Dance and the Alexander Technique

Rebecca Nettl-Fiol is a professor of dance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a dance choreographer, and the coeditor of The Body Eclectic: Evolving Practices in Dance Training.Luc Vanier is an associate professor in the dance department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Peck School of the Arts and a dance choreographer.

"So few other books offer practical guidance or outline experiential practices that help dancers understand how to apply the Alexander Technique, the art and science of embodied living. Nettl-Fiol and Vanier eloquently and clearly help readers learn how to access their bodily sensations and utilize them to organize efficient, easy, and elegant movement."--Glenna Batson, associate professor of physical therapy at Winston-Salem State University "An articulate and accessible in-depth synthesis of the Alexander Technique and traditional dance training. With clear, intriguing, and insightful writing, the authors demonstrate a depth of knowledge in somatic practice theory."--Kathryn Daniels, Chair, Dance Department at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle “This is a valuable book for the dance industry. While the book contains a considerable wealth of information, the writing is clear and the exercises are easy to follow. It would be possible to use exercises directly from the book or DVD. . . . Dancers will benefit from owning this book, but it will be most valuable in the hands of dance teachers, who can pass on the information through experiential workshop sessions to their students.”-Research in Dance Education

• Credits   ixPreface   xiAcknowledgments   xviiPart One: Groundwork: Dance, Alexander Technique, and Dart Procedures   1Introduction to Part One   31. Assumptions and Foundations   92. Alexander Technique: Overview and Basic Principles   173. The Dart Procedures: Overview and Key Concepts   27Part Two: From Crawling to Leaping: Dart Procedures Applied to Dance Training   41Introduction to Part Two   434. Primary and Secondary Curves: Looking at Movement through a New Lens   455. Spirals for Connectivity and Lengthening   576. Discovering the Resiliency of the System   71Part Three: The Right Thing Does Itself- Alexander Principles Applied to Dance Training   83Introduction to Part Three   857. The Whole Self   878. Becoming Aware of Habit   959. Head First: Facilitating Coordination   10310. Allowing versus Doing   11111. Releasing the Catch: Direction   117Part Four: Applications to Dance Movements   129Introduction to Part Four   13112. Applications to Ballet   13313. Applications to Contemporary Modern Dance Technique   14914. Applications for Teachers: Correction with Direction   165Epilogue   177Bibliography   181DVD Contents   185Index   187