The combination of Jamaica, the U.S., Cuba, Suriname and Guyana undoubtedly makes for an interesting global mix. The UW-Madison Dance Program will give students and patrons a taste of this unique blend with “Causeway,” a culturally rich, multimedia dance performance. Chris Walker and Kate Corby — newly appointed assistant professors — will make their UW performance debut in the show, which runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. in the H’Doubler Theater in Lathrop Hall.

Walker’s cultural r?sum? is impressive to say the least. His diverse experiences include working as a dancer and choreographer in the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NTDC), starting the fusion-arts group “Voices” (later NuMoRune) and teaching Caribbean dancing workshops across the globe. Walker’s latest jaunt to Southeast Asia and South America has led him to his current position in the UW Dance Program.

Walker’s collaborative force, Corby, carries a weighty r?sum? as well. Establishing her own dance troupe, Kate Corby & Dancers, in San Francisco, Corby featured her work in many impressive venues. After a five-year pause, Kate Corby & Dancers have reappeared in Madison.

“Causeway” will feature individual solos, group solos and the alternative styles of Walker’s NuMoRune group.

“It is a company that explores the fusion of Caribbean dance and contemporary styles using the traditional stage, alternate spaces and multimedia as a medium,” Walker said when asked to describe the NuMoRune features.

With the myriad cultural groups represented in “Causeway,” the challenge lies in finding shared space through dance. For “Causeway,” however, the common ground was centered on global perspectives, identity, geography and borders.

Among the diverse dance numbers is “Right of Way Management,” which is “an abstract work that explores space through the themes of the program,” according to Walker. Featured in this number is the dynamic Walker-Corby duo. Interestingly, “Yoke,” featuring only Corby, is a dance that involves no movement of the feet. Corby’s dramatic movements will illustrate the feeling of being physically or emotionally trapped.

“Always in April” (Corby), a vibrant expression of human interaction, features a German-mixed background and the frantic invasion of space between the two dancers. On the other hand, the “Reflections” solo (Arsenio Andrade of Cuba) provides an insight into the Cuban experience in South America.

Jamaican Neila Ebanks’ “In Honor of Locks and Keys” tells the story of a young girl who took up dancing to correct the inward rotation of her legs. The intimate story of adaptation and self-growth in this piece is sure to hit an emotional chord in the hearts of the audience.

NuMoRune’s “Spin” will provide a “total theater experience,” according to Walker. The multimedia format throws in a diverse, spoken-word style to “Causeway.”

“The spoken narrative is often shared with some form of rhythmic cadence throughout the piece; it is storytelling in prose,” Walker explained. “‘Spin’ is about the difficulty experienced when you have crossed borders and are looking at people [who] look like you but you speak different languages.”

The apparent global diversity of “Causeway” was a common goal of both Corby & Dancers and Walker and NuMoRune from the beginning of their collaboration. Their desire to express borders, identity and space through contemporary dance united the widely differing backgrounds of the performers.

When asked what emotion they’d like the audience to leave the show with, Corby and Walker said, “All the choreographers we are working with are from developing countries, and it is important for our audiences to engage in work from spaces that they may not come in contact with in their everyday lives, […] for them to leave thinking about the global community and individual borders — we want them to leave the show challenged with new ideas and performance perspectives.”

“Causeway” is $5 for students on Thursday with a post-performance discussion afterward. Tickets for Friday through Sunday are $15 for the general public and $10 for students. Tickets are available at the Union Theater Box Office, online at www.uniontheater.wisc.edu or at the door an hour before the show.