Echoes of the Drum: African Origins in Latin Dance Traditions and Modern Commercialization
Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
MSU-Only Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
College/School
College of the Arts
Department/Program
Theatre and Dance
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Susan Pope
Committee Member
Diann Sichel
Committee Member
Leah Wilks
Abstract
My Journey, Their Story is a performance-based research project that investigates how Latin dance functions as an embodied archive of African diasporic history, identity, and resistance. Rooted in my lived experience as a dancer, educator, and cultural practitioner, this work moves beyond choreography as performance and positions movement as a form of knowledge—one that is carried, negotiated, and expressed through the body. The performance unfolds through a structured progression of four acts: Constraint, Resistance, Transformation, and Freedom. Each section reflects a different relationship between the body and the forces that shape it—historical, cultural, physical, and spiritual. Beginning in a state of restriction, where the body is physically burdened by objects such as a ball and chain and labor tools, the work establishes the premise that movement does not originate in freedom but in condition. As the performance evolves, the body confronts these limitations, engages in resistance through voice and improvisation, and ultimately reconfigures its relationship to weight, rhythm, and identity. This project is grounded in practice-as-research, in which choreography serves as both artistic expression and an investigative method. Rather than separating theory from practice, the research is activated through the body. Influenced by Africanist aesthetic principles such as groundedness, polyrhythm, improvisation, and call-and-response, the work draws on traditions including Afro-Cuban rumba, mambo, and spiritual practices rooted in Yoruba cosmology. These influences are not reproduced as static forms, but engaged as living systems that continue to shape contemporary movement. A critical component of the performance is the integration of spoken word, live music, and collaboration. The use of poetry—particularly works addressing identity and incarceration—introduces narrative and emotional depth, while live musicians create a dynamic environment where movement responds in real time. This interaction shifts the performance from a fixed composition to a relational experience, where dancers, musicians, and audience members collectively shape the outcome. The final act, centered around the Orisha Eleggua, reframes the concept of freedom. Rather than presenting it as an endpoint, the performance positions freedom as choice—the ability to navigate paths informed by history, memory, and awareness. This closing moment emphasizes continuity over resolution, suggesting that transformation is ongoing. Audience responses to the work further reinforce its impact. The performance was experienced not simply as entertainment, but as an emotional and reflective journey. Viewers described it as something “felt” rather than observed, highlighting its ability to access collective memory and lived experience. Ultimately, My Journey, Their Story demonstrates that Latin dance is not merely a social or performative practice, but an embodied intellectual tradition. Through movement, the body preserves history, resists erasure, and creates new possibilities for expression and understanding. This project affirms that dance is not only something we perform—it is something we use to think, to remember, and to connect.
File Format
MOV
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Mario, "Echoes of the Drum: African Origins in Latin Dance Traditions and Modern Commercialization" (2026). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1663.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1663
written thesis
This resource is available only to the Montclair State University community. Please log in with your NetID.
Comments
The performance video is restricted to the Montclair State University community but the PDF file of the thesis, which is located at the bottom of the screen, is available to anyone interested in reading it.