New web site and blog

Please follow all our news and events at the new Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company website and blog!  We will be posting there from now on.



Photo credit: Mary Noble Ours

DTSB&Co Rehearsal March 2013

Dana is choreographing a new work for the fall!

Dana's memories of meeting Nureyev

Dana's letter to the editor about his adolescent memories of Nureyev's visit to his hometown was published in the Washington Post last Sunday! Dana's father's drawing (related to the story) was also featured.

Dana featured in Bourgeon book!

The Bourgeon Book is being released! 

This book is a compilation of the best articles from the arts magazine Bourgeon and the author/artists included in the book are a who’s who of contemporary art.  Dana's article Making Charlie Chan + The Mystery of Love  is among the included articles.

Check out the Bourgeron site and buy the book!

Talks with Extraordinary Artists

On October 24, 2012 the Arts Club of Washington honored member Dana Tai Soon Burgess as he celebrates the twentieth anniversary as artistic director of Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co.

The evening included selections from Dana’s favorite works presented by members of his company.  Before each work Dana talked a bit about origins and meanings. Afterwards Dana and the dancers took questions from the audience.  Thanks to all who attended and participated in this wonderful exchange.

Khaybet performed by Connie Lin Fink

Section of Dariush performed by Katia Chupashko Norri

Section of Charle Chan & the Mystery of Love  

performed by Kelly Moss Southall and Sarah Halzack

Section of Caverns performed by 

Connie Lin Fink, Katia Chupashko Norri and Felipe Oyarzun

Dana introducing the dancers and collaborators

20th Anniversary Celebration

Here's a glimpse of the fun had by DTSBCO dancers, friends and families, board members and supporters at an opening night party presided over by honorary chair Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the USA.  (photos by Dented Lens Photography)

Dana in the news - Washington Post

Pulitzer prize winning journalist Sarah Kaufman wrote an insightful article in the Washington Post about Dana and the 20th anniversary of his company.  Check out Dancing to the heart of the matter.

Caverns: Dana's new work

I am so excited about our Sept 21-23 performances.  This evening of dances is a celebration of 20 years.  There are so few dance companies that reach 20 and I am very thankful to our audiences, dancers, designers, supporters and our board for making sure that we continue to create quality work. 

The works date back to 1999 and continue through today with a new premiere.  I am just putting the finishing touches on my new work Caverns.    This dance is a trio that explores the idea of recurring memories and the images that play, reset and ultimately replay again in our minds. Caverns deals with an individual who studies a past relationship.  She questions her actions, relives them and arrives at a contemplative moment of confronting her own psyche. I have been very interested in how the trauma of past relations affects all future relations in our lives.  They are the lessons learned that propel us forward or stunt our growth. 

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the show in person. I look forward to speaking with each of you in September.  Sincerely, Dana

2012 DTSB&Co Youth Program Video

The kids in the DTSB&Co Asian American Youth program put together a video.  Check it out!

Part 1

Part 2

Dancer Profile: Sarah Halzack

Sarah Halzack and Kelly Southall perform "Charlie Chan and The Mystery of Love." (Photo: Lawrence Luk)

Sarah Halzack of Suffield, CT has been a dancer with Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company for more than six years. In addition to being a dancer, she is also a journalist with The Washington Post. According to Sarah, it's a treat to know and work with the company's many talented collaborators, but the most enjoyable aspect of being in the company is the performance. "The physicality of Dana's movement and the characters he creates are, for me, the ultimate escape from reality," she said.

Over the years, she has danced in several of Dana's works but her favorites are "Tracings" and "Charlie Chan and The Mystery of Love." Sarah has never danced in "Tracings" herself, but what she enjoys most about watching it is how "clear a distillation it is of Dana's aesthetic. The dream-liking pacing, the haunting projections, the crisp white set, the highly detailed and gestural movement--these are all hallmarks of Dana's style, and they are all extremely distinctive. I've never seen another dance like it, and I'm sure I never will."

As for "Chan," Sarah think its brilliance lies in how richly layered it is. "The work is as funny and self-deprecating as it is heartbreaking, and it's laced with really clever irony. I think it's one of the most honest dances Dana has ever made, and I think that's why it resonates so deeply," she added.

When asked where she sees the DC dance community in 20 years, Sarah sees great promise from the influx of young dancers who have moved to the area in recent years. "An infusion of new aesthetics and new viewpoints will surely make the scene more vibrant," she said. For more information about Sarah, please read her dancer biography.

INNERview with Dana

Indepth interview with Dana by Susan Lee MacDonald for the Arirang TV's INNERview series:

Dancer Profile: Felipe Oyarzún Moltedo

Felipe Oyarzún performs with DTSB&Co at the National Portrait Gallery. (Photo: Laura McDonald)

Felipe Oyarzún Moltedo of Santiago, Chile is one of Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company's newest dancers. In addition to performing with DTSB&Co, he recently choreographed work for Joy of Motion Dance Center's Youth Dance Ensemble, a pre-collegiate program with core classes in ballet, jazz and modern.

According to Felipe, he is excited to learn movements that are different from what he is used to. "I love the idea to move my body from a different way and be part of a an excellent group of people with so much talent and love for the dance."

When asked where he sees himself or the DC dance community in 20 years, Felipe said he envisions himself teaching. "I see myself teaching new generations of dancers in a world where the dance will be unlimited. A dance without space, time and race." For more information about Felipe, please read his dancer biography.

National Portrait Gallery performance Roundup

Check out photos from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

Videos from the event

More Photos from the event