The Real Deal!
Years ago, I had a student whose girlfriend had dragged him to a modern dance concert that I had composed the music for.
Totally clueless about what was going on onstage, he sought refuge in trying to read the program notes despite the fact that there was little light and it was totally killing his eyes. (I guess anything is better than boredom, including blindness).
That’s where he happened upon my bio and began to read about the Alexander Technique for the first time.
He had long been suffering as the result of being rear-ended by a drunk teenager 20 years earlier. He had tried everything. Nothing had worked.
The short blurb I had written in the program apparently intrigued him enough for him to seek me out after the concert to find out more about “this Alexander thing”.
Finding his way backstage to my dressing room, he waited for a while as I conducted a little “meet and greet” with the friends, family and fans who had braved the bitter cold to see the show on opening night.
Finally losing patience, he blurted out…
“This Alexander thing…I got a bad back from a car wreck and I play tuba. Can it help me?”
The room was stunned into silence. Well-wishers frozen in their tracks.
After a bit of a pause, I collected myself, smiled and brazenly said,
“Yes…It definitely will!”
“Well, I hope so!” He said, handing me a card and turning to leave.
“Call me, tomorrow.”
“I will” I replied to his back as stomped his way back down the hall.
And I did.
(to be continued)