Paloma Muñoz: La Quijá

A work that lingers 

What remains when almost everything else has fallen away? What lies in the marrow? In La Quijá, choreographer Paloma Muñoz turns towards her origins in a physical exploration of memory, resonance, and that which insists on being expressed, even when words fall short.  

Muñoz takes us to the Spanish region of La Serena in Extremadura — not to recreate what once was, but to uncover what still endures: in the body, in the bones, in the breath. The title La Quijá means “jawbone”, and here becomes an image of voice, lament, cry and song — a site where sound takes shape and where what lies beneath begins to crack the surface.  

La Quijá is an intense, physical encounter with roots, identity and community, resonating long after the stage falls silent. 

A collective in tension 

On stage, a large ensemble inhabits a physically demanding and precisely articulated movement language. Bodies form images that dissolve again; they gather, fracture and reorganise. 

A charged tension runs through the work: between tight composition and sudden eruption, between control and collapse. Muñoz works in close dialogue with the dancers, and the material clearly bears the imprint of individual bodies within a shared terrain. 

A distinctive voice 

Paloma Muñoz has emerged as a leading voice on the international contemporary dance scene through her uncompromising physical expression. La Quijá has received considerable recognition in Spain, including awards for Best Dance Production and Best Dance Performer, and has been highlighted as a significant contribution to contemporary dance today. 

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