Category Archives: Performance Quality
…Without Losing Stature…
“…Without losing stature” has become my new catch-phrase with students. While it’s just another way of saying “think not to pull down,” somehow the concept of stature – a spatial idea, and something that we could measure – seems particularly … Continue reading
Love and Hostility
I’m in the throes of creating a short performance piece based on selected writings from Richard Foreman’s online notebooks. Because the biggest rule of the game in the Richard Foreman Mini-Festival is that the creators get only 10 days to prepare, … Continue reading
Filed under Choreography, Performance Quality
Old Stuff vs. New Stuff
In the Alexander Technique we talk a lot about learning to inhibit – another way of saying “prevent” – our habitual response. When we don’t inhibit, we find ourselves headed down the road of the familiar without even realizing it, … Continue reading
Filed under Alexander Technique, Performance Quality
When Stuff Goes Wrong: A Performance Story From the Past
I wrote this piece in June of last year and decided it was unfit for publication. I don’t recall whether the reasoning behind that choice centered on the low quality of the piece or on my reluctance to admit that … Continue reading
Filed under Choreography, Performance Quality
Well You Knew He Was Going to Cut Off His Arm…
Ok, thanks for dropping by. Now listen to this. So I went to the movie theatre on a Saturday (erm, today) to see Danny Boyle’s new film, “127 Hours.” I adore guys who have the wherewithal to amputate their own … Continue reading
Filed under Music, Pain, Performance Quality
A Changing Vocabulary
It’s hard enough to talk about dance without restricting one’s word choice. Over the past few years, as I’ve gone from person-with-terrible-pain-who-is-about-to-quit-dancing, to Alexander Technique pupil, to teacher trainee, and now trainee-who-is-about-to-graduate-and-dances-pain-free, there has been a momentous shift in the … Continue reading
Nose to the Grindstone
I acknowledge that I’ve neglected this blog for the past few weeks. I’ve been busy. As a peace offering, may I give you this gorgeous video of Mary Oslund’s choreography (I can’t make you watch the whole video, but you’ve … Continue reading
Science Confirms that the Primary Control is Sexy
The Royal Society journal Biology Letters has recently published the findings of a study on which men’s dance moves are most attractive to women. This should come as no surprise to the Alexander Technique community, but the results indicate that … Continue reading
