Going with the Flow

Allison Miller, the acclaimed drummer and band leader of the group Boom Tic Boom, presented her multi-media performance, “Rivers in Our Veins,” for a one-matinee-only performance at 92NY on February 2^nd. Inspired by five east coast American rivers—the Hudson, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, the James, and Miller's own hometown river, the Potomac—“Rivers in Our Veins” is a “love letter to our rivers, their delicate harmony, and their beautiful chaos.”

Performance

Allison Miller and Michelle Dorrance: “Rivers in Our Veins”

Place

92NY, New York, NY, February 2, 2025

Words

Cecilia Whalen

Allison Miller and Michelle Dorrance's “Rivers in Our Veins.” Photograph by Richard Termine

Miller's composition is an upbeat song cycle of American music including jazz, funk, folk, and rock. The piece takes the audience on a journey, one presumably traveled on foot: The music, both the recorded album from 2023 and the live performance, feature dynamite tap dancing. At 92NY, Miller welcomed special guest Michelle Dorrance alongside two of Dorrance's company members, Luke Hickey and Claudia Rahardjanoto.

These tap dancers were joined by contemporary dancer Maleek Washington, a 2022 Princess Grace Awardee and dancer with Camille Brown, Kyle Abraham, and others. Spirals and waves rippled through Washington's upper body. He was a guide, a narrator who floated in battu jumps, then skipped an imaginary stone and followed it downstream with his eyes, peering over the audience.

Although Washington created varied emotions and environments on his own, the overall piece followed no inherent narrative. Throughout, a river video was projected on a large screen by Todd Winkler, which allowed for connections between the music and the water. A clip of a misty spray could be heard echoing off of drum cymbals (played by Miller); a flock of seagulls chirped from a fiddle (Jenny Scheinman); and a massive riverboat was proclaimed by the honking and scraping of a contra-alto clarinet (Ben Goldberg).

Allison Miller in “Rivers in Our Veins.” Photograph by Richard Termine

The sound of waves signaled Dorrance's first entrance for a duet with Miller. Miller, who brought forward a chair and single snare drum to accompany Dorrance, swept the drum with her brushes, circling the drumhead. Dorrance did the same, dragging her foot in circles, mimicking Miller's sound.

Then Dorrance's wave broke and she exploded, flashing across the stage in bursts, using not only heel and toe but the internal and external rotation of her feet to create a deeper, clunking sound like a chop of wood. Miller, meanwhile, kept steady then responded in agreement, with rapid rhythms and rim shots.

At one point, Dorrance challenged Miller with a downpour of millisecond-length notes. At that nearly impossible speed, Miller could only respond by rolling her brushes swiftly across the drum, a creative means of acceleration as well as a humble and humorous acknowledgement of Dorrance's virtuosity.

Not only is Dorrance rhythmically virtuosic: She is physically animated and endlessly innovative. She made use of the stage length and varying levels, sliding back and forth, jumping and squatting, occasionally bending so low that she smacked the floor. She smiled and laughed with the musicians while her long arms flew forward and back, and her big hoop earrings swung in opposition.

Allison Miller and Michelle Dorrance's “Rivers in Our Veins.” Photograph by Richard Termine

And Dorrance swings, too. After trading atmospheric phrases with Miller, Dorrance exclaimed joyfully with a timestep, transitioning seamlessly into swing time and signaling the band back in.

Between jubilant tap solos, Washington kept a mostly earnest tone. Reappearing for moments of scenic interlude, he peered through telescopes, felt the spray of water as it trickled down his face, and even once went fishing. Washington led the audience through shipyards, waterfalls, and lookouts.

At the end, the dancers all joined together for a grand finale. Hickey and Rahardjanoto, who each performed excellent improvised solos earlier on in the piece, joined Dorrance in a choreographed trio. They jumped, spun, and slid as the band swelled and Miller's cymbals crashed in exultation. Meanwhile, the video projection, which sometimes could appear redundant when accompanying the dancers and music, finally stole the spotlight: Floating above the performers was a giant puddle, and within it, two happy feet splashing around joyously.

Cecilia Whalen

Cecilia Whalen is a New York City-based dancer, choreographer, and writer. She is a graduate of the Martha Graham School and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In addition to her work with Fjord, her writing can be found in various publications, including Dance Magazine and Commonweal Magazine.

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