This post was written by Hatchet reporter Kelsey Renz.

Most GW students visit the Kennedy Center during their four years on campus, whether they prefer to look out from the rooftop on spring nights or attend a show.

Not many have the opportunity to perform on stage, but sophomore Ben Sanders will make his first appearance on the Kennedy Center stage Friday.

“There’s something about standing on a stage and looking out at everyone that’s there to watch you perform, and…the feeling of that is like nothing else,” he said. “To be able to show my love of something to a large audience. It’s why I love dance.”

Sanders is a member of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, whose namesake is an associate professor of dance at GW. The company is presenting a modern dance concert entitled “Four Works by Dana Tai Soon Burgess.”

The company will perform dances that cover the broad scope of Burgess’ work, including a piece that was commissioned by the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center in 2003 to celebrate the Korean Centennial.

“Leaving Pusan,” was inspired by the journey the choreographer’s family took when immigrating to the United States in 1903, Burgess said.

Other numbers include “Khaybet” and “Revenant Elegy” which address matters such as confronting fears before death, and questioning the relationship between “aging and love.”

“I’m really looking forward to people’s reactions, to people becoming interested in dance and what we do, and also I think it’s always a joy for a choreographer to see so many different pieces of repertoire from different time periods represented in the performance,” Burgess said.

The company will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets range from $25-$31 and can be purchased online.