In this and the next articles we comment on the talk Jeroen Staring gave in New York, the 13th of February 2002, transcribed by Edward Bouchard.

Judging from what others had written about Staring’s book of 1997 I had expected Staring to be far from fluent in the English language, but it turns out he speaks English better than most natives.  We can understand him to mean what he says.

Staring maintains that Alexander was merely “on the fringes” of what we know today as the Alexander Technique.  The true developer of the Alexander Technique, the man from whom Alexander stole it, the man (I would then say) who really deserves our gratitude — if we are capable of gratitude — is  (drum roll, crescendo):
     Scanes Spicer.

Or  (drum roll, crescendo, kettle drums):
     Caleb Saleeby.

Or  (drum roll, crescendo, cymbals):
     Bess Mensendieck, and other influences.

Or  (drum roll, crescendo, piccolo):
     a string of voice teachers.

We have an embarrassment of victims here.  In this article we’ll focus on Bess Mensendieck, a German physician.

Staring says  “... if you have these influences ... then you can better understand what you are teaching yourself.  Why should the head go forward and up?  You have this German book by Mensendieck in 1906, Körperkultur der Frau [Physical Culture of the Woman], there we have the drawings of the head going forward and up.  Where is Alexander in 1906 ?” (p. 35-36)  And goes on to claim that Alexander was merely a teacher of breathing in 1906.

Mr. Bouchard provides the allegedly telling page from another edition of Dr. Mensendieck’s book, entitled Körperkultur des Weibes, or Physical Culture of Women, published in 1907.  At the top of the page are three drawings.  The first shows Dr. Mensendieck’s idea of the incorrect way to bend the head down, resulting in (translating the German) “a double-chin and possibly ugly jowl creases.”  Ugh!  Help is on the way though, ladies.  “This is eliminated by a double movement, from  b  [the diagram’s label for the lower back of the head] to the rear anwarts [?] and the chin forward at the same time, the deportment of the head is shifted correctly.”

The second diagram shows the "correct head deportment" prior to bending the head down.

The third diagram shows how to properly bend the head down “without a double chin, without jowl creases ... .”  The arrows indicate the back of the neck is to be kept down, the back of the head goes up as the head goes down, while the chin goes forward.

Where is the A.T.?  The above are motions and positions, not directions in the sense of A.T. directing.  Nor are the recommended movements in the directions of the A.T.

(“There is no such thing as a right position, but there is such a thing as a right direction.” — F. M. Alexander)

Then Dr. Mensendieck provides three photographs of a woman in attitudes corresponding to the three diagrams:  head bent forward in a way that gives you those awful wrinkles, then head upright, then head bent forward so you don’t get those awful wrinkles.  It’s difficult to judge the lady’s carriage because her hair covers the back of her neck.  It’s my impression she’s jutting her chin forward a bit in the second and third photos, per instructions.

Dr. Mensendieck’s ideas are interesting, but even focusing on what is not contrary to the A.T. they lack everything that makes the A.T. what it is.  And the arrows are not forward and up as advertised by Staring, and they appear to indicate endgaining maneuvers rather than release.  The excerpted page focuses on skincare rather than good carriage.

Staring ignores the context of the A.T.’s “head forward and up” that’s required for it to make any sense.  He looks at drawings with arrows on them, and just from that concludes it’s the A.T. — tunnel vision analogous to textural criticism that confuses words with ideas.

Finally, there is no evidence that Alexander ever saw Dr. Mensendieck’s writings.  Staring gives no reason why he is sure Alexander was influenced by them.  He gives no reason that Dr. Mensendieck herself (she lived until 1958) thought they were an influence.

Staring asks “Why should the head go forward and up?” as if he cannot conceive that Alexander discovered “head forward and up” whether in the context that gives it sense or any other.  This is an example of the most exasperating aspect of Staring:  his conviction that Alexander, this one man, could not have done anything.  Dr. Mensendieck yes, Dr. Frenkl yes, Mr. Alexander never.

The book of Dr. Mensendieck that Staring mentions was published in 1906.  Staring asks “Where is Alexander in 1906?” — as if to say that Alexander knew nothing about directing “forward and up” at that time while Dr. Mensendieck did.  Yet judging from the excerpt provided — I assume putting her best foot forward — clearly she did not.  As for Staring’s claim that Alexander knew nothing about directing in 1906 and that he was merely a teacher of breathing, this too is false.  Alexander had already developed the essentials of his technique, if not some of the later terminology, long before then.  More on this point when we get to Dr. Spicer.

Looking up Mensendieck on the Internet, her method is called the “Mensendieck System of Functional Movement” and is today a system of exercises done in the nude in front of a mirror, requiring no equipment.  Their goal is “good posture and correct body mechanics.”