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.