Alexander Technique

Si les mutations économiques et sociétales impactent effectivement tous les âges de la vie, elles n'en réinterrogent pas moins la pertinence des activités professionnelles jusqu'alors bien établies pour tenter de cerner une relation formation-orientation/emploi en délitement. Le métier de conseiller en orientation, le « métier » de bénéficiaire de Plan Social d'Entreprise se trouvent l'un comme l'autre face à l'imprédictibilité. La pérennité de compétences professionnelles stabilisées sur des gammes de métiers pourtant clairement décrits n'offre plus les garanties suffisantes de retour à l'emploi. Comme chaque fois, face à l'inattendu, les organisations sociales, les acteurs sociaux ont reconfiguré stratégiquement leur modèle dans une perspective du moindre mal. Aujourd'hui, la demande sociale, contrainte par la raréfaction massive de l'emploi salarié d'une part, et l'apparition quasi spontanée de gammes d'emplois inédits, requérant des compétences multiples pour faire face à l'accélération des mutations tous azimuts de l'activité économique, rencontre une offre qui donne le vertige à ceux qui souhaitent une reconversion professionnelle et composée de peu de repères pour les nouveaux entrants sur le marché de travail. Ainsi la question de l'orientation peut se traduire en termes topographiques : quelles cartes pour quels territoires ? Et avec quels points cardinaux, quelle boussole ? Les instruments, leur étalonnage, les repères traditionnels, mesurables et objectivés suffisent-ils ? Dans quelle mesure les sujets qualifiés de « demandeurs d'emploi » ne se leurrent-ils pas en nourrissant leurs espoirs d'orientation scolaire, d'insertion sociale, d'évolution professionnelles à l'aune de méthodes d'objectivation, qui bien que cohérentes et valides, se voient rattrapées par leur obsolescence ? Le texte suivant se compose d'une partition en deux mouvements, le premier concerne l'émergence d'un sujet-intuitif capable de réguler ses conduites en congruence avec les messages de son corps pour mieux l'orienter selon son écologie propre, le deuxième consécutif 1 LaLex Laboratoire de recherche en métropole lilloise, pour promouvoir et prolonger les travaux du GREX, Groupe de

This dissertation is the first historical monograph on somatics, a field of practices and related network of professions offering applied methods for mind-body awareness and integration. Although somatics has most commonly been associated with the Human Potential Movement of the 1960s, this study demonstrates the existence of related intellectual and practice genealogies that form the nineteenth-century background to somatics, and that themselves show continuity with forms of mind-body thought and practice in the early modern era. Using the tools of intellectual history, the research project covers a range of figures and schools from the 1820s through the 1950s, laying the groundwork for future projects in the history of somatics. Standout themes from the study include overlaps between the history of somatics and the history of Western esotericism; the syncretic quality of somatic worldviews, which has led to both creativity and instability in the relationships between somatics, science, and spirituality; the reciprocal flows of influence between somatics and the performing arts; and the prominent role played by women in the formation of early somatic methods in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The present work inserts itself in the research area of the Creative Processes: The Interpretive Practices and its Reflective Processes / Performance and Choral Sonority. At first, we aimed to investigate the methodology of the choral rehearsal. For this, we adopted a historical-analytical research approach, so that we could define the concepts and structures that underlie our area of study. Besides, our literature review finds itself interwoven by some phenomenological observations. In a second moment, we sought to compare two rehearsal techniques through a case study with an adult amateur a cappella choir, aiming to evaluate their efficiency. One of them is more traditional, being based on the use of staccato, while the other, more alternative, consists of proceedings borrowed from the Alexander Technique. Therefore, the author of this investigation undertook action research, being the conductor responsible for the preparation of two works by Ernani Aguiar: Psalm 150 and Aleluia. This evaluation also included the use of methods from statistical science and production engineering, especially a management appliance called Multicriteria Decision Aid. Thus, we look for helping the professional performance of the choir conductor by rethinking his ordinary practice, in addition to instigating the realization of new scientific studies in the area.

Keywords: Rehearsal technique. Amateur a cappella choir. Alexander Technique. Ernani Aguiar. Multicriteria Decision Aid.



O presente trabalho insere-se na área de pesquisa dos Processos Criativos: As Práticas Interpretativas e seus Processos Reflexivos / Performance e Sonoridade Coral. Inicialmente, procuramos investigar a metodologia do ensaio coral. Para isso, adotamos um enfoque de pesquisa histórico-analítico, para que pudéssemos definir os conceitos e as estruturas que fundamentam nossa área de estudo. Além disso, nossa revisão de literature encontra-se entremeada por algumas observações fenomenológicas. Num segundo momento, procuramos comparar duas técnicas de ensaio através de um estudo de caso com um coro amador adulto a cappella, visando avaliar a eficiência das mesmas. Uma delas é mais tradicional, sendo baseada no uso do staccato, enquanto a outra, mais alternativa, constitui-se de procedimentos tomados por empréstimo da Técnica Alexander. Para tanto, o autor desta investigação empreendeu uma pesquisa-ação, sendo o regente responsável pelo preparo de duas obras de Ernani Aguiar: Salmo 150 e Aleluia. Tal avaliação também incluiu o uso de métodos advindos da ciência estatística e da engenharia de produção, especialmente uma ferramenta de gestão chamada Auxílio Multicritério à Decisão. Com isso, almejamos auxiliar a atuação profissional do regente coral ao se repensar sua prática cotidiana, além de instigar a realização de novos estudos científicos na área.

Palavras-chave: Técnica de ensaio. Coro amador a cappella. Técnica Alexander. Ernani Aguiar. Auxílio Multicritério à Decisão.

