The benefits Alexander Technique can have for a performer’s practice are more than I can list in a brief article. There’s a reason it’s part of the curriculum at schools like RADA and Juilliard. But let’s consider some of the key ones.
We’ll start with the one you might already associate with AT, good posture. Now, when I say “good posture”, I mean a posture that not only “looks good”, but is also dynamic, easy, full of life and allows you to perform whatever action you want to do. Whether that’s playing in an orchestra night after night or playing Richard III for eight shows a week.
The next important benefit is becoming aware of and changing your habits. These are patterns of movement and thinking we’ve picked up throughout our lives that are present in what we do. If we’re not aware of them, then they’re going to get in the way. It could be the actor who always punctuates her sentences with her hands, or the violinist who’s having difficulty with their current show because they need to dance, but they were always taught to play while staying in one spot. Learning to recognise and change our patterns are vital to a good performance. AT provides a process for doing this.
As patterns change it also becomes easier to take direction. You know when you get a direction that doesn’t fit with your idea of the song/ play/ what-have-you? And you try to do it and the director/ conductor is just getting frustrated because you’re not getting it and you’re getting frustrated because you’re trying, damn it! Well, AT can make it way easier to actually take those directions and give them what they’re after. Win-win.
There’s nothing worse as a performer than giving everything and being told that the audience didn’t really feel it. Through using the AT process, it becomes possible to do less but give more. When there’s tension or compression in your system, it blocks the full expression of emotion. So you could be feeling all the grief and longing of your character/ the piece you’re playing but the audience is getting nothing! If your system is dynamic and easy then the expression can flow through you.
The benefits of the Alexander Technique for performers extend far beyond what I’ve covered here. But at its simplest; it cultivates a dynamic, expressive, and adaptable artist.