Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company Marks 30th Season

From The Georgetowner:

The dancers, designers and founding choreographer of Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC) were met with a standing ovation by a sold-out crowd at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, following a special one-night performance on Nov. 30.

The evening opened with an excerpt from “A Tribute to Marian Anderson,” a piece choreographed during DTSBDC’s residency at the National Portrait Gallery. This was followed by “Transformations,” which featured costumes by Project Runway finalist Patricia Michaels, “Fractures” and “Surroundings: A Tribute to Maya Lin” (also created as part of the dance company’s NPG residency). 

The evening culminated in the energetic “Mandala,” inspired by Burgess’s tours to India and Pakistan. A VIP reception was held at the Kennedy Center’s Roof Terrace Restaurant, where Honorary 30th Season Chair, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), mingled with supporters and friends. Aaron Myers, Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, addressed the crowd and presented a mayoral proclamation, and the dance company’s board conferred awards to major supporters and partners.

Read the article here. 

Book review: Dana Tai Soon Burgess’ ‘Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly’

 Check out Kathryn Boland's review of Dana's memoir in Dance Informa Magazine:

Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly: A Memoir paints a picture of Burgess’ unique path but also reveals truths common to the path of all dance artists. His prose is just as poetic is his atmospheric choreography – lyrical, yet eschewing the needlessly esoteric. Honest and rich, his stories can deeply engage both the heart and mind. 

Read the review, and learn more about the book, here.

New NDI residency, Dana's upbringing highlighted in Pasatiempo for The Santa Fe New Mexican

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Joan Ayap performs with former Santa Fe resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess’ Washington, D.C.-based modern dance company. Photo Jeff Watts

Dance dream
Michael Wade Simpson | For The New Mexican
Dec 1, 2023

Dana Tai Soon Burgess is a Korean American choreographer. His Korean given name, Tai Soon, means “great serenity of the family,” and while he has lived in Washington, D.C., for 35 years and worked globally, he was raised in Santa Fe, a place he still calls home.

“It’s the place I still feel most understood,” he says. As an artist who has made a career exploring the stories of “hyphenated people” — those like himself of mixed ethnicity — he finds the layers of cultures of New Mexico bring him comfort. “There is something ancient that resonates for me.”

Read article

See the mention of our recent Soireé in The Georgetowner!

 

The Diplomats of Dance Society hosted its annual soirée, which included a special performance from Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC), on Thursday, September 14th. Choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess, members of the Washington dance community, and dance supporters new and seasoned were in attendance at the historic Arts Club of Washington, former home of President James Monroe.

DTSBDC dancers performed excerpts in the intimate gallery space, and offered a preview for their upcoming Kennedy Center performance on November 30.

The Diplomats of Dance Society supports the cultural diplomacy of the dance company’s international touring, which has included more than 30 countries. Burgess has been a cultural ambassador with the U.S. State Department for over two decades.

Diplomats of Dance Soiree at the Arts Club of Washington

Join the Diplomats of Dance Society as it celebrates Dana Tai Soon Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC)'s 30th anniversary season!

Thursday, September 14 · 6 - 7:30pm

RSVP Here

Join the Diplomats of Dance Society for a special cocktail hour and an intimate performance with Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC), recently named Best Dance Company 2023 by Washington City Paper.

Choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess will be in attendance with some of the DTSBDC dancers, who will perform excerpts in the Arts Club's historic gallery space, and give us a preview for their upcoming Kennedy Center performance in November!

Dana has been a cultural ambassador with the U.S. State Department for over two decades, and has brought his "universal language of dance" around the world to countries including Peru, Korea, Mongolia, India, Israel, Jordan, and Suriname, among others. He has been hailed as "not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure" by The Washington Post.

Join us for a special evening of live dance in a historic arts space, and celebrate dance diplomacy! Light hors d'oeuvres and libations will be included.

The Arts Club of Washington occupies the former home of President James Monroe, and is located beside the Hotel Lombardy on I (Eye) Street NW, across from James Monroe Park.

Click here to RSVP

DTSBDC NYC visit in Playbill

 

DTSBDC NYC visit in Broadway World

 

Dance Magazine: How Choreographer and Artistic Director Dana Tai Soon Burgess Uses Dance to Move Between Cultural Worlds

Dana Tai Soon Burgess, here with Miyako Nitadori, wrote the recent memoir Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly. Photo by Mary Noble Ours, Courtesy Patch Canada PR.

"For me, dance is a universal language through which I can communicate my inner landscape. All of human­ity danced before we had written or even spoken language. We inherently understand the postures, gestures, and rhythms of the body. These can express happiness, sadness, and even resilience of the spirit.

I’m a fourth-generation Korean American. I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a Hispanic neighborhood, attending bilingual Spanish and English schools by day while experiencing a very Asian American experience at home. My best friends were American Indian, Hispanic, and Asian American. Early on, I learned to move between different cultural worlds by embracing one concerted language: dance. Movement became my primary, galvanizing mode of communication. Through dance I expressed how I perceive the world."  

 Read the full article here.

Livestream of "Transformations": A Premiere Performance and Discussion with DTSBDC

An evening with Dana Tai Soon Burgess at the National Press Club

February 23, 2023 at 6:00pm 

Burgess will be interviewed by Eileen O’Reilly, President of the National Press Club, about his memoir and then he will answer audience questions. Dancers from his acclaimed company will also perform excerpts from their repertoire. Books will be available for purchase at the event. 

Event details here

 Book details here