Shenandoah Conservatory presents “Reflections: Invited Choreographers Showcase,” an annual artist residency program that offers students and audiences alike the rare opportunity to experience works by some of today’s most influential choreographic voices. Featuring original and restaged works by internationally recognized choreographers Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Brandi Coleman and Doug Varone, performances take place Friday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 8 in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre.
At the heart of “Reflections” is an immersive rehearsal residency that transforms Shenandoah Conservatory’s studios and stages into active sites of creation. Over an intensive period, Burgess, Coleman and Varone work side by side with Shenandoah Conservatory dance students, shaping new works and reimagining existing repertory through daily rehearsals, artistic exchange and rigorous exploration. These residencies culminate in fully realized performances in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience contemporary dance at the moment it moves from the studio to the stage.
Each choreographer brings a distinct artistic legacy to the program, offering audiences an intimate encounter with contemporary dance shaped by decades of innovation, critical acclaim and cultural impact. Created in close collaboration with Shenandoah Conservatory dance students, the evening reflects a dynamic exchange between emerging artists and choreographers whose work has shaped the national and international dance landscape.
Dana Tai Soon Burgess, known internationally as the “Diplomat of Dance,” is the founder of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company and a celebrated American choreographer whose works explore the breadth of human experience with depth and emotional resonance. His setting of “Hyphen,” a critically acclaimed work featuring projections by iconic video artist Nam June Pai, explores identity and showcases his unique ability to blend visual art and movement.
“It’s my pleasure to work with the students of Shenandoah Conservatory,” said Burgess. “These dance residencies are vital because they bring professional choreographers and students together, providing real-life experiences that prepare them for a career in dance while also expanding their professional networks.”
Brandi Coleman brings her expertise as an educator and movement innovator to the showcase. An assistant professor in the Division of Dance at Southern Methodist University and former associate artistic director of the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Coleman’s choreography emphasizes the rhythmic synergy of body and music, celebrating jazz dance’s dynamic vitality and cultural heritage.
“From the first rehearsal, I walked into a room that felt warm, prepared and joyful,” said Coleman. “We laughed a lot, which is the perfect environment for the creative process. The piece is driven by energy and rhythm. You’re watching dancers exchange that energy with one another, and that connection is what really brings the work to life.”
Doug Varone is an award-winning choreographer and director whose work spans dance, theater, opera and more. As the artistic force behind Doug Varone and Dancers, Varone’s pieces are known for their emotional depth, technical range and compelling movement language. His contributions to the program reflect decades of international artistic leadership.
“‘Mass’ is first and foremost about community — about how we create, dissolve and rediscover connection within moments of strife,” said Bradley Beakes, the staging director for Doug Varone and Dancers. “What makes ‘Mass’ exciting to experience live is the intense physicality of the dancing and the dramatic tension and release between the characters. The students’ positivity, unshakable work ethic and curiosity were contagious, making the process seamless and a joy.”
Through these collaborations, “Reflections” highlights the creative dialogue between guests and students — a defining feature of Shenandoah Conservatory’s experiential learning model. Audiences will witness an inspiring range of choreographic styles and artistic viewpoints, brought to life by the conservatory’s talented dancers.
The concert also includes an encore presentation of “Downstream” by acclaimed choreographer Maleek Washington, presented in November 2025 as part of the senior showcase. Created in collaboration with the dancers, the work celebrates the power of community and embodies both ritual and the search for connection to something greater than ourselves.
This performance is made possible by the Lewis Endowed Fund for Visiting Dance Artists.
Performances of “Reflections: Invited Choreographers Showcase” will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, and Saturday, Feb. 7, as well as 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8. Tickets are available for purchase online 24/7 at conservatoryperforms.org. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Shenandoah Conservatory Box Office located in the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre lobby and over the phone at (540) 665-4569 during regular box office hours (Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.).
About Dana Tai Soon Burgess
Dana Tai Soon Burgess is a leading American choreographer and cultural figure known worldwide as the “Diplomat of Dance.” In 1992, he founded the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC), Washington, D.C.’s preeminent modern dance company now in its 33rd season. The Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Sarah Kaufman says of Burgess, “Not only a Washington prize, but a national dance treasure.”
Burgess creates contemporary modern dance works that explore the joy, sorrow and beauty of the human experience. He has served as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department for over two decades. Burgess has been awarded three Fulbright senior scholarships for dance and the Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture Award.
