This thesis explores the intricate relationship between dance and trauma, focusing on how embodied practices facilitate psychological recovery. Dominant narratives often prioritise cognitive experiences, limiting our understanding of healing. By employing a qualitative, post-positivist and critical autoethnographic approach, I reflect on my journey through trauma following the Christchurch earthquakes, utilising journal entries from the point of view of my younger self to illustrate the transformative power of movement and dance. The key themes of this research are structure and routine, socialisation, and alleviation of anxious thoughts, demonstrating how engaging with the body challenges conventional notions of recovery. Furthermore, it highlights the complementary role of Dance Movement Therapy in trauma- informed practices, advocating for a holistic approach that recognises the mind-body connection. The findings underscore the necessity of viewing trauma as an embodied experience and propose a shift toward movement-based therapeutic practices that empower individuals through their lived experiences. Ultimately, this research calls for reimagining therapeutic frameworks, emphasising dance's potential to complement current trauma- informed therapies and promote a bottom-up approach to recovery.
Corcoron French Lawyers on Williams Street in Kaiapoi. Liquefaction has caused the building to sink on the right side. This is shown by the fence which now sits at an angle. The building occupiers have now moved to 17 Sewell Street, a sign on the door saying "Corcoron French Lawyers, We have moved to temporary premises, 17 Sewell Street, Opposite Kaiapoi Community Centre".
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing on Dundas Street near the Smiths City car park. In the background several crushed cars have been removed from the car park and stacked on the road.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team and the New Zealand Police inspecting the Cherish Bridal and Formal Wear store on Montreal Street. Inside the store one of the ERT members is attempting to break through a wall.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "This photo epitomises aspects of many homes in the residential red zone. A home that used to be lovely once upon a time, and now is just a broken house, with indicators of the care once lavished upon it by the family that owned it in the rose bush still flowering by the door. Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
A photograph of street art by the DTR crew between Aldwins Road and Linwood Avenue. The artwork depicts an orange cityscape behind purple tag art. The wall with the artwork on it is hidden behind billboards for Smart Real Estate and CPIT. A car is passing through an intersection in front of the artwork.
A photograph of street art by the DTR crew at the Old Railway Goods Shed. The artwork depicts tag writing, as well as renditions of Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and Guile, from the video game Street Fighter. The characters are in dramatic battle poses with lightning behind them.
A photograph of street art on the side of the Manchester Street parking building, seen from Hereford Street. The artists are Chris Finlayson and Dean Blundell. The art work depicts a tram, a tank, a boat and other unusual vehicles parked in the parking building.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing on the corner of Lichfield and Manchester Streets. In the background an excavator has been parked on the street. In the background is a large pile of rubble from several earthquake-damaged buildings.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team walking through Latimer Square. In the background there are members from other emergency management teams including the China USAR team, the Tauranga Response Team, and the Red Cross.
A photograph of a sign in the window of the Studio Works Gallery on Colombo Street. The sign reads, "Dear customer, we are still in business...We will soon update our website...All current customer artworks are safe and we will contact each of you soon. Thank you". A yellow sticker in the door indicates that access to the building is restricted.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team and the New Zealand Police inspecting the Cherish Bridal and Formal Wear store on Montreal Street. Inside the store one of the ERT members is attempting to break through a wall.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team and the New Zealand Police inspecting the Cherish Bridal and Formal Wear store on Montreal Street. Inside the store one of the ERT members is attempting to break through a wall.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team and the Red Cross working on High and Manchester Streets. On both sides of the street there are piles of rubble from the earthquake-damaged buildings. Several excavators have been parked in a line along the street.
A road cone on the side of Kingsford Street in the Horseshoe Lake district. The cone has been decorated to look like Santa Claus. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "This cone looks jaunty with a particularly flirtatious swing to its skirt, which provides a nice contrast to the sand-bagged road sign".
A pile of rubble from a demolished building on Worcester Street. In the background, the partially demolished Warners Hotel can be seen as well as the Novotel and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Building in the distance. A digger and long-reach excavator can also be seen.
Members of the University of Canterbury's E-Learning team in their temporary office in the NZi3 building. The photographer comments, "University of Canterbury administration all fits into one building! Well, sort of. The e-learning corner; Alan Hoskin (learning adviser) in the foreground, some guy in a blue shirt at my desk, Rob Stowell (our video guy) arriving, Herbert Thomas (group leader), Lei Zhang (elearning developer/sysadmin)".
A photograph of a pile of liquefaction and other rubble on the side of a residential road in Christchurch. The material has been removed from a property and placed on the road for the Christchurch City Council to collect. A road cone has been placed next to the pile to warn road users of its presence.
A photograph of rubble from a number of earthquake-damaged buildings on Bealey Avenue. Bricks from the building in the distance have spilled onto the footpath in front and wire fencing has been used to cordon it off. In the foreground, rubble from a demolished house can be seen. Cordon tape reading "danger keep out" has been draped across the fence.
A photograph of Anderson and Hill Sports Power on the corner of St Asaph and Colombo Streets. Wire fences have been placed across the street as a cordon. In the background, rubble from earthquake-damaged buildings and crushed cars line the left side of the road. There is also foliage from a fallen tree.
A photograph of street art on the former site of a building on the corner of Bowhill Road and Marine Parade. A collection of couches and chairs has been arranged around a piano. Behind the piano, a message has been painted on the fence. The message reads, "Beautiful. Art can make anything look amazing.
A photograph of volunteers from the Wellington Emergency Management Office working at the reception area of Cowles Stadium on Pages Road. The stadium was set up as temporary accommodation for those displaced by the 4 September 2010 earthquake. To the right Tim Shadbolt, Mayor of Invercargill, is talking on a telephone.
A photograph of an office on the side of a Christchurch road. "Danger keep out" has been spray-painted on the front wall. The road in front has been dug up in places and piles of gravel have been placed on the footpath. Road cones and cordon tape have been used to cordon off a large hole in the road.
A photograph of Shooters on the corner of Manchester and Cashel Street. Yellow stickers on the door indicate that access to the building is restricted. To the left, road cones and cordon tape have been used to close off Manchester Street. On the right, there is wire fencing along both sides of Cashel Street.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office working at the reception area of Cowles Stadium. The stadium was set up by Civil Defence as temporary accommodation for those displaced by the 4 September 2010 earthquake. A member of Red Cross is standing in front of the reception area talking to them.
A photograph of a car on Gloucester Street which has been crushed by falling bricks from the Canterbury Times and Star building. There is a pile of bricks on the front of the car. A USAR team have spray-painted codes on a plywood board and wedged it into the back of the car.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to St Elmo Courts on the corner of Hereford and Montreal Streets. There are large cracks in the building's façade. USAR codes have been spray-painted on one of the windows. Police tape has been draped around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office walking down Kilmore Street near the intersection with Durham Street. To the left "no go" has been spray-painted on the Copthorne Hotel. A red sticker has been placed above this, indicating that the building is unsafe to enter.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team in Latimer Square. There are members of other emergency management teams in the background including the Tauranga Response Team, the Taupo Response Team, and the New South Wales USAR team.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team pointing to an earthquake-damaged house in central Christchurch. A large section of the house has collapsed, the rubble spilling onto the driveway. Emergency tape has been draped across the driveway as a cordon.