According to Dana Tai Soon Burgess, his latest work, Hyphen, is set against a backdrop of rarely seen black-and-white films by Korean-born artist Nam June Paik and explores “whether the hyphen connects or separates.” That’s the only advance hint we have about the contents of the short work premiering this weekend at the Lisner, but Burgess has been known to thrust themes of cultural identity and animal magnetism into his sweeping choreography. In Chino Latino, which premiered last year at the Kennedy Center and is reprised here, he referenced his childhood in New Mexico with a dazzling salsa routine. The program also features Meditations (which is accompanied by Indonesian gamelan music) and Khabet, a solo piece based on a 12th-century Egyptian poem. With Hyphen, the struggle to reconcile Paik’s arch criticisms with his own subtle approach portends increased stresses and even greater moments of tension-shattering release. DANA TAI SOON BURGESS & CO. PERFORMS at 8 P.M. FRIDAY, OCT. 24, AND SATURDAY, OCT. 25, AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S LISNER AUDITORIUM, 730 21ST ST. NW, $28. (202) 994-6800.