In 2016, Burgess was named the Smithsonian Institution’s first-ever choreographer-in-residence. From 2016 to 2023, he created new works inspired by museum exhibitions, participated in public discussions about dance and art and designed educational programming. 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. Burgess was one of only three artists featured in the Smithsonian Institution’s “A Korean American Century” (2013), an exhibition highlighting the history and achievements of Korean Americans in the United States. He was also highlighted in “Dancing the Dream,” (2013 to 2014) the Smithsonian’s first exhibition on American dance. Three portraits of Burgess are part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. He has created works for The National Gallery of Art, The Noguchi Museum, The National Museum of Asian Art, The National Portrait Gallery and The UNM Art Museum, to name a few.
He has served as a mayoral-appointed commissioner for the D.C. Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Burgess is the author of “Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly: A Memoir” by University of New Mexico Press and the editor of and contributor to the dance history textbook “Milestones in Dance History” by Routledge/Francis & Taylor. He is the host of Slantpodcast.com which focuses on the Asian American arts experience.
About Brandi Coleman
Brandi Coleman is an assistant professor in the Division of Dance at Southern Methodist University where she teaches Jump Rhythm® Technique, a jazz-rhythm-based movement approach that transforms the moving body into a rhythm-driven percussion instrument. She was a performing member, rehearsal director and associate artistic director of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project (JRJP), a Chicago-based dance company founded by Billy Siegenfeld. She received an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Excellence on Camera/Performer for her work in the Emmy Award-winning documentary, “Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There,” and has toured nationally and internationally with JRJP to Finland, Italy and Canada. As a teaching and creative artist, she has led more than 40 choreographic and teaching residencies at universities nationwide and internationally. Her pedagogy and creative work honor the foundational and fundamental relationship between jazz music and jazz dance. Her choreography has been presented at venues across the United States and internationally at the Aratani Theatre (Los Angeles), Newport Jazz Festival (Newport), Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (Canada), Southern Theater (Minneapolis), Links Hall (Chicago), New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts (Baton Rouge), the Winspear Opera House, Moody Performance Hall and the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts (Dallas), SUNY Brockport, James Madison University, Salve Regina University, Northwestern University, Stephens College, Carthage College, University of Dubuque, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Southern Methodist University.
Her writing, “Performing Gender: Disrupting Performance Norms for Women in Jazz Dance Through Gender-Inclusive, Human-Centric Choreography,” is included in the book “Rooted Jazz Dance: Africanist Aesthetics and Equity in the Twenty-First Century” (University Press of Florida, 2022). She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Performing Arts: Choreography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
About Doug Varone
Award-winning choreographer and director Doug Varone works in dance, theater, opera, film and fashion. He is a passionate educator and articulate advocate for dance. By any measure, his work is extraordinary for its emotional range, kinetic breadth and the many arenas in which he works. His New York City-based Doug Varone and Dancers has been commissioned and presented to critical acclaim by leading international venues for four decades. Since its founding in 1986, Doug Varone and Dancers has commanded attention for its expansive vision, versatility, and technical prowess. On tour, the company has performed in more than 125 cities in 45 states across the United States and in Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. Stages include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Moscow’s Stanislavsky Theater, Buenos Aires’ Teatro San Martin, the Venice Biennale, and at Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival. Varone, his dancers, and designers have been honored with eleven New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Awards.
In the concert dance world, Varone has created a body of works globally. Commissions include the Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance Company, The Limón Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Rambert Dance Company (London), Martha Graham Dance Company, Dancemakers (Canada), Batsheva Dance Company (Israel), Bern Ballet (Switzerland) and An Creative (Japan), among others. In addition, his dances have been staged on more than 100 college and university programs around the country.
In opera, Doug Varone is in demand as both a director and choreographer. Among his four productions at the Metropolitan Opera are “Salome” with its ‘Dance of the Seven Veils,’ the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s “An American Tragedy,” Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps,” designed by David Hockney, and Hector Berlioz’s “Les Troyens.” He has staged multiple premieres and new productions for Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Washington Opera, New York City Opera and Boston Lyric Opera, among others. His numerous theatre credits include choreography for Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theaters across the country. His choreography for the musical “Murder Ballad at Manhattan Theater Club” earned him a Lortel Award nomination. Recent projects include directing and choreographing MASTERVOICES’ production of “Dido and Aeneas” at New York’s City Center, starring Tony Award winners Kelli O’Hara and Victoria Clark, and staging Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio, “Anthracite Fields” for the Westminster Choir and the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
Varone received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Purchase College where he was awarded the President’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. Numerous honors and awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, an Obie Award (Lincoln Center’s “Orpheus and Euridice”), the Jerome Robbins Fellowship at the Bogliasco Institute in Italy, two individual Bessie Awards, a Doris Duke Artist Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Guild.
