Object Details
- Exhibition Label
- Born Carmel, California
- Dana Tai Soon Burgess grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the son of an Irish American father and a Korean American mother. Throughout his career he has explored this “hyphenated” cultural status in much of his dance and choreography. Burgess’s life as a dancer began at age sixteen, and he went on to earn degrees in dance from the University of New Mexico and George Washington University (GWU). He founded the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company in 1992 as a way of fusing Eastern and Western influences in his training, and has recruited dancers who possess similarly diverse backgrounds. His experience with varied forms of movement, such as contemporary dance, ballet, and martial arts, is reflected in works such as “Hyphen” and “Becoming American,” which explore questions of identity and belonging. Burgess also serves as the chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at GWU and as a State Department cultural ambassador.
- Nacido en Carmel, California
- Dana Tai Soon Burgess creció en Santa Fe, Nuevo México. Hijo de padre irlandés-americano y madre coreana-americana, en sus bailes y coreografías ha explorado esa condición cultural mixta que se escribe “con guion”. Su vida como bailarín comenzó a los dieciséis años y luego completó grados en danza en la Universidad de Nuevo México y la Universidad George Washington (GWU). Fundó en 1992 la Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, en cuyo trabajo fusiona las influencias de Oriente y Occidente que ha recibido en su educación, y también ha reclutado bailarines con trasfondos similares de diversidad. Su experiencia en diferentes estilos de movimiento, como la danza contemporánea, el ballet y las artes marciales, se refleja en obras como “Hyphen” y “Becoming American”, que exploran cuestiones de identidad y sentido de pertenencia. Burgess también dirige el Departamento de Teatro y Danza de GWU y es embajador cultural del Departamento de Estado.
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Artist
- CYJO (Ciny Hwang), born 13 Jun 1974
- Sitter
- Dana Tai Soon Burgess, born 26 Feb 1968
- Date
- December 16, 2007 (printed April 1, 2014)
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery; Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the generosity of Ms. Gie Kim and Mr. Rich Chang
- Medium
- Digital pigment print
- Dimensions
- Image: 41.9 × 27.9 cm (16 1/2 × 11")
- Sheet: 48.3 × 32.9 cm (19 × 12 15/16")
- Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
- Type
- Photograph
