Culture group to visit National Portrait Gallery's "Eye Pop" exhibition to see Dana Tai Soon Burgess

WASHINGTON - May 23, 2015 - PRLog -- The Diplomats of Dance Society, an association of arts-interested young professionals, is organizing an intimate group visit to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Saturday, July 11, 2015 to view the new "Eye Pop: The Celebrity Gaze" exhibition which features a portrait of renowned Korean-American modern dance choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgessalongside the recognizable faces of Katy Perry, Marc Jacobs, Oprah Winfrey and others.

The visit will include a private, docent-led tour of the exhibition followed by a conversation with Burgess outside the Courtyard Cafe in the museum's majestic Kogod Courtyard.

From the National Portrait Gallery:
In a world consumed by personal and celebrity image making, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery considers how personalities are constructed with “Eye Pop: The Celebrity Gaze.” The exhibition features 53 portraits and will be open at the Portrait Gallery May 22 through July 10, 2016.

See their full press release here: http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/star-gazing-national-portrait-gallery

This innovative new exhibition gives another opportunity for the Diplomats of Dance Society to gather in support of Burgess's dance company,which they support under the mission of "promoting cultural diplomacy" and "connecting those who love the art of movement". The group organizes social gatherings and an annual event with the specific intention of supporting the company's international touring, which it does as a U.S. Department of State cultural envoy. In doing so, the group also exposes its members and guests to new projects and activities by cultural and arts institutions. Burgess's work often features strong visuals and mixed media.

The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC) has performed at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery before, including as part of the 2013-2014 "Dancing the Dream" exhibition, where Burgess and his dancers choreographed and premiered two new dance works as a 'living exhibit' component to that exhibition (those works, "Homage" and "Confluence", were also performed at the Kennedy Center in 2014). See the Washington Post's article about it here:
Dana Tai Soon Burgess and company bring National Portrait Gallery exhibit to life (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dana-tai-soon-burgess...)

DTSBDC is the preeminent modern dance company in the nation's capital and its namesake choreographer has been hailed as "not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure" by Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic Sarah Kaufman. The company has received wide international critical acclaim and was recently in residence at the Kreeger Museum. Other performances at the Smithsonian Institution include the 2003 Korean American Centennial Commemoration as well as performances at the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Burgess was the first choreographer-in-residence at the National Portrait Gallery from 2013-2014.

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is located at:
Eighth and F Streets NW
Washington, DC 20001

Website: www.dancediplomats.net