$70* per person - dinner & program
$29 per person - cocktail & program only
Irina Wunder, the acclaimed ballerina and now ballet teacher, will be interviewed by Arts Club member and choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess for a lecture and conversation about the history of ballet. The evening will feature images and will take members and guests on a unique, historical journey about the evolution of an artform that continues to be part of the performing arts in Europe, America and around the world.
Join fellow members and guests for a gourmet dinner preceded by a cocktail hour and artistic program.
6:00 pm - cocktail hour
6:45 pm - program
7:45 pm - dinner
About Ms. Wunder:
Irina Wunder received her classical training in Turkmenistan, then a republic of the former Soviet Union. She performed with the Republic’s Theater of Opera and Ballet and toured with the company in the former Soviet republics. She was also a guest artist with the Ballet Nacional del Peru. While in Lima, Peru, Ms. Wunder also taught dance and served as a liaison between the US diplomatic and local dance communities. Ms. Wunder holds a Master’s degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (London, UK), specializing in methodology and optimal practices of performing artists. Ms. Wunder is on the faculty of the Department of Performing Arts at American University in Washington, DC and Ballet NoVa Center for Dance in Arlington, VA. She taught at the Dance Institute of Washington and the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC.
About Mr. Burgess:
Dana Tai Soon Burgess is a leading American choreographer, dancer, and cultural figure known worldwide as the “Diplomat of Dance.” In 1992, he founded the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC), the preeminent modern dance company based in Washington, D.C.
As the Company’s artistic director, his work explores the idea of cultural “confluence” with many of his dances focusing on the “hyphenated person” – someone who is of mixed ethnic or cultural heritage – and the emotions of belonging and societal acceptance.
He has served as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department for over two decades, an appointment he uses to promote international cultural dialogue through “the global language of dance.” He has been awarded and completed two Fulbright Senior scholarships for dance. He has also recently received two prestigious awards – the Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture Award and the Aaron Stein Memorial Award.
Burgess was the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever Choreographer-in-Residence from 2016 to 2023. In this role, he created new works inspired by museum exhibitions and participated in public discussions about dance and art.
The exploration of dance and art is deeply rooted for Burgess. The son of two visual artists he has always approached the stage as a canvas, and the dancers as brush strokes. In 2003, Burgess was one of only three artists featured in the Smithsonian Institution’s “A Korean American Century” – an exhibition highlighting the history and achievements of Korean Americans in the US. “Dancing the Dream,” marked the Smithsonian’s first exhibition on American dance during this centennial celebration as well. His portrait is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and his family archives reside in the American History Museum.
Burgess is the author of Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly: A Memoir by University of New Mexico Press. He is also the host of Slantpodcast.com which focuses on the Asian American arts experience.
A reservation is required for dinner by 8 pm the day before. Due to the construction of the kitchen we can only accommodate 60 guests. Once we reach our maximum capacity, we regrettably will not be able to accommodate additional guests. Please RSVP early!
