DT SB DC
ABOUT DTSBDC
DANCE TREASURE”
“NOT ONLY A WASHINGTON PRIZE, BUT A NATIONAL
THE WASHINGTON POSTS arah K aufman
Now in its 33rd season, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC) creates and performs contemporary modern dance works to celebrate, through dance, the indomitable American spirit. DTSBDC performances uplift, inspire and bring insights to seasoned dance lovers and new audiences alike in Washington, DC, around the United States, and the world. The Washington Post says of the Company, “not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure.” DTSBDC makes all its programs ADA accessible and at free or reduced pricing.
DTSBDC is a leader in the national movement to collaborate with and perform at visual arts museums as well as theaters. In 2016, DTSBDC was named the Smithsonian Institution’s firstever resident dance company. DTSBDC has a long history of artistic collaborations and partnerships with other organizations including: NASA, the U.S. State Department, National Gallery of Art,
the Kreeger Museum, the Mayor’s Office of Asian Pacific Islander Americans, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, The Arts Club of Washington, Maryland Youth Ballet, and more. DTSBDC has been presented at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, Arena Stage, the United Nations, La MaMa, the Asia Society, the Korean Cultural Center, as well as at the White House at the invitation of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
As a U.S. State Department cultural envoy, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company has toured extensively both nationally and internationally to five continents and over 30 countries including Egypt, Israel, South Korea, China, India, Mongolia, Venezuela, Germany, Latvia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Cambodia, the British Virgin Islands, and Suriname to name a few.
Washington City Paper’s Reader Poll named DTSBDC “Best Dance Company in DC” in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
As our 33rd season comes to a close, I reflect on the healing power of dance - its ability to create open dialogues that transcend cultural and socio-economic barriers. This year our season was dedicated to the Asian American diaspora. We presented a home season at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, solidified a new twoyear residency at the Kreeger Museum, and premiered a new multi-disciplinary work inspired by the art of Helen Frankenthaler which toured to major museums and theatres. We performed for senior communities, at libraries, and taught classes at schools and universities.
Our work reached over 7000 audience members in the Washington, DC area and an additional 1600 nationally through 21 performances, two national tours, five educational residencies, and hundreds of ongoing dance classes for youth. Through our performances and educational programs, we experienced pure jubilance and brought a better understanding to our audiences and students of the reality of our shared histories and experiences.
This year Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo was elevated to the position of Associate Director and Christine Doyle was elevated to the position of Executive Director. Their decades of dedication to the company are much appreciated, and I look forward to working with them in their expanded leadership roles.
It is a joy to direct DTSBDC and I look forward to our upcoming 2026 season. We will present two world premieres and also reset and perform multiple repertory favorites that celebrate the last three decades. These will be performed in both theatrical, as well as museum settings. It is exciting to begin work on our 33rd season and to expand our reach to audiences in Washington, DC and around the country.
Thank you for your support and believing in the importance of dance in our society; its ability to build empathy by sharing stories through the universal language of movement. I’m looking forward to seeing you at a performance in the near future!
Warmest,
Dana Tai Soon Burgess
DIRECTOR
FROM THE ACTING PRESIDENT
Dear lovers of dance and art,
The board of directors of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company deeply believes in the mission of this extraordinary company: To celebrate, through dance, the indomitable American spirit. This year, at performances at the Kreeger Museum, Woolly Mammoth Theater, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, we have felt this joyful spirit move us.
Possibly no year before 2025 has challenged the Company more to fulfill this mission as federal funding for the arts wanes. Yet, the Company has done so – and then some. Under the visionary guidance of its Artistic Director, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, this remarkable organization has kept its focus on works that inspire, uplift, and remind us of our shared humanity.
Now, more than ever before, we need this powerful art form to thrive and grow. You, our devoted fans and supporters, play a vital role in the continued success of DTSBDC. Thank you.
Please join me and our board in celebrating Dana, the dancers, musicians, dedicated staff, community partners, and advisory board who bring this sparkling art form to life. With your essential help, the momentum of 2025 will carry us into 2026 with renewed dedication to the universal language of dance.
