Join the Library for a special dance perfo rmance for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Dana Tai Soon Burgess Da nce Company will perform excerpts from four modern dances that focus on th e Asian American experience. The program features excerpts from:
\n< br />Hyphen\, which represents the turbulent struggle tha t Asian Americans feel as they solidify their identity in the American cul tural tapestry. The mixed-media piece features the full Company and a vide o backdrop of some of Nam June Paik&rsquo\;s earliest experimental films.< /p>\n
Pineapple Plantation\, follows the first Ko
rean American plantation workers in Hawaii at the turn of the last century
. They dreamed of a new life free from political persecution\, but most wo
uld sign contracts with plantations binding them to becoming agricultural
workers\, picking sugarcane and pineapples\, that would continue for gener
ations. \;
Coalicion\, based on the Del
ano grape strike against exploitative table grape growers. Filipino and Me
xican workers formed a coalition\, the United Farm Workers (UFW) Organizin
g Committee\, in 1966. After a 5 year strike\, over 10\,000 farm workers w
ere granted victory from the strike\, affording them safer working conditi
ons. \;
About Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Compan
y:
Now in its 32nd season\, Dana Tai Soon Burgess D
ance Company (DTSBDC) is a culturally diverse company that performs dances
that uplift\, inspire\, and bring new insights to seasoned dance lovers a
nd new audiences alike in Washington\, DC\, around the United States\, and
the world. DTSBDC creates and \; performs modern dances that explore
intersectional identities&mdash\;the flowing together of diverse perspecti
ves\, histories\, and traditions that result in \; shared audience und
erstanding. \; DTSBDC is a leader in the national movement to collabor
ate with and perform at visual arts museums\, as well as theaters. In 2016
\, DTSBDC was named \; the Smithsonian Institution&rsquo\;s first-ever
resident dance company. Last year the company began a series of new resid
encies including a yearlong &ldquo\;social impact&rdquo\; residency at the
Kennedy Center \;for the Performing Arts. DTSBDC has a long history o
f artistic collaborations and partnerships with other organizations includ
ing: NASA\, the U.S. State \;Department\, the Mayor&rsquo\;s Office of
Asian Pacific Islander Americans\, the DC Commission on the Arts and Huma
nities\, and more. DTSBDC has been presented at the NYU Skirball Center fo
r the Performing Arts\, The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse\, Arena Stage\
, National Gallery of Art\, the Noguchi Museum\, the United Nations\, La M
aMa\, the Asia Society\, the Korean Cultural Center\, as well as at the Wh
ite House at the invitation of President and First Lady Michelle Obama. As
a U.S. State Department cultural envoy\, DTSBDC has toured extensively in
ternationally\, to 5 continents and over 30 countries. For more informatio
n about DTSBDC visit www.dtsbdc.org.\n
Photo credit: Jeff Wang
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