Guiding Inner Journeys: Choreographing Inner Conflict in a Diverse Group of Dancers by Marjolijn Breuring

This research was conducted with a diverse group of dancers, varying in age, background, and dance experience, and was guided through somatic embodiment and artistic articulation. Through a somatic approach, the body was explored as both an archive of lived experience and an oracle for emergent knowledge, offering a strong gateway into authentic dance material. The creative process unfolded through four phases: somatic exploration and improvisation, composition, structuring, and refinement. Throughout, leadership shifted fluidly between an open, facilitative mode, amplifying the dancers’ voices, and a more directive mode, articulating the artistic vision. The methodology highlights how initial somatic explorations were gradually shaped into choreographic form, maintaining a dialogue between internal embodiment and external composition throughout the process. Key insights include that this process proved particularly effective within a diverse group context, demonstrating that, regardless of formal dance training, each individual, when guided somatically, can access embodied memory and, through compositional shaping, transform authentic movement into coherent choreographic structure. Both the research and the resulting performance, Equilibrium, do not seek to offer resolution, but rather to evoke recognition and the possibility of coexisting with tension.

How can a choreographer guide a diverse group of participants in physically embodying the inner conflict between self-criticism and self-acceptance, and translate this embodiment into an expressive and artistic dance form?

Marjolijn Breuring

Codarts University of the Arts, Fontys Academy of the Arts

Master Choreography COMMA

Cohort 4: Year 2023 – 2025

9 May 2025

Research mentor: Falk Hübner

Dramaturg: Sara Wicktorowikz

Artistic Coach: Jordy Dik

Study Facilitator: Dirk Dumon

How to Navigate This Exegesis
Welcome to my exegesis. I've built it as a linear journey, inviting you to scroll downward through each chapter, much like reading a blog. Along the way, you'll find photo and video material woven in to enrich the story. At the end of each chapter, you can click through to the next, or use the content menu at the top of the page to jump between sections as you wish.

The structure is simple:

Chapter 1 shares the background and motivation behind this research.
Chapter 2 dives into the artistic process and how it unfolded.
Chapter 3 offers reflections, emerging questions, limitations, and a glimpse into what lies ahead.

You will also find an Abstract, a Reference List, a Glossary explaining key terms, an Acknowledgements section, and a Signed Statement of Originality and Authorship.

These sections are also available through the content menu at the top. Feel free to navigate and explore whatever draws your attention.

Continue to the abstract.

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Marjolijn Breuring - Guiding Inner Journeys: Choreographing Inner Conflict in a Diverse Group of Dancers - 2025