Award-winning choreographer and Dance Department faculty member Jin-Wen Yu will present “Back ▪ Up,” a concert of shifting perspectives and unseen realities, Sept. 18-20 in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall.
The concert, a compelling blend of revisited works and 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.
The performance dates and times as as follows:
- Thursday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 20, 2:30 p.m.
There will be a reception with Yu and his performers immediately following Friday’s performance, in the Virginia Harrison Parlor, Lathrop Hall.
Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 609-265-2787, or at the Campus Arts Box Office on the first floor of the Memorial Union. They are $25 for general admission and $19 for students and seniors. Tickets can also be purchased at the door one hour before the performances.
This concert was made possible with support from the Patrick M. Virginia Horne Henry-Bascom Professorship of Dance.