Annual Report 2025 - DTSBDC

DTSBDC

DANA TAI SOON BURGESS DANCE COMPANY

ANNUAL REPORT 2025

DT SB DC

“NOT ONLY A WASHINGTON PRIZE , BUT A NATIONAL DANCE TRE ASURE ” THE WASHINGTON POST - S a ra h Ka uf m a n

ABOUT DTSBDC

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the Kreeger Museum, the Mayor’s Office of Asian Pacific Islander Americans, the DC Commission on the Arts and ow in its 33rd season, Humanities, The Arts Club of Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Washington, Maryland Youth Ballet, and more. DTSBDC has Company (DTSBDC) creates been presented at NYU and performs contemporary Skirball Center for the modern dance works to celebrate, through dance, the Performing Arts, The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, indomitable American spirit.

DTSBDC performances uplift, Arena Stage, the United Nations, La MaMa, the Asia inspire and bring insights Society, the Korean Cultural to seasoned dance lovers Center, as well as at the White and new audiences alike House at the invitation of in Washington, DC, around President Obama and First the United States, and the Lady Michelle Obama. world. The Washington Post says of the Company, “not As a U.S. State Department only a Washington prize, but cultural envoy, Dana Tai Soon a national dance treasure.”

Burgess Dance Company DTSBDC makes all its programs ADA accessible and has toured extensively both nationally and internationally at free or reduced pricing. to five continents and over 30 countries including Egypt, DTSBDC is a leader in the Israel, South Korea, China, national movement to collaborate with and perform India, Mongolia, Venezuela, Germany, Latvia, Ecuador, at visual arts museums as Panama, Mexico, Peru, well as theaters. In 2016, Cambodia, the British Virgin DTSBDC was named the Smithsonian Institution’s first- Islands, and Suriname to ever resident dance company. name a few.

DTSBDC has a long history Washington City Paper’s of artistic collaborations Reader Poll named DTSBDC and partnerships with other organizations including: NASA, “Best Dance Company in DC” in 2023, 2024, and 2025. the U.S. State Department, National Gallery of Art,

FROM THE ARTISTIC DIR

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s 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

RECTOR

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, RESIDENCI 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.

IES,

2025 REPERTORY PERFORMANCES

June

DTSBD on the Franke New M Museu

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

July

Kreeger M

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

May

An Asian American Journey at Martin Luthe King, Jr. Library for Asian American Heritage Month & Michio Itō Repertory Performance a Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

January Tracings at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, NYC

e

DC premiered Sudden Snow, a new work based e works of abstract expressionist artist Helen enthaler in collaboration with the University of Mexico Art Museum Association of Academic ums and Galleries conference

October Kreeger Museum Picasso Dances extended version reprisal premiere

Museum DC premiere of Sudden Snow

er e at

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

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

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EDUCATION AND MENTORS 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.

SHIP

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

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ana 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.

COMMUNICATIONS

Constant Contact subscribers: 3700 Instagram followers: 28.3K Facebook followers: 9.6K Slant podcast instagram: 4683 followers

ORG

GANIZATIONAL 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,

Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo,

Executive Director Associate Director

Staff

Development Director

Patch Canada,

Public Relations Specialist

Jan Tievsky,

Educational Principal

Audience Engagement Coordinator

William Robinson, Isel Perez,

Production Assistant Accountant

Max Goldman,

Intern

Artists

Anne Sidney, Rehearsal Director

Sarah Halzack, Judith Hansen,

Board of Directors Susan Gigli,

Ellen Boyers Kwatnoski Jan Tievsky,

Bianca DeLille,

Joan Ayap,

William Robinson Baylee Wong Armani Colón (Apprentice)

Assistant Rehearsal Director

Sigrid Johannesdottïr, Millicent Scarlett, Dana Nichole Scott,

Costume Designer Costume Designer Resident Musician Resident Musician

2025-26 DTSBDC Dancers Natasha Ames Joan Ayap Christine Doyle Tomas Fischer Trevor Frantz Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo

President Acting President

Erick Hosaka,

Vice President

Mary Eccles, 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

Treasurer Secretary

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 Google 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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Together, we can make our 2026 season the most impactful yet.

DTSBDC DAN A TA I SOON BU RG ES S DA N C E CO MPA N Y

2745 Arizona Ave, NW Washington, DC, 20016