What Remains: Dance as Resilience and Embodied Memory

Abstract

This thesis explores dance as a tool for resistance and embodied memory. It examines how movement can serve as both a personal and collective response to trauma, engaging with themes of structured violence, intergenerational pain, and the reclamation of agency. Through choreographic research, performance, and scholarly inquiry, it investigates the intersections between trauma, cultural identity, and the body’s capacity to process and transform lived experiences. At the heart of this thesis is What Remains, a choreographic work that explores the coexistence of grief and joy, the interaction between structure and improvisation, and the power of movement as a form of resilience. This research traces the embodied and intellectual creative process from conceptual development to rehearsals, collaboration, and performance. It reflects on how movement conveys meaning beyond words, engaging with theories of embodiment, cultural memory, and dance dramaturgy. Beyond the stage, this work expands into educational and social realms. It draws attention to issues of cultural appropriation in social Latin dances, such as Salsa and Bachata, while advocating for dance education grounded in historical and ethical principles. It also emphasizes how structured violence leaves its mark on the body and how choreographic practices can act as a form of resistance awareness. What remains after this work is not merely a performance or a research document but a sustained commitment to dance as a space for questioning, witnessing, and transformation. This thesis argues that dance serves as a political, emotional, and communal force, embodying the echoes of the past while shaping new possibilities for the future.