Alexander Technique San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley

 

“Of all the disciplines that form the actor training program, none is more vital, enriching and transformative that the Alexander Technique.”
- Harold Stone, Associate Director, Theater Department, The Julliard School

Your body, your voice are the messengers of your soul

In performance, movements are designed for expression, not for the comfort and ease of the body. As a result, the ways you habitually use your instrument (yourself and/or a musical instrument or a prop) may be contributing to chronic pain and other problems. If your daily practice is filled with too much effort, pushing through pain and fighting to “get it right,” you train yourself, at the deepest levels, to hold these physical and mental attitudes while you perform.

There is a different – more easeful and elegant – way to perform.
By bringing conscious awareness to the excess tension and misdirected energy, the Alexander Technique teaches you to correctly direct your energy so that you use your body with a naturally flowing ease and get access to your full range of expression.

The Alexander Technique is being taught at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, ATC in San Francisco, the American Dance Festival and at many colleges and universities. Renowned individuals who have endorsed the Technique include William Hurt, Paul McCartney, Sting, Robin Williams, Juliette Binoche.
In what way will my performance improve through the Alexander Technique sessions with Dominque Jacques?

Benefits of the Alexander Technique for artists:
* Awareness: AT heightens your awareness of your body, and of of all that is around: the stage, instruments, fellow performers, audience, crew. With the awareness of repetitive patterns, you have the choice of changing them to perform at your best.
* Ease of movement. You improve your poise, presence and coordination. Greater freedom of movement also brings the ability to quickly learn new patterns and movements.

Improved performance:
* Grounded, present-in’the-moment delivery
* Ease of breath and grace throughout the performance
* Improved rapport with the audience
* A healthy response to stress
* Freedom from pain. Back, joint and muscle pain due to improper movements are relieved.
* Injury prevention. Constant injury, pain and fatigue are avoided by being educated in natural ways to move. Speed of recovery and resiliency are enhanced.

Benefits of the Alexander Technique for musicians:

Musicians move for a living, just as dancers and athletes. The quality of the movement determines the quality of sound. Rather than emphasizing position and posture, the Alexander Technique teaches how to find optimum support and freedom within the body while playing. You become a more finely-tuned instrument, producing a higher quality of sound.

If properly cared for, your musical instrument can last a lifetime. In the same way, sustained practice of the Alexander Technique principles will provide you with a lifetime of pain-free, enhanced and enjoyable performance.
The Technique is especially beneficial for musicians who experience excessive stress, injury or pain, and for musicians who wish to enhance their performance skills. The Alexander Technique is internationally recognized, and is included in the curriculum of numerous conservatories and university music departments.

How Dominique’s Sessions Work

In addition to office sessions, you will receive expert hands on guidance at your rehearsals. Dominique is available when you need her most ’ right before a performance. She can travel with you to your performances.
“Dominique is a superb teacher of the Alexander Technique! The clarity of her instruction, her exceptional hands, her insight make her a privilege to work with”

-Jane Kosminsky, faculty, The Juilliard School.