About the Alexander Technique
Alexander technique is helpful to all dancers. It is very subtle to position head so body is most free, creating freedom in the spine and all joints. Dana has superb in-depth understanding of Alexander Technique and she is wonderful to work with.
Yuliy Sannikov, U.S. National Champion, Standard, 2018
The Alexander Technique is a systematic method to relax the mind and organize the body for optimal alignment in movement using only the necessary amounts of muscular activity. It works in any activity you do. You are designed to function efficiently and move with ease…to enjoy the lightness of being alive and aligned. Read Dana’s recent interview here.
F.M. Alexander discovered primary coordination secrets about the head and spine. This is critical body knowledge for balance in motion and particularly useful for dancers. It gives power to move dynamically with less effort and beautiful lines. Instead of stiffness or force, find ease, elegance and extension.
He developed a method to organize your self for optimal movement and to create conditions in your body for freedom of the parts within the organization of the whole. Think; isolations, the ability to control your hips and shoulders while being vertical without tension… the list goes on… Another aspect of the Technique is conscious control of your own reactions. It is incredibly useful to reduce mental stress and increase focus.
It is the natural way we are meant to move if our habits didn’t get in the way.
Take the compressive effect of the head weight off your neck and spine and your whole system releases. The nerves that go to your legs and feet – hands and arms – come out through your spine. Take the pressure off in a global way and you’ll feel better – and look better – in movement.
I observe your movement and help undo patterns and beliefs that interfere with efficient, graceful fluid action. I teach you how to release tension that limits your movement and that you may not sense. After all, if people could feel it clearly enough, they’d fix it on their own and be mindfully perfect in movement already.
I was inspired to try Alexander Technique (AT) a few years back. It is a discipline all its own, offering benefits that I’d never experienced from any other discipline. It taught me how to release muscles that you not only don’t need to use, but that cause unnecessary strain when they are used in the wrong way. I strongly recommend AT to anyone, and certainly any dancer, who’s never experienced it before. AT truly allows your body to be free. You suddenly become aware of all the micro-flexing in your body that you have no idea is going on… AT then teaches you how to release them, giving your body a freedom of movement you can’t get any other way.
Ayelette Robinson
National Champion, Pro/Am Latin, United States Dance Championships 2011 World Finalist, Pro/Am Latin, Ohio Star Ball 2011