Presenters – Teatime Conversations
Teatime Conversations
Special interest groups - talks about a specific theme with a moderator and those who are interested in the topic.
Meet, share and learn from each other and maybe even create something new.
NEW: Teatime Conversations
Meet in special interest groups, over tea, coffee and biscuits or cookies, and talk about a theme close to your heart.
This is your chance to meet other teachers, share, learn from each other and maybe create something new.
Each conversation has been suggested by one or two teachers, who are also the facilitators for each group.
You can just walk up to a session, no booking is required.
Teatime Conversations Presenters
Session Facilitators Count:
This is the list of all our confirmed teatime conversations and group facilitators, sorted by title.
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Andreas Dirscherl
Bavaria, GermanyGermany Andreas has been teaching the Alexander Technique continuously in his own studio in Munich since 2005. In 2009, he became Assistant Teacher with a training course in Munich, where he taught until 2015. In this time, Andreas repeatedly substituted for the Head of Training – at one point, he has been running the training course for a period of seven months.
For over 20 years, Andreas has also been a well-known radio presenter and newscaster with the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian public radio) where he regularly presents the news and can be heard in various radio features and radio plays.
He offers regular introductory AT workshops, is a visiting teacher in several German-speaking AT schools and gives Alexander Technique Workshops throughout Europe.
Combining his practical experiences in front of the microphone with AT principles, he developed a series of voice-oriented workshops. Other specialised workshop formats include “Practical Everyday Anatomy”, “The Power of Doing it Wrong”, and “AT in the Digital Age”.
Andreas is very interested in connecting teachers and exchanging experiences and ideas. He was a founding member of the Munich Alexander Cooperation and has been participating in the AT work exchange in the Munich Area whenever possible.
With a like-minded AT teacher, he co-created an easy-to-follow toolset for AT beginners called the “Alexander Basisplan” – for which he created a website and a free smartphone app that features audio narration, a diary and a reminder function (an English version “Alexander Technique Basic Steps is in the works).
Andreas was part of the Congress team for the 2011 AT Congress in Lugano, where he was in charge of designing and maintaining the website. He is also very involved with the German AT society (ATVD) where he, among other things, co-conducted the first extensive member survey form in 2018/19. -
Clare Maxwell and Eleni Vosniadou
USA, BrazilBrazil Clare Maxwell:
I have been teaching the Alexander Technique for 22 years and studying for over 30, and was active as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer in the experimental dance community in NYC for most of that time. I trained at ACAT/NYC, certified with Jessica Wolf in The Art of Breathing, and am engaged in a life-long study of developmental movement forms. I am the creator of Mobile Body Alignment™, a method of bringing awareness to the self in movement that harmonizes the nervous system, skeleton, and musculature. Mobile Body Alignment™ liberates the practitioner from negative self-consciousness, stiffness, and loss of ease. Inspired by my many years dancing and teaching the Alexander Technique, Mobile Body Alignment™ can be applied to any movement form or activity.
One of my main research interests in The Union is how to get new perspectives on my habitual assumptions, especially concerning the different roles of teaching and learning; a non-hierarchical, peer-to-peer work exchange structure is one way of doing this. I’m also very interested in the plasticity of our body schema, how to practice updating, refining, or changing this self image, and how that kind of practice affects our ability to organize and move ourselves in space.
Eleni Vosniadou:
I have been studying the Alexander Technique since 2006. Growing up in Greece, my first passion was classical music. I came across AT as a percussionist with chronic pain issues related to playing and after recovering through my study of AT I went on to train as an AT teacher in London. In 2012 I became certified as an AT teacher and later moved to Brazil, where I am now happily married. I am the founder and director of Consciência Corporal para Músicos®, an AT learning program for musicians and music teachers, where music makers can go deeper in the study of AT, learning to uncover the freedom and joy in their music making. I am also on the faculty of Total Vocal Freedom, an international program for singers to enhance their music performance skills through the Alexander Technique.
