Alan McDermott

Biography:

My studies at The School For New Dance Development in Amsterdam from 1994-1996 included the musculoskeletal system, movement quality, release technique and composition. I became aware that many elements of the Feldenkrais method were a part of this work particularly in relationship to contralateral movement patterns. Later, I worked regularly with a child with Cerebral Palsy and I would try to find out about practices and research that might be beneficial to him. I kept coming across the Feldenkrais method and became curious about a method that seemed to be relevant to everybody and started my training in 2004. My main interest is in Awareness through Movement (ATM) lessons, the vast body of work that Feldenkrais left to us for a lifetime of study, learning, discovery. Since completing the training I have worked with dancers, dance students, theatre students and individuals from various backgrounds including sport. I have lead workshops, weekend courses and contributed to week long courses in The Netherlands and Italy as well as the U.K. where I co-teach a monthly workshop. I am particularly interested in tailoring ATM lessons to individual needs and questions. I have taught in a university and college context as well as in the private sector.