Source
- Alexander Yanai Vol 9 Lesson #420
- Reel 27, Track 2, Lesson 4
- Duration of the recording: 35 minutes
Synopsis
- This is a classic Dead Bird lesson but without the strong focus on the eyes that is found in ATM Book lesson 10.
Lesson Outline
- The base position is in side sitting with the hand held in front of the face and the eyes fixed upon it
- The frequently returned to reference movement is a twist to the side with the hand held thus, to see how far it goes. Attention is paid to how the sitting bones come into movement.
- Variations are introduced to differentiate trunk and head, later eye, movement.
- Twist and stay to the side, and move the head back and forth
- Twist and stay to the side, move the head to the furthest point, and move the eyes back and forth
- Twist to the side and place both hands on the floor, then place a hand on the head and lean the neck right and left
- Twist to the side and place both hands on the floor, then twist the shoulders back and forth, then fix the trunk and move the head, then fix the head and move the eyes back and forth.
- Repeat the above but moving the head and eyes in the opposite direction to the shoulders
- End the lesson by having both hands lifted up and twisting the body left and right
Focus of the teaching
- In addition to the movements, what theme or ideas did the teacher focus on
- Vision
- Differentiation in turning body parts
- Differentiation in turning the vision in opposition to the body
- Sitting bones lifting up and lowering down to bring the movement into the whole body
Related ATMs
- AY1
- AY52
- AY94
- See Theme Deadbird
- Tag Vision
- Tag Twisting
- Tag Softening-chest
- Tag Sitz-bone
Side bending, twisted:
- Amherst 2 – Week 2 – 06/16/81 AM2 Bring Right Foot to Left Hand / Walk Right Foot Around Left Knee (continued)
- AY218 On the side, bending and twisting the chest and spine
- AY254 Circle with the hands and feet and bending the body
- AY287 General continuation
- AY413 Twist of the back with the sign of the knee
- AY415 A sharp and mental twist
- AY427 On the side – lifting the heels
- AY430 Wide open twist to side
- AY440 On the side – head and pelvis
- AY465 Classical twist on the side with an advanced opening
Resources
- Add links to external resources that would be of interest to the reader
Share Your Insights (ideas, principles, strategies, experiences, …)
- A classic Dead Bird lesson. Compare with AY1, AY41, AY52 (quasi dead bird) AY94, ATM10, LT1. I found this version less demanding, and therefore more suitable for new students, than AY1 which uses constraints of elbow to floor and hand to chin, inter alia. It is similar to AY41 which starts with the ‘wrong’ hand as support on the floor and omits the hand on head movements. Meanwhile AY94 has both hands leaning on floor behind the body as a variation, and hands on hips too, but the written instructions include many clarifications and corrections of the students’ positions. AY54 uses cross legged sitting as well as side sitting, and hands on hips instead of the Dead Bird hand. In ATM10, both the title and the instructions emphasize the functional goal of the lesson being eye movement, which is missing in the above listed lessons. Is this a theoretical development by MF over time? Do lessons that were created chronologically later (London?) include references to vision in their Dead Bird lessons? This lesson omits a reference movement at the start and end, but the ATM10 instruction of standing and twisting with the whole body to left and right is suitable. (Ben Parsons.)
- The name Dead Bird is avoided by a number of teachers who prefer to use terms such as ‘Twisting in sitting’. The expression Broken Wing is sometimes used. This is a very unphotogenic ATM. (Ben Parsons)
- Please sign your comments
- Differing viewpoints are welcome and desired!
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