Dancing your own experiences: An autobiographical exploration of pluriculturalism, investigating personal experience, emotions and theories of identity, performance, and cultural hybridity / Sophie Colindres Zuehlke (2024)

This thesis, titled Dancing Your Own Experiences: An Autobiographical Exploration of Pluriculturalism, examines how personal and collective perspectives on pluriculturalism are articulated through dance. The central research question addresses how choreography can convey the complexities of pluricultural identity and emotional experiences, particularly the sensation of being “in-between” and identity crises. Rather than offering definitive answers, this work seeks to inspire new ways of thinking about human connections by drawing from shared emotions and experiences. The thesis integrates constructivist, autoethnographic, and phenomenological approaches to investigate dance and cultural identity. By combining choreographic practice with arts-based and performative research methods, it emphasizes reflexivity, collaborative inquiry, and embodied cognition. The study involves personal reflection and dialogue with pluricultural dancers to explore how dance both expresses and shapes lived pluricultural experiences. The research highlights how choreography can make the abstract concept of pluriculturalism visible through dance, video, and projection. It aims to create tangible representations of the inner experiences and cultural challenges faced by pluricultural individuals. By merging digital and physical elements, the work underscores the emotional and cultural translation processes inherent in pluricultural lives. Findings indicate that self-reflection through interviews and studio work has deepened the understanding of how personal cultural identity evolves. The performance explores stages of Innocence, Awareness, and Action, depicting the journey from unawareness to self-realization and advocacy. This process demonstrates that identity is fluid and shaped by personal choice rather than external definitions. Additionally, the research proposes integrating dance into physical education to aid students navigating multiple cultures, facilitating trauma processing and personal healing. It calls for sensitive cultural discussions and advances contemporary dance practices by offering a framework for exploring and expressing pluricultural identities through dance.