Julia Gilroy
BA(Hons) D.E. ATI
Certified in the Alexander Technique and LearningMethods, she has over 16 years' teaching experience. Since 2018 she has taught at the health centre in the dance school: Pôle National Supérieur de Danse.
A classical and contemporary dancer, Julia is also a contemporary dance teacher
Alexander Technique and LearningMethods Pedagogy
J’ai commencé la danse très jeune et me suis formée de manière intensive dès l’âge de 11 ans dans des écoles de danse pré-professionnelles jusqu’à mes 18 ans.
This training was both physically and mentally exacting. As a result I had very little self confidence and a huge amount of muscular tension. Without doubt it had an impact on my career choices as a dancer as well as on my personal life.
Discovery of the Alexander Technique
However, this experience led me to develop an interest in biomechanics and pedagogy. I discovered the Alexander Technique while studying at Surrey University, but it was only after I moved to France that I started taking regular classes.
Thanks to this method, I was able to overcome a tendonitis injury and continue long dance tours without difficulty. I then realised the inestimable value of this approach, not only for dancers but also for the general public. Convinced of its effectiveness, I enrolled in a training course and jubilantly received my teaching diploma in 1999.
My Introduction to LearningMethods™
During the Alexander Technique training, I met a guest teacher called David Gorman. His pedagogocial approach caught my attention as did his innovative research into human design and his development of the Alexander Technique which grew into the LearningMethods™ work.
Teaching and Professional Engagements Julia Gilroy - Dancer and Teacher
Dance was a central part of my life from a very early age. I went to Arts Educational School at Tring Park until I was 16yrs old then I studied at the Royal Ballet Upper School.
This rigorous training drained my confidence and created patterns of muscular tension which restricted my natural progress. This realisation inspired my interest in teaching, in somatic practices and the well-being of dancers.
Thanks to my experiences in ballet companies in Kiel, Mannheim and the Berlin Opera, I began to develop my own pedagogical approach on my return to the UK. A friend had mentioned a new dance degree course that was being set up, the first of its kind in an English university. It was to be a turning point in my career.
I studied at Surrey University from 1984-1987 finishing one year early due to my previous experience. Consequently, I was the first dance student to graduate from the university. Since the course was privately funded I had to pay my own way.
During these years I taught contemporary dance classes on and off campus which was an enriching experience. Following this I danced with London based companies (an apprentice for Extemporary Dance co. and member of Adventures in Motion Pictures) and continued teaching for a variety of establishments.
- LEA (London Education Authority)
- Pineapple Studios
- Private schools
- Education projects with Adventures in Motion Pictures Company (now New Adventures directed by Matthew Bourne)
My teaching skills continued to evolve in France where I taught at local culturel centres and in state schools.
After emigrating to France I was a freelance dancer in Paris working with young choreographers until I began working with Jean Claude Gallotta in Grenoble.
In 1994 I had a dispense to teach contemporary dance in France and taught in primary and secondary schools as well as local Arts Centres. At the same time I began training in the Alexander Technique in Paris. After my certification in 2000 I began my apprenticeship with David Gorman and certified as a LearningMethods teacher in 2007.
Un stage de perfectionnement au PNSD (Pôle National Supérieur de Danse) Following a refresher course at PNSD (Pôle Nationale Supérieur de Danse) I completed the teacher training course at the National Centre of Dance in Paris in 2019. D.E. (Diplôme d’État) au CND (Centre National de Danse) à Paris.
Over the last 8 years I have been developing my own teaching programs at the health clinic at PNSD as well as for the general public. ateliers et conférences internationales and continue to refine my practice by participating regularly in conferences and workshops.