Most Sincerely,
Ellen Kwatnoski
PARTNERSHIPS, RESIDENCIES, AND COLLABORATIONS
SINCE ITS BEGINNING, DTSBDC RECOGNIZED THAT PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT TO CREATING THE CHOREOGRAPHIES, PERFORMANCES, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS THEY ENVISIONED.
In 2025, DTSBDC began a twoyear residency with the Kreeger Museum, further strengthening the company’s engagement with visual arts institutions. The company continued its valued partnerships with Maryland Youth Ballet and the School Without Walls High School, and established a company in residency status with The Arts Club of Washington. DTSBDC also deepened connections with university and museum partners, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chazen Museum
and the UNM Art Museum, where the company premiered Sudden Snow.
DTSBDC made history as the first-ever dance company to perform a season at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, located in the heart of Chinatown—a location of profound significance to the company as an Asian American dance organization. Thanks to the success of these performances, DTSBDC expands its 2026 season with a two-week Spring season at Woolly Mammoth.
Other significant collaborations included the Smithsonian Asian
Pacific American Center, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the National Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans, the Asian American Arts Alliance, and Shenandoah Conservatory. These partnerships provide essential resources and performance opportunities while allowing DTSBDC to expand its educational outreach, engage new audiences, and collaborate across disciplines in dance, visual arts, and cultural programming.
2025 REPERTORY PERFORMANCES
February
Seeds of Toil at Smithsonian Asian Pacific American
Center- National Portrait Gallery’s McEvoy Auditorium
Leaving Pusan, Becoming American, Hyphen at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
January
Tracings at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, NYC
May
June
DTSBDC on the Frankenthaler New Mexico Museums
July Kreeger Museum
An Asian American Journey at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library for Asian American Heritage Month & Michio Itō Repertory Performance at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
DTSBDC premiered Sudden Snow, a new work based the works of abstract expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler in collaboration with the University of Mexico Art Museum Association of Academic Museums and Galleries conference
Museum DC premiere of Sudden Snow
October
Kreeger Museum Picasso Dances extended version reprisal premiere
AUGUST NOVEMBER OCTOBER SEPTEMBER DECEMBER
Luther at November DTSBDC performed excerpts from Picasso Dances and Charlie Chan & the Mystery of Love at their annual Gala at the Arts Club of Washington & repertorie excerpts at Chazen Museum of Art and University of Wisconsin Madison, Dance Department residency
EDUCATION AND MENTORSHIP
Over the past year, DTSBDC significantly expanded its educational and community impact. The company continued its curricular advisement for DC public school’s School Without Walls, supporting student performances and strengthening programming through lecture/ demonstrations. DTSBDC also presented additional lecture/ demonstrations and community talks at JF Books and in Washington, DC, engaging local audiences with discussions on dance, culture, and the creative process, accompanied by book signings for Dana Tai Soon Burgess’s Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly: A Memoir.
DTSBDC deepened its partnership with Maryland Youth Ballet in Silver Spring, MD, launching a new summer training intensive and increasing its modern dance class offerings. The company also completed a successful residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Chazen Museum of Art and Dance Department in November, taught master-classes in dance technique at the National Dance Institute in New Mexico, and set choreography on the dance students of Shenandoah Conservatory.
DTSBDC’s education program grew substantially through new
grants, which supports free tickets for DMV middle and high school students and families; master classes and lecture demonstrations; the distribution of free copies of Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly: A Memoir; and the development of educational booklets aligned with our performances. This support has enabled us to continue programming in DC public and private schools and to launch new partnerships with James Madison Middle School, The Potomac School, and Baltimore School for the Arts.
Additionally, ORIGINS/ Emerging Movements: Young Choreographers (pictured) continues to offer aspiring choreographers the opportunity to receive feedback from Burgess and present their work in the 2026 season at The Arts Club of Washington.
STATISTICS
7 performances during national tours and educational residencies.
