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Alicia Head

@theinnerlifeofballet

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Ballet Rehabilitation Specialist. GYROTONIC® and Pilates. Application of dance science and movement principles to classical ballet.
IADMS presenter

POSTS STORIES REELS

GYROKINESIS Essentials Decompression of the Thoracic Spine material.

Need a GYROKINESIS/GYROTONIC update?

Come join me November 13-15 in Phoenix, AZ at Kinesphere Studio/Phoenix GYROTONIC.

There are still spots available in the course.

Beautiful format, breath-based, expansive but calming. Great nervous system reset and a gentle way to mobilize the thoracic spine.

Grateful to be hosted again by my inspiring friend and colleague @dominikacoachesmovement

DM for registration details.

✨🥀✨

IT FEELS AMAZING
🌀🦋🌬️

And a big thank you to my dear friend and colleague @studionaturalflow for hosting me last winter. 😘 by @theinnerlifeofballet

Thank you, @collegiateartsprep, for having me back to teach a ballet class to your incredible students! We had such a good time exploring the integration of turnout into dancing, and how technique can feel more supported and efficient.

Also highlighted was how the head and eyes play a big part in the FEELING of port de bras. Not just shapes and positions, but the MEANING of it all.

And we found our psoas with some dynamic homework exercises. The next time these dancers do a grand battement, their legs will fly up quickly and effortlessly.

Thanks again, @collegiateartsprep and all of you wonderful dancers!

✨💪🩰 by @theinnerlifeofballet

🛎️NEW CLASS!

“Activating Standing Leg Turnout with the Pilates Trapeze Table.”

For Pilates instructors who work with dancers, here is an online class dedicated to exploring the beautiful side-lying repertoire on the Pilates Trapeze Table or “Cadillac.”

The theme is standing leg turnout and the session is divided into five sections, including a mat exercise preparation, and then a progression of side-lying turnout exercises.

I love the trap table for building strength and awareness of the standing leg because the springs provide incredible feedback. Dancers learn to find that all-important feeling of length AND tension, which builds a powerfully grounded and supportive standing leg.

I’ve included some turnout anatomy in the video, and detailed verbal/manual cueing is highlighted.

Most importantly, the video features the wonderful @lunas_ , a former professional dancer and now movement educator/studio owner of @lunavegastudio, a beautiful boutique studio within @justoneeye.

Lüna and I have been geeking out over ballet for about seven years now, and it gives us such joy to explore all of the richness of connection and support that can make ballet feel good!

In between exercises, Lüna shares the differences she feels as her body responds to the work. So valuable to have this kind of real-time feedback. Thank you, Lüna!

If you’re interested in renting this video, I’m offering it for $35 with a three-month viewing window. I accept payments through Venmo and Zelle - just DM me for the information. by @theinnerlifeofballet

Houston, we DON’T have a problem! We only have solutions! What an incredible organization - the Houston Ballet Academy. It was an honor to visit them in August and contribute to their professional development week.

I worked with the passionate and brilliant instructors of both the lower and upper schools, the Health & Wellness team, and the students of the professional division and Houston Ballet 2.

We had conversations and explored all of the rich details behind how placement and connection cues integrate into DANCING.

I was inspired by the work ethic and professionalism of all of the dancers - they all had such a wonderful combination of curiosity, discipline, and respect for their art form.

This week allowed me to, as one of my favorite artists, Bono, says:

“She’s gonna dream of the world she wants to live in; she’s gonna dream out loud.”

Thank you to @akihirothegreatofficial and Jennifer Sommers for giving me this dream-come-true opportunity.

🤓🩰💗✨🙏 by @theinnerlifeofballet

Yesterday, I had the PLEASURE of teaching this extraordinary group of focused dancers who are attending an intensive at Collegiate Arts Prep., a brilliant program directed by @paigeborowski. We spent our time together exploring turnout and finding ways to feel how it can support us. THANK YOU to all of these amazing people and especially to @collegiateartsprep for having me!

🩵✨ by @theinnerlifeofballet

Day 3 at the GYROTONIC® Embodiment Conference - Reinforce Day. Today was dedicated to narrowing and suppling, finding new ways to connect and release, and the explore what we know and what is coming. It was a day of deep learning and AHA moments for many people. The presenters really knocked it out of the park. Thank you to @dominikacoachesmovement @irenejrampino @elementsjustine @theinnerlifeofballet and @jim_heidenreich for making this day special!

#gyrotonicembodimentconference2026 #gyrotonic by @theinnerlifeofballet

Come join us for your Gyrokinesis Update with the amazing Alicia Head! November 20-22. Link in Bio! by @theinnerlifeofballet

✨ Bridging Cross-Training with Artistry ✨
This week reminded me once again that physical preparation and artistry are not separate worlds—they are deeply connected.

Train the body. Develop the mind. Free the artist. 🩰

@houstonballetacademy
@houstonballet

Cross-training is so much more than injury prevention. It gives dancers the strength, stability, coordination, mobility, and awareness to have greater freedom of expression in their dancing.

When we help students understand why we train—not simply what we are training—we begin to create meaningful buy-in. Conditioning becomes another tool in the artistic process: a way to build the physical capacity that allows dancers to take risks, explore movement, and express themselves with greater confidence and freedom.