As a member of the Experimenters Union, my primary interest is to explore and research the inner life of the teacher; how common challenges faced by teachers are social issues within the community of education and when it comes to teaching a subject as deep and multifaceted as the Alexander Technique, those challenges can invoke a deeper understanding of AT principles and skills, when addressed without fear and self-judgement. Also, the Experimenters Union is a place where I can freely experiment with crazy teaching ideas and formats and receive a kind of feedback that provides insight different to what I get when receiving feedback from my students. -
David Moore
AustraliaAustralia David Moore is the director of the School for F.M. Alexander Studies in Melbourne which he established in 1998. He is the author of “Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to enhance your practice, prevent injury and increase body awareness.”
Besides training teachers in the technique and running a private practice in Melbourne, he has been running regular workshops and trainings in Europe, the UK, China and Taiwan, both for Alexander and yoga teachers. -
Janis Sharkey
New York, USAUSA Janis has been teaching the Alexander Technique in Katonah, NY (40 miles north of NYC) for over 25 years. Her private practice has included musicians and horse trainers to back pain sufferers as well as Parkinson’s patients.
Twelve years ago she became a nurse and worked in an orthopedic unit for three years, seeing patients having surgery for knee, hip and back injuries.
Nine years ago she began working as a Holistic Nurse. She worked at two NY City hospitals applying various holistic modalities, including the Alexander Technique to patients, staff, doctors, and nurses.
She provided classes on “holistic first aid for nurses”, and stress relief for doctors and other staff. These classes included self-care tips like rest-position and properly adjusting computer screens.
She provided one-on-one care for patients using the Alexander Technique when appropriate. She engaged the use of the Alexander Technique for newborns, ill patients, patients recovering from surgery as well as to para- and quadriplegics.
Four years ago Janis entered a training program to become an Anthroposophic nurse. She is currently in that program and will be attending the Medical Conference at the Goetheanum in Dornach Switzerland in September.
She left hospital work in September 2020. She continues to see Alexander students privately. -
Jennifer Mizenko
Mississippi, USAUSA Jennifer Mizenko loves all things movement, and is a Professor Emerita of Dance and Movement for the Actor at the University of Mississippi, where she taught movement and dance for 30years. She has a B.A. in Psychology, and an M.A. in dance. She studied period dance with Wendy Hilton and Richard Powers, T\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ai Chi with Maggie Newman, the work of Growtoski with Grzegorz Bral in Poland and Anna-Helena McLean, of the Moon Fool Company, and Chekhov acting technique with MICHA. Jennifer is a teaching member of Alexander Technique International, and served as Chair of ATI. She is a Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst certified by LIMS, and yoga instructor from Yandara Yoga Institute. She regularly presents internationally at Laban and Alexander conferences and specializes in teaching Character Physicalization, integrating her knowledge of dance, LMA, Chekhov and the Alexander Technique. Jennifer is one of the co-authors of the The Laban Workbook for Actors, A Practical Guide with Video. Recently she has become a part of The Alexander Technique Liberation Project. -
Magdalena Kedzior
PolandPoland Magdalena (Dorota) Kędzior trained with Walter and Dilys Carrington at The Constructive Teaching Centre (CTC) in London and graduated in 1991. She was the first AT teacher to introduce the Alexander Technique in Poland and teaches it in Warsaw since then.
As her main reason to train was the help she was getting from the Alexander Technique in coping with and finally overcoming anorexia, she used to help young people in Poland to overcome eating disorders. Her book „Jeść? Nie jeść? Żyć” („To Eat or not to Eat? To Live”) was published in Warsaw in 1997.
Over the last 30 years she has introduced the Alexander Technique to various music and drama schools in Poland. For over 20 years, until 2022 she has thought the Alexander Technique in The National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. And she still teaches the Alexander Technique at the Postgraduate Studies of Voice and Speech Training at the SWPS University in Warsaw.
