The UW–Madison Dance Department and Li Chiao-Ping Dance will present the final performances of “Here Lies the Truth,” a multidisciplinary, mixed-media dance theater work, Feb. 5–7 in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space, Lathrop Hall (1050 University Ave.).
“Here Lies the Truth” investigates “the truth” as it relates to race, power, access, equity, and positionality. Directed and choreographed by Li Chiao-Ping, the Sally Banes Professor of Dance and a Vilas Research Professor in the School of Education’s Dance Department, the work blends physical theater, live music, spoken word, and cinematic projections to present personal accounts of discrimination and resilience. The production is a collaboration with composer Tim Russell, dramaturg Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento, and visual artist Douglas Rosenberg.
Dance artists JP Alejandro, Katelyn Altmann, Elisa Hildner, Cassie Last, Cuauhtli Ramirez Castro, Mariel Schneider, Abbi Stickels, and Rakhi Winston perform individual narratives through movement and text. The choreography incorporates documentary footage from the 2020 protests, situating the performers’ work within a contemporary historical context.
Originally premiered at the Overture Center in 2022, “Here Lies the Truth” is an hour-long work that has since been presented in Wisconsin, Hawaii, California, Minnesota, and Nevada. Li Chiao-Ping Dance continues related work through an in-progress documentary, “Reel in Difference,” scheduled for release in fall 2026.
Performance dates and times are as follows:
- Thursday, Feb. 5 – 8:00 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 6 – 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 7 – 2:30 p.m. (in-person and livestream options available)
A post-concert conversation will follow Thursday’s performance, and a reception will take place in the Virginia Harrison Parlor, Lathrop Hall, immediately following Friday’s show.
Tickets are available at the Campus Arts Box Office (1st floor Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.), by phone at 608-265-2787, or online at artsticketing.wisc.edu: $25 general admission; $19 students and seniors. Tickets may also be purchased at the door one hour before each performance.
Content advisory: This performance contains descriptions of racial violence and discrimination.
Learn more about “Here Lies the Truth.”