Alexander Technique – general description
moving towards the source

Alexander Technique (AT) is recognized throughout the world in many leading performing arts programs as an essential training for performers. It has at its center in the simple premise that by changing our awareness and our thinking, we directly influence our core organization and presence. The AT process is based upon eliminating unwanted, habitual obstructions to the inherent integration we were born with. Students learn to directly participate in living and moving as they wish - rather than unconsciously repeating painful or restricting patterns. Offering a systematic, lucid and pleasurable look at the human body's design, AT teaches a way to move with flexibility, grace and power. Though our bodies are designed to move with lightness and internal support, we often develop habitual patterns of tension that interfere with this freedom. They can cause pain, diminish our movement range and breathing efficiency, and limit our creative choices. AT helps us focus the mind to recognize and release these patterns. Engaging the body as its inherent structural design suggests, our movement becomes more energized and integrated. We enjoy an increased range of movement free from strain. We become more present in the moment and thus more responsive to our creative possibilities. Alexander's principles are conveyed through verbal and visual cues as well as a unique touch. In a delicate communication through her hands, the teacher conveies a fresh kinesthetic experience and guides the student towards a new integration of mind and body. All students will receive hands-on guidance from Judith.


Alexander Lab
problem solving dancers

Alexander Technique cultivates a simultaneous embodiment of awareness and action in the moment. For the dancer, this means having the skills necessary to CHOOSE HOW she goes about doing what she does. A defining characteristic of the Alexander work is attention to the process, rather than the end-result. This attention to the process serves to create fluid, dynamic dancers who can take good care of themselves. Dancers learn to work efficiently with a harmony of intention and execution, while reducing vulnerability to injury. Working with our inherent design, versus unconsciously fighting against it, results in healthy, resilient dancing, with an availability to listen and respond with presence and sensitivity. The first part of each class will highlight the Alexander process and a specific dynamic/movement characteristic that it cultivates. Included amongst our topics are: initiation and sequencing; three-dimensionality, breath, and spatial intention; establishing a lively, fluid core connection; and engaging oppositional directional forces for buoyancy and support. During the second half of class, our time will be open to address dancing issues and puzzles/problems that class members wish to explore. With a laboratory orientation, these issues will be addressed via the 'Alexander dynamic of the day'. Students should come to this class ready to jump in with questions they wish to examine. All students will receive hands-on guidance from Judith.


Alexander Technique & Improvisation
moving from core/moving towards source

How can a new awareness and integration in the body inform our imaginative, moving life? What does it mean to let the "extra effort" fall away – and to function, move and create from our most core, unobstructed self? As we release unnecessary patterns of tension, we restore our body's natural poise and integration, coming into deeper contact with our true nature. We learn to listen to our bodies attentively and intuitively. Dynamic and artistic choices expand as we learn to work with our body’s design.
Through an exploration of the Alexander principles, we will heighten awareness and ease of movement, striving to improvise from a core integration unencumbered by habitual patterns of movement and mind. We will also engage improvisational structures to help in experiencing the basic dynamics that AT encourages. Elements of story, visual imagery, writing and drawing support our improvising and deepen our understanding of the Alexander process, our bodies, and our creative life. All students will receive hands-on guidance from Judith. This class is designed for intermediate to advanced dancers who are new to Alexander, as well as those who have studied previously and wish to deepen their understanding and application of the technique.


Alexander Technique & Movement
This class introduces the guiding principles of the Alexander Technique. We focus on embodying Alexander's central premises for increasing awareness and freedom in movement: Simple OBSERVATION of Self - becoming curious, no judgment; PAUSING momentarily to allow ourselves to respond in the moment rather than react habitually; and CHOOSING to move with consciousness, with our body's design, rather than against it. Activities will include: simple movement studies promoting integration and flexibility; sensory awareness studies; contemplation of our dynamic skeletal structure; everyday life movements explored from an Alexander perspective; and simple movement improvisations. This introductory class is designed for people new to Alexander, as well as for those who have studied previously and wish to review and deepen their understanding.


Judith Grodowitz
Judith Grodowitz, a certified (AmSAT) Alexander teacher since 1987, lives and teaches in NYC, traveling regularly to teach internationally. In 2003, she completed an advanced training certification in the Art of Breathing. Judith brings 28 years of involvement with performance and movement arts to her teaching. She originated leading roles as a longtime member of the Obie-Award winning (Best New American Play) company SKYFISH ENSEMBLE. She was affiliated with the Penland School of Art for over a decade, teaching Alexander and movement to visual artists. Judith is on the faculty of the New School Drama School graduate program (formerly named the Actors Studio Drama School). Judith has led workshops in the Greek Islands combining Alexander, Improvisation and myth since 1996. An abiding interest in the relationship between the body and the imagination inspires her work.