21 PERFORMANCES
2 premieres
700 DC youth audiences`
7000 AUDIENCES
5500 DMV audience members
Other Statistics:
DTSBDC employed 36 creative and artistic staff, including arts administrators, dance educators, and production personnel to deliver educational programming and performances.
The company teaches 50 advanced students per week. In addition, 6 classes daily for two weeks were held as part of the company’s Summer Intensive.
46 students participated in master classes in composition and dance technique as part of the company’s University of Wisconsin Madison educational residency.
DTSBDC interns: 2
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company is more than just a dance company; it serves as a true sanctuary for me as an Asian American dance artist. Growing up as a Filipino dancer in Manila, I feel a deep connection to the company’s mission and vision of inclusivity. Being part of DTSBDC has allowed me to share my dancing and celebrate my heritage while engaging in meaningful artistic conversations with others whose backgrounds may differ from mine but are united by shared experiences of solidarity. The diverse stories I express onstage — reflect the layered histories, lived experiences, and cultural memories of many in the diaspora.
This year I was able to perform not only in our home season
in Washington, DC but also at museums and theaters across the country. Through DTSBDC, I have the opportunity to continue to grow my artistry with each performance. I am also able to teach future generations of young dance artists. I love teaching workshops in dance technique and performance. It is a joy to see young dancers grow. I get to share my personal stories and also learn from the traditions, values, and experiences of the communities we engage with; in these moments of connection, movement becomes a bridge that fosters friendships, builds trust, and reaffirms our shared humanity.
Ultimately, being a dancer with the DTSBDC is both an honor and a profound responsibility.
FROM THE DANCER:
JOAN AYAP
Our digital community continued to grow steadily throughout the year. We now reach more than 28.3K followers on Instagram, 9.6K followers on Facebook and 3,700 Constant Contact subscribers, expanding our ability to share updates and engage with our audience. In addition, the Slant Podcast’s Instagram has built a strong following of 4,683, reflecting increasing interest in our multimedia storytelling efforts.
ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES
The 2025 season marked a period of meaningful growth and leadership development for Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Senior company member and Assistant Artistic Director Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo was promoted to Associate Artistic Director, expanding his role to include representing DTSBDC in educational residencies, programmatic meetings, and partnership-building initiatives. His promotion reflects the company’s continued investment in artist-leaders who embody DTSBDC’s mission and values.
Christine Doyle was promoted from Managing Director to Executive Director, recognizing her leadership, institutional knowledge, and longstanding commitment to the organization. In this expanded
role, Doyle continues to guide the company’s strategic vision, operations, and sustainability.
DTSBDC also welcomed Jack Davis to the Board of Directors. Bringing a specialty in finance, Davis strengthens the board’s capacity to support the company’s fiscal health and long-term planning.
In addition, Joan Ayap joined DTSBDC as a staff member specializing in audience engagement and wardrobe oversight, supporting both the company’s public-facing initiatives and production needs. The company also welcomed Armani Colón as a dance apprentice, reflecting DTSBDC’s ongoing commitment to mentorship, training, cultural diversity, and the development of emerging artists.
