Kaleena Miller Dance

Kaleena Miller Dance is fundraising for two projects as we enter our 11th year.

First, we're raising money for the Minneapolis and New York premieres of em-dee-eff.

Performed in leather-soled shoes and accompanied by the already occurring soundscape of the space its performed in, em-dee-eff takes inspiration from medium density fiberboard: a substance literally made of reconfigured parts of itself. Three dancers––acclaimed performers, choreographers and scholars Lisa La Touche, Michael J. Love and Kaleena Miller––sound and move through sections of deep listening, knowing/remembering, finding, and finally unbridled play, to honor their embodied knowledge and histories, while carving out space for new desires. The sonic landscape and danced sounds are recorded live and played back via electronic processing, transformed, to offer an altered perspective of our everyday sonic experience. 

Your financial support will allow this thought-provoking performance to be shared in unexpected venues in Minneapolis and New York in 2026.

Second, we're seeking support for the development of hold me, a new vocal and tap dance performance and installation work. 

Having spent the last few years developing an improvised, score-led work (em-dee-eff), the research and development of hold me marks a purposeful step back into composition. Contending with matriarchal-passed traits and identities alongside the complexities of the carriage of an embodied archive (inherent in tap dance), this work pursues an expression of the un-heard/-seen/-said present in both unwillingly bestowed and purposely sought out lineages. In its current development phase, Miller is working on crafting the sonic dance and vocal compositions that will lay the groundwork for the piece. 

Your support will go directly to paying the artists of Kaleena Miller Dance.

Please donate to keep this emotionally abundant, deeply-researched, and thoughtful work going.

Your support means the world! Thank you.

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A brief history of the company - 

Since 2015, Kaleena Miller Dance has produced concept-driven evening length works, showcases for emerging tap dance talent, had multiple guest performances at the Twin Cities Tap Festival, and have brought incredible percussive dance guest artists to the Twin Cities including Ian Berg, Derick Grant, Naomi Funaki, Nic Gareiss, Caleb Teicher, Lisa La Touche, Max Pollak, Lia Spirka and Dianne Walker. 

From 2018-2024, the pre-professional ensemble KMD2 gave space for high school to college-aged emerging tap dance artists to develop and showcase their choreographic ideas, and learn new and classic repertoire from distinguished national tap dance choreographers.

Now a project-based entity, we continue to be committed to deep study and expansive exploration of tap dance, giving emerging and established artists the opportunity to research, make, perform and connect with internationally renowned artists and scholars.

photo by Aleutian Calabay