The high prevalence of performance-related health problems (PRHPs) among musicians of diverse genres and cultures is well-documented, with lifetime prevalence rates showing that roughly 75% of musicians are affected, including tertiary and pretertiary student musicians, professionals and amateurs. Despite the well-established and multiple benefits of music for society, there are occupational risks, both
neuromusculoskeletal and psychological.
The literature underscores the need for a biopsychosocial perspective in the provision of musicians’ health education. Research on somatic educational practices demonstrates their suitability for addressing the postural, movement, musculoskeletal anatomy and proprioceptive training components. One of these practices, Body Mapping (BMg), focuses particularly on musicians’ needs and may be successfully
incorporated into a musician’s health course. However, BMg is a relative newcomer among the established somatic approaches and little research has been done on the incorporation of BMg principles into music education.
Due to the limited amount of research on the implementation and assessment of health education in tertiary musicians’ training, the purpose of this study is to focus on exploring the experiences of tertiary music students participating in an occupational health course, incorporating BMg as the somatic component. Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis was chosen for the thematic analysis of the interviews conducted. The aims of the study were to gain an understanding of the participants’ experiences and perceptions of the course, any changes that occurred, and of BMg as the somatic education component. The data analysis revealed four super-ordinate themes: panorama, physical awareness, psychological awareness and musicianship, supported by a total of 20 subordinate themes.
Most importantly, the findings emphasise the reciprocal interactions of physiological, psychological, behavioural and musical aspects of music-making, and suggest that BMg may be highly effective in terms of the integrated teaching of musicians’ biopsychosocial and artistic requirements. The study underscores the need for musicians’ health education to be embedded in tertiary musicians’ training, the beneficial impacts of comprehensive musicians’ occupational health education, and the value of BMg as a somatic education component. The results provide information on essential course content, the advantages of interdisciplinary collaboration, the need for practical activities, the optimal duration, the value of peer learning and support, the importance of cooperation with music teachers, and the consideration of students’
motivation to attend and their readiness for change. The study also aims to raise awareness of the musicians’ health field in South Africa, and the critical need for further research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the implementation of musicians’ occupational health education at tertiary institutions.
Keywords/Terms: performing arts health, performance-related musculoskeletal disorders, musicians’ occupational health, music performance, music education, performance psychology, Body Mapping, somatic education, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, musicians’ health promotion

While Alexander technique (AT) teachers have been reported to stand up by shifting weight gradually as they incline the trunk forward, healthy untrained (HU) adults appear unable to rise in this way. This study examines the hypothesis that HU have difficulty rising smoothly, and that this difficulty relates to reported differences in postural stiffness between groups. A wide range of movement durations (1-8 s) and anteroposterior foot placements were studied under the instruction to rise at a uniform rate. Before seat-off (SO) there were clear and profound performance differences between groups, particularly for slower movements, that could not be explained by strength differences. For each movement duration, HU used approximately twice the forward center-of-mass (CoM) velocity and vertical feet-loading rate as AT. For slow movements, HU violated task instruction by abruptly speeding up and rapidly shifting weight just before SO. In contrast, AT shifted weight gradually while smooth...

This case study explores one teacher’s integration of Alexander Technique and the work of neuromuscular retrainer Irene Dowd in ballet pedagogy to establish a somatic approach to teaching, learning, and performing ballet technique. This case study highlights the teacher’s unique teaching method called IMAGE TECH for dancers (ITD) and offers evidence to support ITD as a somatic approach to ballet pedagogy. The personal perspectives of the teacher and students in this ethnographic study support my observations that ITD integrates principles of somatic practices in ballet pedagogy. Additionally, these data illustrate the pedagogical innovation involved in the teacher’s communication with her ballet students, which moves away from traditional authoritarian teaching practices. With ITD concepts communicated in such a way that the students feel confident to individually adapt the material, internal authority becomes established and ballet students can claim autonomy in their training and future careers.

Background: Randomised controlled trial evidence indicates that Alexander Technique is clinically and cost effective for chronic back pain. The aim of this mixed methods evaluation was to explore the role and perceived impact of Alexander Technique lessons in the naturalistic setting of an acute hospital Pain Management Clinic in England.
Methods: To capture changes in health status and resource use amongst service users, 43 service users were administered three widely used questionnaires (Brief Pain Inventory, MYMOP and Client Service Resource Inventory) at three time points: baseline, six weeks and three months after baseline. We also carried out 27 telephone interviews with service users and seven face-to-face interviews with pain clinic staff and Alexander Technique teachers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed thematically.
Results: Those taking Alexander Technique lessons reported small improvements in health outcomes, and condition-related costs fell. However, due to the non-randomised, uncontrolled nature of the study design, changes cannot be attributed to the Alexander Technique lessons. Service users stated that their relationship to pain and pain management had changed, especially those who were more committed to practising the techniques regularly. These changes may explain the reported reduction in pain-related service use and the corresponding lower associated costs.
Conclusions: Alexander Technique lessons may be used as another approach to pain management. The findings suggests that Alexander Technique lessons can help improve self-efficacy for those who are sufficiently motivated, which in turn may have an impact on service utilization levels.

Excerpt from, "The Existential Actor: Life and Death, Onstage and Off." Chapter 9 - Surrender. One of the "four elements" of an essential approach to theater described in the book (the others being Shape, Action, Transaction.) "When events cause identity to break down and the psychological armor can no longer shield us from our mortality – our vulnerability – the deep emotions we have been holding back are released in an act of surrender. Surrender is what we feel and how we allow ourselves to feel. Authentic emotional release is the holy grail for many theatrical techniques, especially those preached by Lee Strasberg and others who continued along the path paved by Stanislavski. It has also been central to the work of postmodernists such as Jerzy Grotowski and Lee Breuer. Surrender arrives when the primary action of constructing an identity fails, when the shape shatters and we peel away the psychological armor that shape provides."