midterm part 2

Primary control is a dynamic, ever changing relationship that functions all the time, for better or worse, in every position. Our head, neck, and torso all have to be coordinated together in order for our body to function and move. Unreliable sensory appreciation was one of the tougher techniques to understand for me. I hope I explain this correctly, but i think it is just unnecessary tensions in the body. Our bad habits start to feel right to us, when in reality they aren't. The example for me would be slouching. I do not know I am doing it because I have done it for so long to where it starts to feel right. My kinesthetic sense is the reason I feel like it is right. Inhibition is the ability to stop, to delay our response until we are adequately prepared to make it. The example, given in the reading, is when Alexander changed his voice habits due to him being hoarse and his voice failing after a performance. He made the decision to change and fix the problem. If we choose not to respond in a habitual way, this will improve our primary control, which will give us a better balance of body and mind. Direction is giving yourself instruction before you start moving. Possibly like how Alexander gave himself direction to correct his vocals. This direction helped him have better primary control which made his voice stronger. I feel like the ends and means section just talks about the goals of Alexander while combining all of these techniques. He had to establish primary control by giving himself direction, using inhibition, and using unreliable sensory appreciation. Once he figured out his new method, he had to refine it and keep working to get better. These techniques helped him become a better actor and performer.

I am still a little confused about unreliable sensory appreciation. I understand having unnecessary tensions in the body, but I am just not sure in understand the concept of this term. Other than that, I enjoyed this reading and I liked how everything was connected. Alexander's techniques are quite interesting, and I would like to see how I can apply them to my body and overall movements. I want to finish this post with the viewpoints we learned about with Addie this week. I really enjoyed it. I felt present and in the moment, but most importantly I got to connect with my classmates. I do not know how to explain my feelings about everything, but I guess the best way to put it is that I felt like I was stepping outside of myself. I was not reserved or constricted in movement. I had a soft focus and was aware of the people around me and how they made me feel. I thought viewpoints was a great experience, and I did not think about anything, i just had an impulse to do things. Another way to say it is that I felt free, and it was a very good feeling.