Emily Faulkner has been an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique for over 20 years. During that time she explored the relationship between intention and movement extensively. Her passion, in particular, is improvisation and how our focus, both internal and external, affects the choices we make, and the experience we have. As a self-proclaimed movement junkie, Emily is interested in movement of any kind – does it feel good? Is it fun? Is it interesting? Is it healthy? This can be applied to skiing, basketball, swimming, sleeping, just sitting still, and of course dancing. Emily trained traditionally in ballet and modern, as well as various forms of improvisation including Skinner Releasing Technique. She is the artistic director of Emily Faulkner Dance which has shown work nationally and internationally. Currently, she teaches Alexander Technique in the Pain Management Department of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Brooklyn. She is an adjunct faculty member at RIAT, and she teaches a yearly workshop in presentation skills at the Université Dauphine in Paris and at the Jussieu in Paris. She’s served as a guest artist at Wesleyan University, and has skied extensively with Erik Bendix and Christophe Bachman. Finally, she’s beginning a master’s program in Motor Control in order to better understand the neuroscience behind movement. Class Description: The Alexander Technique is a method of neuromuscular re-education. It allows us to change our habits of movement in order to function in a healthier way. In order to change our habits of moving, we must change our habits of thought. We
must interrupt the immediate chain of events that lead from a desire to do something to doing it. This manifests as a nicer posture, prettier dancing, faster running, better singing, calm, grounding, etc. Who studies the Alexander Technique? Anyone who wants these things… Also, the Alexander Technique is very helpful for people with chronic back pain. In class, we will emphasize the dance experience by integrating the “clinical” ideas of the Alexander Technique with juicy embodied movements!! Accessibility Notes: -This class includes auditive guidance.
