In this special episode of Slant Podcast, host Dana Tai Soon Burgess is interviewed by Felipe Oyarzun Moltedo (Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company lead dancer) in celebration of the publishing of Dana's memoir, "Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly." Dana has been referred to as the "poet laureate of Washington dance and a national dance treasure" by Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post writer Sarah Kaufman. He is a leading American choreographer and a cultural figure whose artistic focus explores the idea of cultural "confluence" and the "hyphenated person" – someone who is of mixed ethnic or cultural heritage – as well as issues of belonging and societal acceptance.

Throughout their conversation, Dana and Felipe discuss Dana's life, his work as a dancer, choreographer, and founder of Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, and his upbringing as an Asian American Gay male. In this episode, Dana Tai Soon Burgess reflects on his life and career in the arts and shares insights on the power of dance to promote cultural understanding and unity.

For nearly three decades, Korean-American choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess' work has explored the hyphenated experience and the universal desire to belong. Known internationally as "the Diplomat of Dance", he and his critically acclaimed dance company have toured to over thirty nations exploring cultural confluence through original movement. He was the Smithsonian's first-ever resident choreographer, based at the National Portrait Gallery, from 2013-2023. Dana is a speaker and advocate for Asian American causes, and is dedicated to meaningful conversations around history, personal stories, and the unique language that the arts allow for individual experiences to be universally shared.

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