Dana Tai Soon Burgess
The Memoir & The Movement: Acclaimed Choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess in an Evening of Conversation and Dance at Oxford Community Center
OXFORD, MD — The Oxford Community Center (OCC) welcomes internationally acclaimed choreographer, author, and cultural ambassador Dana Tai Soon Burgess and members of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, Washington, D.C.’s preeminent contemporary modern dance company, for a unique evening combining conversation, storytelling, literature, and live dance on Friday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. The event offers audiences an intimate look inside the life and creative work of one of the nation’s most distinguished choreographers. The Washington Post hails Burgess and his eponymous Company – “not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure.”
Burgess will discuss his award-winning memoir, Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly, in an onstage conversation with Margaret Andersen. Their discussion will explore Burgess’s remarkable personal and artistic journey, his multicultural heritage, the development of his career, and the experiences that have shaped his choreography. Members of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company will bring the conversation to life through live dance excerpts of the Company’s signature work, giving the audience an opportunity to see how memory, identity, history, and personal experience are translated into movement.This special OCC presentation offers audiences something rarely experienced in a traditional performance setting: the opportunity to hear the story behind the dance and then see those ideas expressed through movement onstage.
Burgess founded the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company in 1992 and has become a leading figure in American modern dance. Known internationally as the “Diplomat of Dance,” Burgess has served as a U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassador for more than two decades. His work explores the joy, sorrow, beauty, and complexity of the human experience, frequently drawing upon questions of cultural identity and belonging. His company has performed throughout the United States and internationally, bringing modern dance to audiences around the world. In 2016, he was named the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever Choreographer-in-Residence, establishing a groundbreaking relationship between contemporary modern dance and the visual arts at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
His memoir, Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly, traces the experiences and relationships that helped shape him as an artist and choreographer. The award-winning book provides a deeply personal window into the cultural influences, mentors, family history, and artistic discoveries behind his work. A fourth-generation Korean American, Burgess’s ancestors arrived in Hawaii aboard the Gaelic in 1903. They were among the very first groups of Korean immigrants who settled in America, working on sugarcane and Del Monte pineapple plantations. His mixed-race heritage (Korean and Scottish-Irish ancestry) serves as a primary thematic anchor for his career. Copies of his book will be available on site for purchase.
Thanks to exclusive partnership between the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company with the Asian Wine Association of America,the evening also features a viticultural experience. Guests will be treated to a premier wine tasting featuring selections from RD Winery, Napa Valley’s first Vietnamese owned winery. The winery’s ethos is driven by founder Dong Van Nguyen’s inspiring legacy and the traditions of altruism and community in Vietnamese culture. This ethos shines through in its acclaimed vintages, pairs exceptionally well for an evening of arts and community.
EVENT DETAILS
Dana Tai Soon Burgess: An Evening of Conversation, Memoir & Dance
Friday, October 9, 2026 | 5:30 p.m.
Oxford Community Center, Oxford, Maryland
General Admission: $40
VIP Experience: $80
Includes the evening’s program plus a VIP meet-and-greet with Dana Tai Soon Burgess and a signed copy of Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly.
Books will also be available for purchase during the evening.
About Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, the nation’s contemporary modern dance company, is world renowned for its rich tradition of authentic cultural storytelling.
For 34 seasons, the Company has explored universal themes of the human spirit through artistic excellence, integrity and creativity. The Company’s timeless repertoire alongside bold, new commissions are committed to diverse perspectives, histories, and traditions that flow together to create cultural dialogue and understanding.
As global cultural ambassadors for the U.S. State Department, the Company has extensively toured internationally, to 5 continents and over 30 countries on a mission to use its signature storytelling through movement to bridge communities worldwide.
At home in the nation’s capital, the Company is deeply invested in serving its community by bringing a myriad of performances and education programs to all in neighborhoods, libraries, museums, and performing arts venues including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Library of Congress, The Arts Club of Washington, The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and the White House at the invitation of President and First Lady Michelle Obama.
A true pioneer in the national movement to bring performance inside visual art museums, in 2016 the Company was named the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever dance company in residence.
Redefining how audiences perceive and interact with art, the Company has been sought out to perform at such institutions as the Noguchi Museum, The National Gallery of Art, The Chazen Museum of Art, The Cranbrook Art Museum, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, and UNM Art Museum. The Company is currently enjoying a two year artist-in-residence at The Kreeger Museum.
The Company has a long history of artistic collaborations and partnerships with other organizations including NASA, the United Nations, the Asia Society, the Korean Cultural Center, NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, La MaMa, DC Mayor’s Office of Asian Pacific Islander Americans, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Whether the Company is performing in the US or beyond, they remain steadfast in removing economic and physical barriers to the arts.
About the Asian Wine Association of America (AWAA)
The Asian Wine Association of America (AWAA) champions the wines, heritage, and voices of Asian American and Asian vintners and wine professionals in the U.S. through advocacy, community engagement, and professional development. Working with cultural and community organizations, AWAA brings diverse voices and unique wine experiences into influential cultural spaces, connecting Asian wine heritage with the broader cultural dialogue.
About RD Winery
RD Winery holds a historic place in California wine country as the first Vietnamese-owned winery founded in Napa Valley. Established in 2010 by Vietnamese entrepreneur Dong Van Nguyen, the winery operates out of a large facility located at the gateway of wine country where Highway 29 meets Highway 12. Today, it is recognized as a pioneering Napa Green Certified operation led by CEO Mailynh Phan, making it a unique Vietnamese woman-led winery in California.
About Oxford Community Center
The Oxford Community Center is dedicated to enriching community life by providing educational, cultural, recreational, and social opportunities that bring people together. Through performances, lectures, exhibitions, classes, community gatherings, and special events, OCC serves as a welcoming gathering place for Oxford and the greater Mid-Shore community.