Now Seeking Applicants for the next Teaching Artist in Residence
The Teaching Artist in Residence program is designed to be a mutually beneficial partnership between NDI New Mexico and high-caliber choreographers in the field of dance. The residency is an opportunity for NDI New Mexico to give students a unique way to learn and grow by working with a professional choreographer with a heart for youth development and dance education. The NDI New Mexico staff and community will also benefit from education and enrichment opportunities, and the inspiration of seeing a great artist create great contemporary work on our dancers. The Teaching Artist has the potential for a commission for their work, exposure to NDI New Mexico’s audiences in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and the means to expand their outreach work to have an impact on youth.
The Teaching Artist in Residence creates or stages choreography with multiple groups of students, ideally in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque over the course of a program year, creating works performed in a variety of NDI New Mexico events, and leading educational and enriching activities for NDI New Mexico staff and the broader community. If you are interested in applying for the program, please fill out the form below.
For more information on our Teaching Artist in Residence Program, please contact:
Liz Salganek, Artistic Director: Email | (505) 557-6046
Current Artists in Residence
2026-2027: Quinn Wharton
Quinn Wharton is a professional choreographer, photographer, and filmmaker. He was born in Seattle Washington and moved to Hawaii at age 8, where his family still resides. His early training consisted of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, West Hawaii Dance Theater and North Carolina School of the Arts.
He recently opened his first full evening work, Origins, commissioned by the Baryshnikov Arts Center in November of 2024 for a sold out run.
Quinn will be coming as a Teaching Artist in Residence to the Dance Barns to create work that includes a short documentary film adjacent to original choreography featuring stories associated with NDI dancers and their families.
The film would be connected thematically to the dance work, expressing alignment with NDI-NM’s mission, philosophy, and community, and though stand alone, will be screened alongside the choreography in the February Spring into Motion performances. Wharton will be interviewing and filming in mid-August, as he acquaints himself with our Company XCel and Apprentice dancers, exploring movement with them in the style of a contemporary ballet piece he will further develop in December.
Quinn will also avail himself for the enrichment of the staff and local dance community, offering master classes, and workshops about dance film, and building social media connectivity in the dance world.
His residency will culminate with an informal showing of the work and the film on the last rehearsal day in December for an open house at NDI Dance Barns. The work will performed by NDI advanced dancers and apprentices for its Company Xcel show, Spring into Motion in February 2027.
Visit quinnwharton.com
Learn more about Quinn
He joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2005, after participating in the inaugural year of their Trainee program. Over 7 years there he performed leading roles and created works for the likes of William Forsythe, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Paul Taylor, Wayne McGregor, Val Caniparoli, and Helgi Tomassen. During that time he also began a photo and film career working for dance and tech companies in the bay area, including LINES Ballet, Airbnb, Square inc, Google, and San Jose Ballet among others.
In 2012 he joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and worked with Mats Ek, Glen Edgerton, Robyn Mineko Williams, Penny Saunders, and Alonzo King among others. After leaving Hubbard Street in 2012 he began freelancing and working on projects across artistic mediums. He directed a dance film in collaboration with Myles Thatcher and Rolex, directed a music video for Third Coast Percussion and Dev Hynes.
Beginning in 2012 he worked as assistant choreographer for Yuri Possokhov on 5 full length works at the Bolshoi Ballet, A Hero of Our Time, Crime and Punishment, Chanel, Seagull and the infamous Nureyev that was canceled before opening. He has spent some time lecturing at Stanford and the Booth school of business on human movement and its potential for leadership. He created a viral series during the early pandemic that recreated famous dance scenes from movies that has garnered 14m views across various platforms. He was the resident filmmaker for Kaatsbaan for their festivals beginning during the pandemic. He is the resident filmmaker for the New York Choreographic Institutes new works. He teaches an ongoing class for the Peridance Certificate program, Camera for Dancers. Most recently he has directed 15 promotional films for American Ballet Theater, was director of photography on Tenses by Raja Feather Kelly for PBS which was Emmy nominated, and movement directed a campaign for Bose headphones.
2026-2027: Babatunji Johnson
Multidisciplinary Dancer. Pioneering Choreographer. Inspirational Spirit.
