NDI Artistic Director Liz Salganek
NDI News:
SANTA FE — National Dance Institute (NDI) New Mexico announced today, its inaugural Teaching Artist in Residence Program, designed as a unique opportunity to expand the organization’s relationships with world-class choreographers, dancers and other artists, and to further its mission to help New Mexico youth develop critical life skills and realize their full potential through engagement with the arts.
The organization’s first teaching artist in residence is Dana Tai Soon Burgess, a world-recognized choreographer, dancer, cultural figure and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC). Burgess is also a native of Santa Fe and a graduate of Santa Fe High School.
Known as the “Diplomat of Dance,” Burgess has served as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department for 30 years and is the first-ever choreographer in residence at The Smithsonian Institution. Now in its thirtieth season, DTSBDC is the preeminent modern dance company of Washington, DC. Its repertory focuses on identity in the context of historical events and personal stories, thereby connecting the shared human experience and showcasing cultural confluence.
“The Teaching Artist in Residence program will give NDI New Mexico students a unique opportunity to work with an exceptional choreographer with a heart for youth development and dance education,” NDI New Mexico Artistic Director Liz Salganek said. “We know when students have the opportunity of working with great artists, it broadens their horizons, elevates their understanding of their own potential, builds their self-confidence and sets them on a path of finding their own artistic voices. This program also will provide new artistic opportunity and cultural enrichment for the NDI New Mexico staff and the broader community through an array of entirely new performances, events, workshops, and classes scheduled throughout the year.”
“It’s an extra special homecoming for me,” Burgess said. “This area shaped and inspired me to create, dance, and share my artistic language. I’m beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to return the gift to the community that’s very much in my heart.”
Highlights of the 2024 Teaching Artist in Residence Program include:
- A “Meet the Artist” community event to be held at The Dance Barns in Santa Fe 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 2. Highlights of the event include two DTSBDC dancers performing excerpts from the company’s repertoire, a screening from the dance company’s social justice leaders video series, and a Q&A with Burgess;
- A dance and choreography class for professional dancers and dance educators, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Dance Barns in Santa Fe;
- A featured work in NDI New Mexico’s annual Spring into Motion live event February 2024 at The Dance Barns in Santa Fe, featuring NDI New Mexico’s advanced students performing El Muro, Burgess’ performance piece about immigration to the U.S. from Latin America. An open rehearsal will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6;
- NDI New Mexico’s Dream Big! end-of-year performances and 30th anniversary galas at The Dance Barns in Santa Fe May 4 and The Hiland Theater in Albuquerque May 11. The performances will feature choreography by DTSBDC created for NDI New Mexico’s Celebration Team dancers; and
- Participation by DTSBDC in The Hiland Theater’s first-ever Hiland Arts/Dance Festival, scheduled for July 2024. The event will include dance performances by the Hiland Company dancers and members of DTSBDC, master classes, and community events.
In addition to the public events and performances, Burgess and members of DTSBDC will hold classes for NDI New Mexico students; connect with dancers’ families through an open-house, Q&A and family potluck; lead enrichment workshops for NDI New Mexico instructors and other dance educators and choreographers in Santa Fe and Albuquerque; and lead a panel discussion on the state of regional and national dance communities.
About the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The Washington Post hails “not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure.” For 30 years, the Company has been on an artistic mission to spotlight the most human stories and share them through the universal language of dance.
In addition to performances, touring and educational programs, DTSBDC is a leader in the national movement to collaborate with and perform at visual arts museums. In 2015, DTSBDC was named the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever resident dance company. Based at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, DTSBDC creates new works inspired by cutting-edge exhibitions, hosts open rehearsals, and provides an opportunity for audiences to experience dance as well as understand – and witness – its creative process.
DTSBDC has a long history of artistic collaborations and partnerships with other organizations, including NASA, the U.S. State Department, the National Gallery of Art, the Kreeger Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Korean Cultural Center, DC, the Asia Society, and more. As a U.S. State Department cultural envoy, the company has toured extensively both nationally and internationally to five continents and over thirty countries such as Egypt, Israel, South Korea, China, India, Mongolia, Venezuela, Germany, Latvia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Cambodia, the British Virgin Islands and Suriname.
At home, DTSBDC has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the United Nations, the Skirball and at the White House at the invitation of President and First Lady Obama. Committed to the Washington Metropolitan area community, DTSBDC is an educational partner of Georgetown Day School. The chair of DTSBDC’s thirtieth Anniversary Season is Congressman Jamie Raskin. More information can be found at: https://dtsbdc.org.
About NDI New Mexico:
NDI New Mexico is founded with the knowledge that the arts have a unique power to engage and motivate children. The purpose of our distinctive programs is to help children develop discipline, a standard of excellence and a belief in themselves that will carry over into all aspects of their lives. NDI New Mexico’s programs teach the Core Four values, encouraging children to work hard, do their best, never give up, and be healthy. For more information visit www.ndi-nm.org. Follow NDI New Mexico on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
