Dana Tai Soon Burgess, the chair of the department of theatre and dance, will be the first resident choreographer at the National Portrait Gallery, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Burgess, who received a master’s degree in fine arts from GW and began teaching in 2000, will create new dances inspired by the museum’s exhibitions during a three-year residency.

This fall, Burgess will debut a dance inspired by the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which highlights diversity in America, the Post reported.

The residency won’t be the first time Burgess has worked with The National Portrait Gallery: He choreographed dances inspired by an exhibit of Civil War photographs and another based on American cinema.

At GW, Burgess implemented a new MFA program for dance. He has also served as a commissioner for Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs in D.C. since 2013.

Burgess, who is Korean and grew up in Santa Fe, has taught ballet around the world in Germany, Peru, Mongolia and India.