She runs her private practice in Warsaw teaching private lessons and running introductory courses for general public, musicians, voice people and riders. Her interest goes also to the help the AT gives when dealing with emotional problems. -
Margarete Tüshaus, Ann-Kathrin Fliege, Janine Stenkbruck, Astrid Lobreyer & Robyn Avalon
GermanyGermany Margarete Tüshaus
www.hof-tueshaus.de
Ann-Kathrin Fliege
www.leichtigkeiterleben.de
Janine Stenkbruck
www.alexandertechnik-haltern.de
Robyn Avalon
https://www.contemporaryalexander.com -
Marilyn Carpenter
PA-Pennsylvania, USAUSA About Marilyn Carpenter
Marilyn lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Alexander Alliance Japan/America/Germany. She has been a teaching member of Alexander Technique International since 2006. She is also a Reiki practitioner, a Seimei practitioner, and has studied T’ai Chi Ch’un since 1996. She is fortunate to be able to attend continuing education classes in subjects including Alexander Technique, Reiki, Seimei, and T’ai Chi Ch’un. Her long-term interests in holistic wellness, healing, and personal development have led down a variety of paths, some by foot and others through self-exploration and learning from others.
Marilyn is recently retired after being in service with Westinghouse and Emerson Power & Water Solutions in Pittsburgh since 1979. Starting as a Field Engineer with a BSEE from The Ohio State University, she began commissioning data acquisition and control systems in the USA. Whether a troubleshooting assignment or project execution with time and budget constraints in the USA or at international sites, these assignments present opportunities to learn and meet people from different backgrounds.
Marilyn currently supports organizations with interests to promote personal development and education for all ages and youth STEM programs. -
Michael Mah and Heather Campbell
CanadaCanada Michael Mah
Michael Mah was elected to the Council of Alexander Technique Canada, in 2018 as the Treasurer. A year later, he took on expanded duties as Secretary-Treasurer and has been instrumental in steering the professional body throughout the challenges of the pandemic. Most recently, he was appointed the chair of the Marketing Committee and is the project manager for its new comprehensive AT website coming soon.
As a passionate educator, Michael has presented masterclasses and workshops internationally on the Alexander Technique with a focus on interdisciplinary applications and functionality. He has an ongoing collaborative partnership with the University of British Columbia School of Music and has presented at the Vancouver College of Dental Hygiene. In his private practice, Michael enjoys guiding his students to using AT for the benefit of their unique talents and interests.
Michael completed his Alexander Technique Training at the Vancouver School of the Alexander Technique and continues his professional development at the International AT Congresses. Previously, he received a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Jon Manasse (Principal Clarinet, Soloist – Metropolitan Opera, New York Ballet)
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Heather Campbell
Heather Campbell is a classically-trained pianist, accompanist and Alexander Technique teacher. She earned a Bachelor and Master of Music in Piano Performance, as well as a Master of Arts in Philosophy, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University of Toronto.
Heather has been teaching Alexander Technique since the 1990s and piano since the 1980s with a particular interest in the application of the Technique to music performance. In addition to her ongoing piano and Alexander Technique studio, international workshops and masterclasses, she is currently writing a comprehensive book on Alexander Technique at the piano.
Heather has worked and volunteered in the non-profit sector, mostly in a leadership capacity since the 1980s, including the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company. She co-founded and was President of The Healing Cycle Foundation for ten years, raising millions for palliative care in Ontario, Canada.
She is President of Alexander Technique Canada, former chair of its Professional Conduct Committee, has been an ATAS (Alexander Technique Affiliated Societies) representative for Canada since 2018 and recently was elected to the Secretariat of ATAS.
Heather’s 35 years of volunteerism has been recognized with local and national awards, including the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada in 2018. -
Raquel Cavalcanti, Korina Biggs & Ainesh Madan
from Everywherefrom Everywhere Raquel Cavalcanti is a Brazilian dancer, improviser, dance instructor, and AT teacher. In 1999, she graduated from the Matthews school (IRDEAT) in New York (USA). After living and working in NYC for over 15 years, she returned to Brazil to teach dance and the AT at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in a tenure-track position.
