Synopses & Reviews
The Alexander Technique is a method of muscular re-education, which has become standard training for actors, dancers, and singers, and is practiced for health reasons all over the world. Its founder was an Australian actor who stumbled upon it in the 1890s after studying himself in mirrors to discover why he had lost his voice. He realised that most people suffered from the same postural defects he had noticed in himself, and that this explained much of what went wrong with them.
Synopsis
In 1892, a young Australian actor found himself afflicted by hoarseness whenever he started to recite. Observing himself in mirrors, he discovered his problem arose from habitual "misuse" of the relationship of the head, neck, and back. Gradually, he evolved a method for overcoming the problem. The man was F. M. Alexander, and his method became known as the Alexander Technique, a unique form of muscular re-education that is now practiced around the world and is standard training for actors, dancers and singers. In this meticulosly researched biography, Michael Bloch charts the life of Alexander; from his harsh beginnings in Tasmania to the dedication of followers like John Dewey and Aldous Hukley, he reveals the strengths and failings of a man now recognized as one of the innovators of his day.