Yvonne Faith Russell has always loved to fly. If her dancing could be distilled into a single movement, it would be a grand jeté—an explosive leap that clears the floor with joy, daring, and faith in the air to hold her. She began her training at Nashville Ballet, later graduating summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a major in dance and double minors in English and creative writing. That same creative fire has led her not only to the stage but to the page; she is the author of two books and has been published by Lifeway Women, B&H Publishing Group, and others. Her artistry moves between language and body, between flight and grounding.
She has performed with Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company and across the DC metro area, bringing to every stage her particular blend of precision, lyricism, and heart. Yet her journey began much earlier, at three years old, imitating her mother’s workout routines and even correcting her when the steps were wrong. That sharp eye, even as a child, foretold a dancer who would never stop moving. She carries with her an admiration for underdogs who rise to the top, drawing inspiration not from a single figure but from the stories of resilience that surround her.
In Vietnamerica: The Musical, Yvonne brings to life the collective memory of another community through the vessel of her own. “Black people have historically been abused and discriminated against. Because that knowledge and history live inside of me, it’s easy to have empathy for another community’s story,” she says. “I pull from my own experience from a marginalized group and put that into what I’m dancing.” That empathy is what makes her presence on stage so powerful: she does not simply embody a character, she channels centuries of resilience, weaving her own heritage with the Vietnamese diaspora’s.
The process has deepened her sense of community and reminded her of the threads that bind us all together. “We are all connected by shared experiences, even if it’s simply being human,” she reflects. For Yvonne, rehearsal has been filled with joy—she recalls laughing with the cast when a single temps levé was jokingly offered as a finale, a moment of levity that sealed her sense of belonging. She describes the ensemble as fun, playful, and professional, a cast that seemed to mesh instantly, making even the hardest days joyful. With a green apple and granola bar in hand, gospel music humming in her mind, she shows up to rehearsal ready to leap into whatever comes next.
For Yvonne, what matters most is the storytelling. She hopes audiences leave not simply remembering her steps but carrying the emotional truth she offers through her body. “I want to be remembered for emotionally moving the audience instead of simply performing steps,” she says. This process has inspired her to seek out opportunities beyond her comfort zone, to keep growing as an artist unafraid of risk, knowing that within risk lies the chance to soar higher.
On September 7, 2025, at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner, Yvonne will leap beyond the stage into the audience’s hearts. To watch her is to feel the urgency of flight, the resilience of a people carried through another body, the reminder that dance is not simply movement but the memory of survival, passed from one community to another.
Get your tickets here to watch Yvonne soar! https://www.ticketsonsale.com/tickets/vietnamerica-capital-one-hall-tysons-9-7-2025-5818424