Mar 29, 2024  
College Catalog 2019-2020 
    
College Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

DRAMA 6131-41 — Alexander Technique I

2 credits
Fall and Spring
Charlotte Okie

In first-year Alexander, focus is on the development of awareness of oneself in movement: to recognize and learn how to release excess tension and to change physical habits which interfere with the free, easeful, centered use of the body. Through a series of experiential exercises, hands-on guidance by the teacher, and selected readings, students are introduced to the basic Alexander concepts: that we all have habitual patterns that restrict freedom and choice; that the primary control (the head/neck relationship) governs physical organization; that the power of thought affects physicality. The three tools of the Alexander Technique — awareness, conscious inhibition, and direction — are presented and studied in class through observation and hands-on teaching in chair work, table work, floor work, and movement activities. Basic anatomy of the musculoskeletal system is studied and is immediately applied experientially in activities such as sitting, standing, walking and bending. Students learn an Alexander self-lesson to help them maintain good use on their own.