about me - Elizabeth Hurwitt

why I teach AT

Alexander Technique (AT) helps me organize my mind and body to support me in every way, from standing and sitting well, to standing up to fatigue and anxiety - our constant companions during the pandemic. AT has never been more important to me than it is now.

I am trained and committed to teaching AT skills to other people. If anyone would like to get started in learning this lovely practice, I offer a free first lesson. Lessons are conducted in-person, but safe as a visit to the hair salon - masks and handwashing are required.

AT has been a part of my life for over 30 years. Now that I'm an instructor, teaching helps me continue my own learning experience. Every lesson is a new conversation between two nervous systems - my own and my pupil's. I gain a new understanding of the work each time I share what I know.

AT is uplifting, literally and figuratively. My AmSAT teaching certification is a license and obligation to practice expert care, which begins with taking care of myself.

my AT training

My teaching practice, betterATbeing, is certified by the American Society for Alexander Technique (AmSAT). I trained for 3 years (1600 hours) with TOM VASILIADES, Director of Alexander Technique Center for Performance and Development.

I am currently pursuing post-graduate studies with Tom. 2019-20 was my fourth year assisting Tom in his course at The Juilliard School Evening Division, working hands-on with students. My practice of AT is informed by Tom's post-graduate training with John Nicholls and Walter Carrington.

Carrington is revered for preserving and communicating the principles established by F.M. Alexander, AT's founder, taught into the present at the Constructive Teaching Centre in London.

This profoundly effective way of teaching emphasizes the engagement of the postural muscles via the whole body's web of elastic, opposing pulls. It promotes a widening as well as a lengthening of the back, freeing the rib cage for deep and natural breathing. The teacher's inquiring, guiding touch speaks to the entire individual with each placement of the hands.

OTHER BACKGROUND

I come from the San Francisco Bay Area, and earned a BA in English Literature from UC Santa Cruz. At college I cultivated a love for poetry, which is still reflected in my passion for the embodied symmetry and simultaneity of Alexander Technique. From Santa Cruz I moved to NYC's Upper West Side, joined a church choir, and sang Bach alongside a lively group of trained singers and actors. As singing became more important to me, I pursued private vocal training, gave small recitals, and took my first AT lessons on weekday evenings with Pamela Anderson. All the while my days were spent working in publishing, legal management and music journalism.

My interests and experience led to my current career as a performing arts administrator, which included 13 years as Executive Director of New York Festival of Song. Today, in addition to teaching AT, I serve as Development Director of Copland House, a unique creative center for American music based in Aaron Copland's historic home in Cortlandt Manor, New York. I live in lower Manhattan with my husband Elliott Hurwitt, a music historian.