Collaborating8: Evolving ACAT’s Legacy

Melissa Brown (ACAT, 2016) worked as a civil rights attorney for many years; however, her experience studying the Alexander Technique was so meaningful that she changed careers and became an AT teacher. Melissa teaches group classes and private lessons in NYC, including an ongoing weekly series at the Manhattan JCC. She is on the faculty at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and works with actors regularly in various other venues, including Seton Hall University and the Actors Connection. For many years, Melissa has taught residents at Haven House, a residential facility in East Harlem that provides assistance to HIV positive clients with substance use issues. Given her advocacy background, it has been very important to her to be able to continue to work with people from underserved communities.

Joan Frost has been teaching the Technique for over 40 years. She served on the senior faculty of ACAT for over 35 years and was Director of Teacher Certification there from 2001-2008. In addition to training teachers, Joan has taught in a variety of medical institutions including Greenwich Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine and was on the faculty of both the dance and drama divisions at The Juilliard School. She completed Jessica Wolf’s one year course in The Art of Breathing in 2006 and gave AmSAT’s FM Memorial Lecture in 2019, sharing about her work with a gentleman who had had a brain aneurysm. Joan has maintained a private practice in the Greater New York Metropolitan area — CT, NY, and NJ, since certifying at ACAT in 1983. Website: www.joanfrost.com 

Kim Jessor has been teaching the Alexander Technique since 1981. She trained at ACAT NYC and taught on the senior faculty there for over 30 years, as well as serving for 3 years as Director of the ACAT Teacher Certification Program. Kim has a private practice in NYC and teaches Alexander in the Graduate Acting Program and Undergraduate New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her teaching is informed by her joy in working with actors, extensive dance/movement background, training in Body-Mind Centring and work with Non-Violent Communication (NVC). Kim and colleague Carolyn Serota collaborated on creating the 2020 video REMEMBERING JUDY: A Centennial Celebration of the Life, Work and Legacy of Judith Leibowitz. tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/grad-acting/1132209036)

Barbara Kent was introduced to the AT in 1962 while studying singing in New York City. She then began studying with Frank Ottiwell and later with Judy Leibowitz. Barbara was certified by the American Center for The Alexander Technique (ACAT-NY) in 1971 under the Directorship of Judy Leibowitz, Deborah Caplan, and Ilana Rubenfeld. She served as the Director of the Teacher Certification Program at ACAT-NY from 1982-1987 and from 1996-2001. She remained on the Senior Faculty at ACAT-NY until she moved to Vermont in 2015. During these years Barbara sang professionally, taught voice as well as AT, and taught music at Brooklyn College of the City University of NY. Because of her background in the Performing Arts, much of her early AT practice was focused in that area and later expanded to include Teacher Training and Post Graduate mentoring. She has presented at many National and International Conferences, and continues to work privately with AT teachers of various levels of experience as well as the general public. Her interest in how we grow and change as people, lead her to a Certification in The Rubenfeld Synergy Method, a Basic Training in Imago Relationship Therapy, as well as Internal Family Systems Therapy. To add to her good fortune, she was a student of Carl Stough and finds his Breathing Coordination principles quite compatible with her work.

Hope Martin graduated from ACAT in 1987. She operates Hope Martin Studio in NYC, teaches privately and has taught extensively in music schools, holistic learning centres and meditation halls. She is a Senior Teacher who trained Alexander Teachers for over 25 years in ACAT’s Collegial Faculty, and served as Chair of ACAT’s Board of Directors for 10 years. Hope is also a Meditation Instructor and a Focusing Trainer. She had a 20 year teaching partnership with David Rome where they developed and co-taught Embodied Listening®, bringing together the Alexander Technique, Meditation practice and Focusing in weekend programs. Hope is also the creator of The Shape of Awake® where she integrates the Alexander Technique and Focusing principles into Meditation retreats and workshops, teaching throughout North America for many years. Hope is a close student of Pema Chodron since 1992 and that has been a huge influence on her life and teaching.  www.hopemartinstudio.com

Kathryn Miranda has been teaching the Technique for thirty-plus years and has been involved in teacher training  for many of those years. She is on the faculty of the Syracuse University’s Drama Department and Setnor School of Music. She has an ongoing interest in the evolutionary, physiological, and yet-to-be-understood underpinnings of the discoveries of FM Alexander. She attributes her openness and curiosity in lifelong learning to the influence of one of teachers, Judy Leibowitz. To honour Judy, she edited a variety of original transcripts into the book Dare To Be Wrong. (https://www.acatnyc.org/blog-posts/2014/10/02/dare-to-be-wrong-by-judith-leibowitz-now-available-on-kindle)

Judith C Stern, MA, PT (ACAT, 1987), is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and is a licensed physical therapist. She recently retired from private practice  in Westchester County, New York. Judith’s background includes 20 years of clinical experience as a physical therapist. The last 30 plus years have been devoted to teaching the Alexander Technique to people with pain syndromes or needing rehabilitation. Judy has served professionally as vice-president of AmSAT and as Chairperson of ACAT, where she was on the faculty for 30 years. She has lectured on and taught the Alexander Technique in the USA, Europe and Israel. In 2008 Judy co-chaired the 8th International Congress of the FM Alexander Technique in Lugano, Switzerland. Today she mentors AT teachers and remains passionate about the work.

Rebecca Tuffey (ACAT, 2004) encountered Alexander Technique in 1994 as a second-year actor/singer at Sarah Lawrence College. After studying with June Ekman for seven years, she enrolled at ACAT, where she completed training and joined the Faculty, first as a volunteer and then as an Associate. Rebecca joined the Faculty at RIAT (2018-2023) when ACAT closed. She teaches BFA acting students in the Flim & TV program at Pace University and maintains a private practice in New York City, sharing AT and Jessica Wolf’s Art of Breathing (certified in 2010). Along with Kim Jessor, Rebecca co-created explorations of Identity using AT, ‘Embodying Empathy’. She co-founded the Judith Leibowitz Scholarship Fund with Jessica Wolf in 2019 and continues to serve as its current committee Chair. www.rebeccatuffey.net