| Being Aware of Your Body |
[Apr. 16th, 2008|11:40 am] |
Sometimes I wonder about how influential a person one doesn't even know can be on one's life just because one happens to be a fan of that person's work and art. During the talk (see my report here) at the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London in 2005, Alan Rickman mentioned as an aside that he used the Alexander Technique. I didn't know what it was but found out that it is part of the training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which Alan Rickman attended. Back then I came across the following quotation in the RADA centenary brochure:
Alexander Technique is a method by which you can learn about the relationship between neck and head, how to release unnecessary tension and why it is vital for good voice projection; about the body’s strengths and weaknesses and how to maximise the first while minimising the second.
In another context Alan Rickman mentioned during that talk that he thought that it was important to align one's head and body in order to be happy. Somehow I mixed these two things together and was rather intrigued by the idea of this Alexander Technique, but I believed that it was something that only actors learnt and used for their work. Only later did I realise that the technique isn't restricted to actors and drama schools, but might be useful for everyone.
Therefore, when I learnt that there would be a two-day workshop at the local adult education centre to get to know the basics of the Alexander Technique, I didn't hesitate to sign up.
( It took place last weekend. )
***
On a totally different note, has anyone read Zadie Smith's novel On Beauty? I got it from the library as well. I was intrigued by the opening line (″One may as well begin with Jerome's e-mails to his father.“), because I couldn't help noticing that it bears a strong resemblance to the opening line of E M Forster's Howards End. Does anyone know whether this is just a little homage or whether Smith's novel is actually a reworked version of Forster's book? |
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