Babatunji is a dance artist, choreographer, and creative innovator based out of San Francisco. Though never formally trained as a child, Babatunji was always moving his body to the beat. At the age of 15, he discovered the art of hip hop. Following this epiphany of love, he grew up through his teens breaking and popping on street corners in Hilo, Hawai’i.
After being “discovered” by a local dance instructor, he began his formal training in various styles of dance, including ballet. This would inevitably lead him to Lines Ballet’s Training Program, and from there, into the company. For over a decade he has worked with one of the greatest American choreographers, Alonzo King.
As a freelance dancer, Babatunji has worked with Post:ballet, Ishida Dance Company, SFDanceworks, tinypistol, Ballare Carmel; as well as performed works by choreographers and artist such as Adji Cissoko, Yue Yin, Danielle Rowe, Brett Conway, Rich and Tone Talauega, David Harvey, Mike Tyus, Vân-Ánh Võ. Additionally, his work for film includes features in Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs’ Blindspotting on Starz, as well as Misty Copeland’s short art film Flower. Over the past 8 years, Babatunji has developed a unique movement language, blending his background in ballet, contemporary, breaking, and hip hop.
He has choreographed for Berkeley Ballet Theater, Boston Dance Theater, Post:ballet, Trolley Dance, SFDanceworks, ZiRu Dance, among other Bay Area companies. As a solo artist, Babatunji has performed internationally, collaborating with visual, sound, and technical artists of countless genres. His work has been seen at Museum of Dance, Lion’s Jaw performance + dance festival, København Danser, and SFJazz in collaboration with Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2015, he was awarded a Princess Grace Award, as well as a Chris Hellman Award for his outstanding achievements and promise in the world of dance. Babatunji is immensely grateful to his mom for providing him with every opportunity and the guidance of her wisdom along the way.
Visit babatunjijohnson.com
Previous Artists
2025-2026: Ellen Weinstein
Ellen Weinstein, National Dance Institute Artistic Director Emerita, began teaching and choreographing for National Dance Institute (NDI) in 1986 and served as Artistic Director from 1995 to 2021. Most recently, Ms Weinstein served as the Interim Managing Director for the Misty Copeland Foundation. Read more…
2024-2025: Lillian Barbeito
Lillian Barbeito, a Santa Fe native, is a Juilliard-educated artist who received a four-year, full-tuition scholarship from Tomorrow’s Leaders of America for her vision of global harmony through dance. She began her career performing with renowned institutions including The Santa Fe Opera and Southwest Ballet before going on to co-found BODYTRAFFIC in Los Angeles. Read more…
2023-2024: Dana Tai Soon Burgess
Dana Tai Soon Burgess served as NDI New Mexico’s inaugural Teaching Artist in Residence in 2024. In addition to teaching and choreographing for our students, Dana and his company participated in an array of events including master classes, choreograhy workshops for staff and the local dance community, and public events. Read more…
“Thank you the challenging and beautiful experience you cultivated for my son and the other dancers. The caliber of instruction, exposure to the real world of dance, and focus on social justice from both of the guest companies and choreographers is such a gift for everyone involved.”
Rebecca
NDI New Mexico Parent
Teaching Artist in Residence Press
NDI New Mexico Starts New Program
November 20, 2023 | KQRE | By Isaac Cruz The National Dance Institute (NDI) New Mexico announced its inaugural teaching artists in residence program. The program is designed to expand the organization’s relationships with world-class dancers, choreographers and other...
Every step counts: Santa Fe native Dana Tai Soon Burgess returns to teach at NDI New Mexico
January 15, 2024 | The Albuquerque Journal | By Adrian Gomez Dana Tai Soon Burgess grew up in the Casa Solana area of Santa Fe and had big dreams. The dancer wanted to make an impact in the world. Mission accomplished. Today, Burgess has his own dance company, Dana...
Dance Dream: A Pasatiempo Article
December 1, 2023 | Pasatiempo | By Michael Wade Simpson Dana Tai Soon Burgess is a Korean American choreographer. His Korean given name, Tai Soon, means “great serenity of the family,” and while he has lived in Washington, D.C., for 35 years and worked globally, he...
Learn More about the Teaching Artist In Residence Program
Teaching Artist in Residence Program Application