She is currently working on her PhD at State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she is investigating the possible relationships between AT principles, dance, and teaching in an inventive, non-traditional, and non-hierarchical way. In that sense, the works of Paulo Freire, Virginia Kastrup, bell hooks, and Jacques Rancière have been invaluable.
Raquel, the mother of two beautiful young women, loves baking long-fermented bread and taking care of her plants. It is her hope that Lula will be their next president this year.
Korina is on the Faculty at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), London, teaching the Alexander Technique to trainee actors, and movement and devising on the Short Course program. She also teaches at the Institute of Contemporary Theatre, Brighton and has a private practice.
She graduated from the Nicholls’ Training School in 2001 and has been a member of STAT ever since. She has served on the STAT Research Group, The Performing Self team and is currently a member of the Alexander in Education Group and the ATLP (Alexander Technique Liberation Project)
She has roots in physical theatre and has always engaged in various forms of movement improvisation. She has an MA in Dance and Somatic Well-being which gave her initial training in Authentic Movement, did further training with Jane Bacon and went on to found a regular peer group practice.
Ainesh Madan (he/him) is a dance artist currently based in Bangalore, India. He is a co-founder of the 206 Dance Collective. Ainesh attended Bard College (USA) on a full-tuition scholarship, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Economics. He has since choreographed numerous works, while also collaborating with, and/or performing for, various notable choreographers. Experimentation is foundational to Ainesh’s work. All his choreographic endeavours are distinct in form and content, and serve as reflections of his learnings at the time they were each created. Ainesh’s choreographic choices are informed by his daily attempts to enhance his capacities as a dancer; for him, choreography is a tool that highlights the potency of dance as a medium for honest, unfettered communication. He premiered his first evening-length solo, Phantasies, as part of the University Settlement Guest Artist Series programme in New York City, for which he received the Emergency Grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Ainesh was one of the 2021 residents for Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan’s bangaloREsidency-Expanded at Weltkunstzimmer in Düsseldorf. He recently received the ThinkArts Grant to develop a new work for kids inspired by the character of Smeagol/ Gollum from the Lord of the Rings saga. Ainesh is currently working towards becoming a certified teacher in the Alexander Technique. He is also an experienced, multilingual dance teacher. Ainesh’s writing was published in Imagining – A Gibney Dance Journal in November, 2021. Given the opportunity, Ainesh would willingly spend all his time reading, journaling, meditating, playing an instrument, and most importantly, hanging out with his companion. -
Rossella Buono
Kent, United KingdomUnited Kingdom Rossella, born in Italy in 1975, lives and works between her adoptive home in the UK, Italy, and Australia, where she trained with David Moore in Melbourne.
As well as running a successful practice as an Alexander Technique teacher in Canterbury, UK, and online, Rossella also teaches the technique at the School for FM Alexander Studies in Australia.
Rossella is the author of For the Love of Games with Anne Mallen, with beautiful illustrations by Melbourne artist Isobel Knowles. This collection of games and activities, part original and part collected over the years, offers a resource for AT teachers to begin working with groups, or add depth and variety to an existing group-based practice.
Rossella is also the co-creator and co-curator of Authors – not your Usual Book Club with Jana Boronova, and assistant to David Moore’s Smart Yoga and AT training courses in Melbourne. A keen proponent of collaboration, she has worked with Luke Hockley to offer the workshop Learning How to Learn, Jeremy Chance’s AT Success course and many more.
Her interest in training courses has taken her to New York, Germany, Ireland and all over the UK, to share work and present on the topics of marketing, activities, anatomy, working with groups and social media.
Rossella has a gift for organising, a dynamic personality and a down to earth approach to things, allowing her to join the dots leading to new content and collaborative projects. She sees the Alexander Technique as an effective and sustainable model of personal and social development. Bringing an inclusive and practical spirit to all her activities, Rossella aims to realise the Technique’s value as a resource to as many people as possible.