Cross-training builds the body. Artistry gives it purpose.

One of the most important lessons I continue to learn as an educator is that conditioning is not simply about injury prevention — it is about creating the physical freedom to become a stronger artist.

We can look to incredible artists such as Marianela Núñez, Misty Copeland, and Svetlana Zakharova as inspiring examples of dancers who have understood the importance of physical preparation throughout their careers. The goal is not to make conditioning separate from classical technique, but to allow the two to support and elevate one another.

And perhaps most importantly, the studio is a place where dancers can develop lifelong discipline.

Having the opportunity to learn, observe, exchange ideas, and share the studio with someone who has inspired me deeply is something I will truly cherish. Moments like these remind me why we teach, why we continue learning, and why mentorship is such a powerful part of the performing arts.

It is a space to explore without the pressure of performance, to develop mental focus and emotional regulation, and to establish professional habits—consistency, punctuality, preparation, self-reflection, and commitment.

Sometimes, even 5–10 intentional minutes in the morning can make a difference. Those small moments of preparation teach dancers how to listen to their bodies, focus their minds, and arrive ready to wo by @theinnerlifeofballet

Not a certified trainer? No problem.

For the GYROTONIC® Embodiment Conference, we've opened a select group of classes to non-trainers — no certification, no experience needed. Just come try it out.

📍 Long Beach, CA 🗓 September 1–4
👐 Train with master trainers from around the world.
🎟 Limited spaces for single classes — book just one class, or both classes (two classes per day - no full pass required).

Two Day 1 classes are open to you right now:

The GYROKINESIS® Playground — breath, stimulation & space
GYROKINESIS® Essentials of the Lumbar Spine

Spaces are limited, and Day 1 is September 1. Register while spots last
👆 Click on the link in our bio.

#gyrotonic® #gyrotonicmethod #gyrokinesis® #embodimentconference #longbeach #movementpractice #mindbodymovement #somaticmovement #breathwork #openlevel by @theinnerlifeofballet

THE 2026 GYROTONIC® EMBODIMENT CONFERENCE is just around the corner!

There's still time for you to register. Join us for all 4 days, 1 day, of for individual classes.

Day passes for trainers and apprentices are now available, along with select classes for non-trainers. Click on the link in our bio to see the full list of registration options and pricing.

Day 3 - September 3 - Reinforce

7 am - check in

8 - 9:30 am - “Integrating the Upper Core as a Pathway to Narrowing” - Dominika Borovansky Gaines
(This class is open to non-trainers)

9:45 - 11:45 am - Group A - “Narrowing from the Inside Out - An Anatomical and Energetic Exploration” - Alicia Head and Dr. Justine Bernard
(This class is open to non-trainers)

9:45 - 11:45 am - Group B - “Condensing Energy to Direct It” - Dr. Irene Rampino

11:45 am - 1:15 pm - lunch

1:15 - 3:15 pm - Group A - “Condensing Energy to Direct It” - Dr. Irene Rampino

1:15 - 3:15 pm - Group B - “Narrowing from the Inside Out - An Anatomical and Energetic Exploration” - Alicia Head and Dr. Justine Bernard

3:30 - 5 pm - Merrithew CEO The Future of The GYROTONIC® Method /Q & A - Jim Heidenreich

There are also a handful of hotel rooms still available. Contact the sales manager directly to guarantee your spot.
Melissa Dockery (562) 481-3927
Hurry before they're gone!

September 1–4, 2026
Hotel Maya · Long Beach, California

4 Days
16 Sessions
One Shared Experience

REGISTER TODAY! by @theinnerlifeofballet

Meet my teaching assistants for “Narrowing the Pelvis from the Inside Out - an anatomical and energetic exploration” that I will be co-presenting with @elementsjustine at the GYROTONIC Embodiment Conference coming up next month!

Curious about this completely brilliant movement principle that provides dynamic support for everything we do?

Sign up for the whole conference, a single day, or a single class. Lots of options.

Selected presentations are now open to the public, including this one!

Go to @gyrotonicsouthbay for registration details.

🌀↕️🩵 by @theinnerlifeofballet

In June, I taught a GYROTONIC Level 1 Archway course at my dear colleague Dominika Gaines’ studio in Phoenix. We had an incredible time diving deep into the glorious work on this apparatus. Much time was spent on harnessing the power of the breath - figuratively, but also literally! When you are hanging against gravity, your breath becomes an inner harness of support!

Dominika and I go way back to the late 1990s and share a similar educational background. I admire what I like to call her “somatic authenticity”. She searches for the honest truth in movement, and she inspires me to bring my “A game” when I teach at her studio.

Dominika and I will both be presenting at the upcoming GYROTONIC embodiment conference September 1-4 in Long Beach, CA. Between the two of us, we have 50+ years of teaching experience. And that’s true of all of the other presenters at this conference as well. 25+ years of experience and 18 master trainers? That’s a combined 450 years! Enough to make quite a “pool of wisdom.”

Come join us and get inspired!

There are also some new pricing and attendance options available. Check out @gyrotonicsouthbay for details. by @theinnerlifeofballet