ARTSETC.
Jin-Wen Yu Dance to grace the Civic Center
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Also by Beth McGrath:
- Ballet Hispanico congas into Madison (January 31, 2003)
- Framework works (November 1, 2002)
- Jin-Wen Yu Dance to grace the Civic Center (September 20, 2002)
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- Ballet Hispanico congas into Madison (January 31, 2003)
- Jazzworks works it (April 25, 2003)
- Overture welcomes Irish step dance group (February 8, 2005)
- Pilobolus fascinates crowd with spectacle (March 2, 2005)
- Dance group coming to Union (March 11, 2005)
by Beth McGrath
Friday, September 20, 2002
His style has been described as “graceful” and “divine,” “athletic” and “sinewy.” Jin-Wen Yu and his company, Jin-Wen Yu Dance, will exhibit their style this weekend at the Madison Civic Center.
For this concert, Yu has collaborated with celebrated choreographer Barbara Grubel, who produces pieces professionally in New York City. The ever-changing company members will be joined by Chicago-based dancers Carrie Hansen and Susan Hoffman.
The concert will include seven elaborate pieces. Two of them have never been seen before, and four of them will be Madison premieres. Some of the pieces deal with the tragedies of Sept. 11 and the art community’s reaction to those events.
Yu ‘s style has developed in a way that is completely unique. He has been dancing since he was a young boy in Tibet. He began taking lessons in Chinese Opera and went on to study ballet. Having done his undergraduate work at Temple University, Yu received his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. This diverse training shows though in his unusual style.
His dancing is a melange of the control and discipline of Chinese opera and ballet and the freedom that comes with learning the style of modern dance that is taught at most major universities. Yu now teaches that style here at the University of Wisconsin. He is a professor of dance in the School of Education, teaching intermediate and upper-level classes, which gives his dancers many chances to become part of the works of his company.
This weekend’s concert will showcase current and former UW dancers. The concert will be held in the Spotlight Room of the Madison Civic Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Civic Center. Student tickets are $10, and tickets for the general public are $15.
