate in the soul, to investigate our limitations and pleasures, and to realize the endless human capacity for inspiration.”

The program for the company’s Hancher performances will feature two works: Sit, Kneel, Stand and Pupil Suite. Sit, Kneel, Stand is based on the myth of Sisyphus and explores heroism, absurdity, and the human experience. In contrast, Pupil Suite is a quirky, playful selection of works, set to the music of Balkan Beat Box.

Members of Gallim Dance will be in Iowa City throughout the week of the performances visiting UI classes and working with local dancers.

The residency and performances by Gallim Dance are supported by the Hancher Partners and gifts to the Hancher Circle through the UI Foundation.

Tickets are $35 for nonstudents; $31.50 for senior citizens; and $10 for college students and youth from the Hancher Box Office.

The Hancher Box Office, located on the first floor of the south end of the Old Capitol Town Center near the parking ramp, is open for phone (319-335-1160 or 800-HANCHER) or walk-up business from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be ordered online at the Hancher website. Any remaining tickets will be available for sale one hour before show time at Space Place Theater.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.