Post-Traumatic Expression in Western Contemporary Concert Dance Choreography: A Practice-Based Perspective

As a professional Western contemporary dance choreographer and practice-based scholar whose research focuses on the expression of post-traumatic states, I have tracked the evolution of my own post-traumatic history’s impact on my choreographic work of the past decade and a half in the context of its reception by audiences, larger creative trends in the field, and my own understanding. This article outlines the methodology observed in what I have identified as the three phases of my post-traumatic choreographic course—narrative, somatic, and political—and each of these phases’ outcomes in regard to artistic practice and identity reframing.