Thank You for Coming to 2018 AT Congress ®
July 29th to August 4th, 2018
We Look Forward to Seeing You in
Berlin, Germany 2021
We had an amazing week at the 11th International Congress! It started with a one-act play called ‘The Alexander Congress” by The Improvised Shakespeare Company, which was quite brilliant and funny. Followed by an amazing Keynote from David Hyde Pierce relating his journey as an actor and finding the AT work. It ended with Milke Reed and People, Place, and Things. A premier jazz group here in Chicago that was absolutely extraordinary!
Dr. Norman Doidge gave two inspirational sessions that guided us through the neuroplasticity of our human brain. Which was followed by Congress founder Michael Frederick’s captivating speech on the Future of our Work. A lot of food for thought! The evening ended with our amazing and talented teachers from around the world performing for us.
Not to mention all the wonderful CL Sessions and Workshops that happened today! Thank you, everybody!
The 11th International Alexander Technique Congress® took place in Chicago at Loyola University, Lake Shore Campus.
With this year’s theme focusing on Advancing Global Perspective: Making New Connections with Science, Performance, and Education. We are thrilled to announce a few of our Keynote speakers.
Dr. Norman Doidge, who wrote the ‘The Brain that Changes Itself’ and the ‘The Brain’s Way of Healing’, will be joining us for a 3-hour presentation. His research in the field of neuroplasticity and his insights into the body, brain, mind connection will be stimulating and challenging. A real “wake-up call” for innovation.
We also have Dr. Neil Shubin who is the Robert Bensley Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and associate dean for the academic strategy of the university’s Biological Sciences Division. He’s also the author of two popular science books — The Universe Within: The Deep History of the Human Body (2013) and the best-selling Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (2008). Your Inner Fish was named a best book of the year by the National Academy of Sciences.
In Performance, we have Emmy Award-winning actor, director, and comedian David Hyde Pierce. He is currently starring on Broadway in Hello Dolly with Bette Midler. He won four Emmy Awards as a lead actor in the hit series Frasier. He has been studying the AT for the many years and thrilled to join us in Chicago!
In Education, we have Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. She is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. in medical anthropology in 1973 and has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowship in Visual Anthropology, was an Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Ethnobotany at Harvard University, and was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress. Her books include: The Human Encounter with Death (with Stanislav Grof); The Fruitful Darkness, A Journey Through Buddhist Practice; Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist Life in America; Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death; and her forthcoming Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet, to be released May 1, 2018.
Wrapping up the Congress will be Kevan Martin. Kevan is a Director of the Institute of Neuroinformatics and a Double Professor of Systems Neurophysiology at the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (‘ETH’).
His research is on the structure and function of the circuits of the neocortex where he studies the physical basis of perception, cognition, and action. One of his longstanding interests is the physical basis of thought. He explores many aspects of performance to find an answer to the simple question: What is the relationship between thought and movement? His own performance is as a member of 4-Brain, a formation skydiving team that trains in Switzerland.
Within our Alexander Community for Plenary Speakers we have Joan Schirle (Performance), Ted Dimon, Ph.D. (Education), and Dr. Rajal Cohen (Science). We will also be having two days of Panel Discussions in the fields of Science, Education, Performance, and Business, which will be both insightful and informative.
Loyola University’s campus is a perfect place to hold the event with its beautiful lakeshore feel; it’s comfortable accommodations and meal plan. All and all, the best deal in town for a very reasonable price! All the classrooms are close to all the accommodations, cafeteria, and primary meeting rooms.
Since the first International Congress held in 1986, more than thirty years ago, not only have we grown as a worldwide community but also the world around us has developed in leaps and bounds providing overwhelming evidence of the increasing value of the Alexander Technique.
This event promises to be an inspiring event with a long-lasting influence on each of us as individuals, as teachers and our global Alexander Technique Community. It will be an excellent opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
We sincerely hope you enjoyed the Congress!
– Carol Prentice and Jamie McDowell | Congress Directors