Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company to Mark 30th Season Milestone With Gala Performance

It's been 30 years since Dana Tai Soon Burgess started his modern dance company in the nation's capital. From the very beginning, the repertory focused on identity in the context of historical events and personal stories, thereby bridging cultures and connecting shared human experiences. Three decades later, the Founder and his diverse group of dancers are still boldly moving forward with that message in the District and beyond.

On November 30, 2023, the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company will celebrate their 30th season with a gala performance at The Kennedy Center showcasing selected signature works spanning the Company's rich artistic history including: Transformations, Fractures, A Tribute to Marian Anderson, Surroundings: A Tribute to Maya Lin and Mandala. The special evening will be overseen by Congressman Jamie Raskin who proudly represents Maryland's 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"It's been an incredible journey. After 30 years, the Company continues to grow and evolve, while remaining true to our core mission." says Dana Tai Soon Burgess. "Our repertoire speaks to the societal conversations of today by embracing a sublime aesthetic which fosters empathy for all. We're thankful to all the individuals, organizations, presenters and museums that have supported our journey over these three decades and grateful to share this milestone with so many. We're also looking forward to the future and what impact this dance company can make over the next 30 years. It's thrilling."

Performance Details: 

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company 30th Anniversary Gala

Thu. Nov. 30, 2023 at 7:30p.m.

Terrace Theatre, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets are $55 and on sale now here.

A Tribute to Marian Anderson

Music: Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43, No. 1 by Johannes Brahms

Choreography: Dana Tai Soon Burgess

Transformations

Music: Transmutations by Dane Rudhyar

Choreography: Dana Tai Soon Burgess

"To carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light and design to imaginative realms that are idealistic and spiritual." -Dane Rudhyar

Fractures

Music: Spiegel Im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt

Choreography: Dana Tai Soon Burgess

Surroundings: A Tribute to Maya Lin

Music: Let Beauty Awake by composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, La barcheta and A Chloris by composer Reynaldo Hahn, Cigánské Melodie Op. 55: No. 3. A Les Je Tichy Kolem Kol (Et la Forêt Autour de Moi Reste Silencieuse) by composer Antonín Dvořák, Mo(u)ring by composer B.E. Boykin, in der Nacht, Op. 74, No. 4 by composer Robert Schumann

Choreography: Dana Tai Soon Burgess
"I see myself existing between boundaries, a place where opposites meet; science and art, art and architecture, East and West. My work originates from a simple desire to make people aware of their surroundings." -Maya Lin (b.1959)

Mandala (2001)

Music: Mandala by Jon Jang

Choreography: Dana Tai Soon Burgess

About Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company

Now in its thirtieth season, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC) is the preeminent modern dance company of Washington, DC. Its repertory focuses on identity in the context of historical events and personal stories, thereby connecting the shared human experience and showcasing cultural confluence. The members of the Company best reflect this mission as they themselves come from multicultural and diverse backgrounds.

In addition to performances, touring and educational programs, DTSBDC is a leader in the national movement to collaborate with and perform at visual arts museums. In 2015, DTSBDC was named the Smithsonian Institution's first-ever resident dance company. Based at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, DTSBDC creates new works inspired by cutting-edge exhibitions, hosts open rehearsals, and provides an opportunity for audiences to experience dance as well as understand - and witness - its creative process.

DTSBDC has a long history of artistic collaborations and partnerships with other organizations, including: NASA, the U.S. State Department, the National Gallery of Art, the Kreeger Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Korean Cultural Center, DC, the Asia Society, and more. As a U.S. State Department cultural envoy, the company has toured extensively both nationally and internationally to five continents and over thirty countries such as Egypt, Israel, South Korea, China, India, Mongolia, Venezuela, Germany, Latvia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Cambodia, the British Virgin Islands and Suriname.

At home, DTSBDC has performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the United Nations, the Skirball and at the White House at the invitation of President and First Lady Obama. Committed to the Washington Metropolitan area community, DTSBDC is an educational partner of Georgetown Day School.

More information can be found at: https://dtsbdc.org.

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