Check Your Head

Reviewing Positional Directions

Happy Thursday!

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Chief Adjuah at the Blue Note. My friend Abe suggested the show said it was music by a Mardi Gras Indian. I was sold.

This was an extremely tight group. I wish I remembered the bass player’s name, but when it was announced that he was a 20 year old NYC local everyone’s jaw kinda dropped.

Talent and dedication do wonders y’all.

A Blog In Review

I thought it would be a good idea to use today’s post to review some of the movement/orientation directions that I’ve been using and cover how these directions apply to the act of moving the head while lying on your back or stomach. I want to make it crystal clear that in this post I am NOT referring the directions that I have given you towards freeing your neck from tension. That kind of direction is very important and is derived from:

STOPPING - Recognizing NOW - Allowing Release and Expansion.

That 1,2,3 combo is foundational to the Alexander Technique. But if you have habitual choreography miscues (which is very common), then this review is equally foundational to your development. And hopefully, it’s fun to learn and play with!

So without further ado, I have made 2 drawings covering the types of Linear and Rotational movements that an object can do in space.

Some things to note!

If I ask you to move your head to the left linearly, you probably can only achieve this by taking a step to the left! If I ask you to move the head down linearly, you may need to squat or bend. USE YOUR WHOLE SELF!

If I ask you to turn the head to the left, you have many options! You can either:

• move your feet only and make a weird modern dance move to the left

• twist at the hips/back to the left and keep your neck stiff

• turn the head to the left using the flexibility of your neck.

In the above example, ALL of them are valid choices. But depending on the situation, some of these choices may cause unnecessary strain. It is up to you to explore and find ever more supple ways of using your self!

If you are my student, I will absolutely ask you to hold the FAKE skull and demonstrate these linear and rotational movements for me. This is just one of those things that I think you need to memorize as it will give you a better understanding of WHY things go kaput later on.

But Wait! There’s More!

For your consideration, I’ve made 2 videos for you explaining some of the main takeaways from these past few weeks.

This One Features My Chopped Off Head

I’ll learn basic video stuff one day!

This One Contains A Whole Head!!!

I hope that you’re finding these articles helpful. If there are any questions, please ask away! I’ll be moving on to the torso starting next week.

Get In Touch

If you’re in NYC, you may learn more about my private teaching practice at johndalto.com.

If you’d like to book any lesson time with me, you can find my booking link here.