DTSBDC Staff and Board
Leadership
Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Founding Artistic Director
Christine Doyle,
Executive Director
Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo, Associate Director
Staff
Bianca DeLille, Development Director
Patch Canada,
Public Relations Specialist
Jan Tievsky, Educational Principal
Joan Ayap, Audience Engagement Coordinator
William Robinson, Production Assistant
Isel Perez,
Accountant
Max Goldman, Intern
Artists
Anne Sidney,
Rehearsal Director
Sarah Halzack, Assistant Rehearsal Director
Judith Hansen,
Costume Designer
Sigrid Johannesdottïr, Costume Designer
Millicent Scarlett, Resident Musician
Dana Nichole Scott, Resident Musician
2025-26 DTSBDC Dancers
Natasha Ames
Joan Ayap
Christine Doyle
Tomas Fischer
Trevor Frantz
Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo
William Robinson
Baylee Wong
Armani Colón (Apprentice)
Board of Directors
Susan Gigli, President
Ellen Boyers Kwatnoski
Acting President
Jan Tievsky, Vice President
Erick Hosaka,
Treasurer
Mary Eccles, Secretary
Jack Davis
Jameson Freeman
Nicole Hollander
Bonnie Kogod
Marcia Lim
Leigh Adams Slaughter
Kelly Moss Southall
Dana Tai Soon Burgess (Ex-Officio)
Bianca DeLille (Ex-Officio)
Advisory Board
Kay Casstevens
Josue Castilleja
Nicole Colameta
Diane Dragaud
Sara Gay Forden
Sarah Halzack
Joshua Kaufman
Kelly Dinglasan Minton
Mark Ohnmacht
Steve Oshana
Anatol Steck
Lauren Victor Yang-Ro Yoon
Organizational Mentors
Patch Canada
Michael Kaiser
DONOR LISTING
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following corporations, foundations, goverment agencies, and individuals who supported Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company during our 24-25 season.
Major Supporters
$51,000-150,000
DC Commision on the Arts and Humanities
$20,000-50,000
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Patch Canada*
March Forth Foundation
Maryland Youth Ballet*
The National Endowment for the Arts
Philip L. Graham Fund
$5,000-19,000
Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Mary Eccles
Eric Naison-Phillips Family Foundation
Fulbright Scholars
Cary Fuller
Elizabeth Wilson Harter
Bonnie Kogod
Ellen Kwatnoski
Microsoft
Kelly Dinglasan Minton and Joel Minton
Morningstar Foundation
Katia Norri
Teresa Saavedra
The Rosenfeld Rumford Steckler Family Foundation
The Share Fund
Jan and Seth Tievsky
Aaron Tievsky and Frank Delaney
Heinz and Liselotte Nehring Stiftung Foundation
Winged Keel Group
$500-4,000
Eugene and Gina Adams
Anonymous (4)
John Ashford
Lisa Barry and Jim Gale
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Anna Kang Burgess
Ian Tai Kyung Burgess
Jason and Melissa Burnett
Jane Cafritz
Michael Caplin
Alan Cariaso
Kay Casstevens
Cherry Blossom Giving Circle
Claudia de Colstoun-Werebe
Laurie Davis and Joseph Sellers
Bianca DeLille
Diane Dragaud
Frank Farrow
FBB Capital Partners
David Fischer and Joy Kassett
Izette and Neil Folger
Julie Frantz
Jameson Freeman and Dana Tai Soon Burgess
Mary A. Gifford
Susan Gigli
Ross Goldman
Sarah Halzack and Neil Irwin
Sergio Herrera and Kelly Southall
Wayne Hickory
Celia Hoke
Nicole Hollander
Erick Hosaka
Jill and Bill Hudock
Janice Kaplan
Roxane Kaufmann and Neal Fitzpatrick
Lisa Kaye
Rebecca Klemm
Richard Kwatnoski
Marcia Lim
Barbara and Robert Liotta
Kristen Lund
Elizabeth McCallum
Gale McCallum
Laura McDonald
Alanna McKee
Felipe Moltedo
Elvi Moore
Judith Viggers Nordin
Patricia O’Shea
Mark Ohnmacht
Dr. Susan Ohnmacht
Eser Ozdeger
Stacey Perelman
Arnold Polinger
Young-Key Kim and Bertrand Renaud
Sheri and Robert Rosenfeld
Joan and Berry Rosenthal
Stephanie Rosenthal and Scott Meisler
Stuart Ross and Patricia Devine
Eric San Juan and Jack Davis
Ben Sanders
Marian and Neel Saxena
Scout Properties
Leigh Slaughter
Steve Slaughter
Arnie Stolberg
Peter and Judith Storandt
Helen R. Trilling
Maida R. Withers
Barrie Zucal
We appreciate and acknowledge our donors who give between $25-499
*Denotes in-kind services
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DTSBDC
2745 Arizona Ave, NW
Washington, DC, 20016
DANA TAI