Jin-Wen Yu Dance Concert, 2025

MADISON – Award-winning choreographer Professor Jin-Wen Yu will present “Back ▪ Up,” at the H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall, September 18-20, 2025. The concert, a compelling blend of revisited works and a new choreography, invites audiences to delve into the complexities of the human experience, from the ordinary to the unfamiliar.

The first half of the concert features a curated selection of visually striking and thought-provoking works from two of Yu’s previous concerts, his 2021 concert “Non-Ordinary” and his 2019 concert “Page.”

“Non-Ordinary,” explores the profound shifts in perspective brought about by the pandemic and its impact on the fabric of daily life. The performance transforms the stage by using mobile viewing platforms, simultaneously experiencing the dancers’ roles as both viewer and performer. Selections from “Page” reveal the surreal images with dynamic movements and intricate partnering work.

The second half of the concert premieres Yu’s newest choreography, also titled “Back ▪ Up,” a powerful examination of the vulnerability we feel and the curiosity we have when confronted with what is unfamiliar and what we cannot see on the back side. From an unsettling place, the work ends with building and rebuilding, block by block.

There will be a reception with Yu and his performers immediately following Friday’s performance, in the Virginia Harrison Parlor, Lathrop Hall.

Acknowledgements

This concert was made possible with support from the Patrick M. Virginia Horne Henry-Bascom Professorship of Dance.