Biographies
LISA LEVINSON is a certified teaching member of Alexander Technique International as well as a certified Registered Movement Therapist, and maintains a lively private practice in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh, PA. Her students include musicians (instrumentalists, vocalists, conductors), actors, artists, psychologists, equestrians, computer and business professionals, children, and people with pain issues. Prior to training as an Alexander teacher, Lisa earned her B.S. in Business Adminstration from West Virginia University and her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. She then had dual careers as a computer consultant and a freelance violinist, playing for 14 years with the Westmoreland Symphony (Greensburg, PA.), and for six years with the chamber group Orchestra Nova. After a pause of several years, during which she was raising her children, she resumed playing music and now performs with several small chamber ensembles. Her experience as a musician greatly colors her teaching, particularly when working with other musicians. Lisa completed her 3-year Alexander training at The Alexander Alliance in Philadelphia, PA, under the direction of Bruce Fertman and Martha Hansen Fertman, in 1998. She continues to study with master teachers of the Technique, and considers her mentors to be Judith Stern and Elisabeth Walker. Lisa teaches classes and workshops throughout the greater Pittsburgh region. In addition, she teaches the Alexander Technique at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University,West Virginia University's College of Creative Arts, and at the annual summer Dalcroze Eurhythmics workshops at Carnegie Mellon University. She is thrilled to have joined with Lonna Wilkinson to create Alexander Technique Pittsburgh.		LONNA WILKINSON has been drawn to the study of movement her whole life, first as a dancer and choreographer, and currently through her ongoing teaching and investigation of the Alexander Technique. Certified by the American Society of Alexander Teachers (AmSAT), Lonna has been teaching in Squirrel Hill since 2002, to a wide variety of students including musicians, physical therapists, actors, singers, writers, teachers, and others who wish to improve their postural and movement potential. She is delighted to have met Lisa Levinson and to be a partner in Alexander Technique Pittsburgh. Prior to becoming a teacher of the Technique, Lonna was a professional dancer/teacher/choreographer. She was one of the original members of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company in San Francisco - and proudly attended the recent celebration of the company's 30th anniversary. After several years with the company, Lonna moved to Washington , D.C., formed her own dance company, and became an associate professor in the Dance Departments of George Washington University and American University. Moving to Ithaca, New York to teach at Cornell University, Lonna became interested in dance and film and created an evening of performance, Solo/dance/film/Duets, that toured throughout the country. She has been a guest artist at several colleges, and has received NEA and other grants for her choreography. Returning to dance after the birth of her first child, Lonna took a dance class that incorporated the principles of the Alexander Technique. She was very struck by the experience, which seemed to offer a completely unique understanding of human movement. Soon she began the three year training to become a teacher of the Technique, with Marion Goldberg in Washington, DC. A move to California allowed her to continue her training with master teachers Ed and Linda Avak in Palo Alto. She completed her training in Boston with Ted Dimon and studied with several guest teacher from England including Jean Clark, John Nichols and Vivian Mackie. Graduating from the Dimon School for the Alexander Technique (now located in NYC), she began a teaching practice in Brookline, Mass. In 2002, she and her family moved to Pittsburgh. In addition to her AmSat teacher certification Lonna holds a BA in Dance from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a MA in Movement Studies from Wesleyan University.