Workshop Evaluations 2011 – 2014
ALEXANDER PANDISCIO
Dancer San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet; Student Rice University Houston, Texas
Alexander Pandiscio is currently a student of Kinesiology and Sports Medicine at Rice University and the Ballet Master for Uptown Dance Company in Houston, Texas.
In 2011, he was chosen by Rice University as the recipient of the Brotzen Award, a fellowship that allowed him to study privately with master teacher Judith Reyn in Vienna, Austria.
"The insights I gained from just three days of Judith Reyn's Houston workshop in 2007 ultimately inspired me to pursue a formal degree in kinesiology after my professional dancing career. Ms. Reyn is a rare, and indeed crucial, link between the worlds of sports medicine and classical ballet. Her decades of research and experience in the field are invaluable to anyone pursuing the art and science of ballet. With an emphasis on the proper articulation of the limbs, Ms. Reyn's workshop illuminates many elements of the classical style and explains the purpose of each aspect of the technique in relation to the mechanics of the human body. She thus affirms that, if properly equipped with knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology, a dancer can efficiently and safely access the necessary musculoskeletal control and alignment required for an exquisite technique.
Sharing the insights I gained from her with my own students has most certainly accelerated the learning process, and among other things, has helped to correct common technical faults and promote greater flexibility and stamina. More importantly, working with Ms. Reyn has helped me to truly understand the 'why' and 'how' of teaching ballet. I believe any dancer or teacher with an appreciation of the finer points of ballet technique would greatly benefit from studying with Ms. Reyn."