Dance and the Alexander Technique: Exploring the Missing Link, by Rebecca Nettl-Fiol and Luc Vanier, explores the connection between the Alexander Technique and dance technique through the lens of the developmental movement procedures devised by Raymond Dart. It came about as a result of Nettl-Fiol and Vanier’s desire to find more intuitive ways to teach dancers the principles of the Alexander Technique. The Technique is subtle and quiet; dance is big and energetic, and the connection between the two is not always apparent. The authors’ explorations led them to realize that the Dart Procedures are the missing link between the subtleties of the Alexander Technique and the full-blown energetic movement of dance.

Missing Link uses the Dart Procedures and the Alexander Technique as lenses through which one can discover a holistic view of what the authors call “dynamic alignment,” and provides a practical exploration guide to help both students and teachers apply this concept to various types of dance vocabulary. After a brief introduction to both the Alexander Technique and the Dart Procedures, the book begins its explorations in earnest. Part Two contains applications of the Dart Procedures to dance; Part Three applies the Alexander Technique. Part Four contains detailed practical illustrations of how these concepts can be applied during regular dance classes (as well as sample combinations and themes to explore), and some tips for teachers on teaching dance with the Alexander principles in mind. Targeted illustrations throughout the book further explain the subtle concepts, while the included DVD adds extra insight and provides visual instruction for nearly every exploration. Read this book with the DVD menu open; you will be visiting it frequently.

I found this book to be a truly unique reading experience. The language is simple enough to understand, even when delving into the more complex topics. Clear explanations with good dance analogies abound, and frequent quotes from students give alternate perspectives on the matter. The average dancer will understand this material easily, and if a topic ever threatens to jump over their head you can bet there’ll be an illustration nearby for further clarification. The DVD provides even more varied explanations of the material; reading and watching simultaneously creates a well-rounded learning experience with something for visual, auditory and read-write learners. As for kinesthetic learners, nearly the whole book is composed of movement explorations for the reader to get up and try out, each with its own compliment of photos and most with an accompanying video segment. The illustrations contain an impressive array of demo students sporting a wide range of body types, backgrounds and understanding levels, which highlights the physical variation that exists and the authors’ emphasis on intent rather than form. The movement vocabulary is equally split between ballet and modern dance, further illustrating the universality of the principles discussed.

Dance and the Alexander Technique: Exploring the Missing Link is something every dancer should own. Nettl-Fiol and Vanier make their thesis concise and easy to understand, an important quality when writing about a subject that is difficult to explain in words. The structure of the book is organic and easily followed, and the tone is supportive and non-judgmental. Its multi-media nature makes it useful in a practical sense, and equally so whether you are a teacher planning classes or a student interested in a new outlook on your own performance. Incidentally, many of these explorations involve two people, so the authors suggest trying them with a partner. I could not agree more. Bring a friend and read the explorations to each other, or put on the DVD and have Nettl-Fiol and Vanier explain their work to you themselves. This is a book to be experienced, not just read, and it’s about the closest you can come to taking Nettl-Fiol’s Alexander Technique for Dancers class without signing up.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Title: Dance and the Alexander Technique: Exploring the Missing Link
Authors: Rebecca Nettl-Fiol and Luc Vanier
Copyright 2011 by University of Illinois Press
Nonfiction
Accompanying DVD
Full Illustrations
ISBN: 978-0-252-07793-7 (paperback), 978-0-252-03601-9 (hardcover)
Buy Dance and the Alexander Technique on Amazon!

Hi All!

Enjoy this week’s Thing!

Thing-A-Week 39: “Rain Dance” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

After a week-long excessive heat warning, I woke up this morning to the sound of a thunderstorm pounding against my windows. I got right up and hurried to record a rain dance in thanks for the cooler weather. Of course, now it’s back to being horridly hot and humid again. Oh well.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here!

~Ellen

Hi All!

This week’s Thing is here! Enjoy!

Thing-A-Week 38: “You Can’t Stop the Feet” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

This week’s Thing is based on a warm-up combo I came up with about a year ago that I called the “kick sequence.” I thought it would be fun to do a thing where I wasn’t allowed to stop the sequence, and the feet had to keep going the whole time, yet still keep it interesting.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here!

~Ellen

Hi All!

Enjoy this week’s Thing!

Thing-A-Week 37: “Darting” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

This week’s Thing is my dance-ification of the Dart Procedures, a developmental movement sequence developed by Raymond A. Dart.

~Ellen

Hi All!

Wow, I have been really bad at remembering to post these Things lately, haven’t I? Well here’s one that’s been waiting to upload for a couple weeks now, and I just now remembered to do it. Enjoy!

Thing-A-Week 36: “Shoden” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

This was originally supposed to be the ending solo for Odorido. Since it seems I won’t be able to actually produce Odorido anytime in the near future, I figured I’d post it as a Thing. Enjoy!

~Ellen

Hi Everyone!

Here’s this week’s Thing!

Thing-A-Week 35: “Machina Solitarius,” or “Sam Takes a Long Lunch” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

This piece has two titles, because I couldn’t choose between them and I feel they’re both valid. “Machina Solitarius” is a reference to the process I used to create the movement, which is a solo or “solitaire” version of a game usually played in movement improv classes known as “The Machine.”

“Sam Takes a Long Lunch” is a reference to purple-clad space marine Sam from Dark Maze’s Press Start universe. The more I worked on this piece, the more I realized that in my mind, it should be performed by Sam in full space-marine getup. Ever since I choreographed a dance scene for the first Press Start, my nickname around the site has been “Dancin’ Sam,” and I love the idea that Sam happens to love to dance, and when she’s not busy she’ll go off in a corner and groove out for a while.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here!

~Ellen

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it’s been so long since my last Thing; my life’s been a bit crazy and I haven’t had much time to work. But I’m back, and I’m going to stick to my schedule again from now on. Enjoy this week’s Thing!

Thing-A-Week 34: “NPC” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

This idea has been bouncing around in my head ever since I made Looking For More. In my mind, that piece was destined to be expanded to a one-act or evening-length work, and this solo would be another movement within the larger work. It’s the same base phrase as Looking For More, with some twists added.

P.S.: For the non-gaming-inclined viewers out there, “NPC” stands for “non-player character,” and refers to any character in the game who is not directly controlled by the player.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here! I promise I’ll have one next week!

~Ellen

Hi All!

So I actually did have a Thing made for last Sunday, but I completely forgot to post it on Sunday. Oh well, here it is, a bit late, but whatever.

Archetype Month seems to be taking a bit longer than a month, but I wanted to get at least four entries in it. So we continue this week with another archetype: Mentor.

Thing-A-Week 33: “Mentor” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

I’m really pleased with this one…I wanted to go a bit more abstract with it as opposed to the previous two.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here!

~Ellen

Hello All!

Archetype Month continues here on Geeksdanz!

This week’s archetype: Villain.

Thing-A-Week 32: “Villain” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

I’m really happy with this one. My legs are angry at me now, though. Also, FYI, there’s a skip in the video right around 2:45 because my camera glitched while recording. I did a few more takes, but I thought the improv sections in this one came out the best, so I stuck with it.

Archetype Month continues next Sunday, right here on Geeksdanz!

~Ellen

Hi All!

It’s Archetype Month here at Geeksdanz!

Thing-A-Week 31: “Hero” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

All throughout the month of March, Thing-A-Week will explore several classic character archetypes. Today’s archetype: the Hero.

Check out Thing-A-Week, every Sunday, right here!

~Ellen