 In May 2014 he told Smithsonian magazine that his work "Confluence", created as part of DTSBDC's residency at National Portrait Gallery, explored “an underlying inter-connectedness" of all people.When asked if this work was "influenced by America’s increasingly diverse population", he said, “Yes, I think the cultural terrain is changing as is my company’s focus.Somehow I feel that my aesthetic is embracing a much larger vision of humanity’s shared emotional journey.”

In November 2014 the Korean Cultural Center of Washington, DC presented an exhibition called "Ancestry, Artistry, Choreography" about Burgess, his immigrant ancestors, and his dance company that "document[ed] his multicultural background and its influence on his ballet-meets-contemporary work".