About AT Phila
Alexander Technique Philadelphia (AT Phila) is committed to helping people of all ages and abilities to feel and function at their best.
Dedicated to sharing the Alexander Technique in simple and direct ways, learning with AT Phila opens a world of fun exploration that is directly applicable to your daily life. Our emphasis is on non-judgmental experimentation that creates a safe environment for learning that empowers each student to make real, sustainable change.
"Ariel’s careful and insightful teaching truly changed my relationship with my body. In our lessons, she eased years of chronic joint pain and unlocked new ways of moving that have transformed both how I carry groceries home and how I train as a trapeze artist. I’m tremendously grateful for Ariel’s deep knowledge and sensitive communication."
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– Lauren Smith
Aerialist, Tangle Arts founder
"The first time I went to Ariel I was convinced I would never be able to maintain the level of awareness and flexibility she was requesting. Over time, the relationship between my body and my violin became more and more conscious, and the physical freedom that followed was extraordinary. Ariel goes beyond the physical... I highly recommend Alexander Technique to all of my students."
– Timothy Schwarz
String Department Chair, Rowan University
"Ms. Weiss has practiced and taught Alexander Technique for the past 18 years in the Vocal Studies Department at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has had a great deal of success during these years with a number of singers in the Department and I am happy to recommend her on the highest level."
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– Mikael Eliason
Dean of Vocal Studies and Artistic Director, Curtis Opera Theatre
Testimonials
Meet Ariel
Ariel Weiss (she/her) has maintained a lively private practice in Philadelphia since certifying to teach in 1988. She is a teaching member of Alexander Technique International and teaches with an innovative and practical approach in the style of her mentor Master Teacher Marjorie Barstow. An inveterate mover, Ariel earned her Master’s degree in Movement and Dance from Wesleyan University and moves to music whenever possible.
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In addition to her private practice, Ariel coaches musicians at The Curtis Institute of Music, coordinates a Wellness Program for surgeons at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-hosts the Pedagogy Geeks podcast. She teaches weekly classes online for seniors, remote workers and musicians and has created numerous Alexander workshops for communities regionally and internationally, including York Golf & Tennis Club, the Santa Fe Opera, and Alexander Alliance /Tokyo and Aru Quality Pro training programs in Japan. Previously she trained teachers at the Philadelphia School for the Alexander Technique and taught at Allentown College, the University of the Arts, Temple University and Pig Iron School.
Active as a dancer and choreographer for most of her life, Ariel brings well over 50 years of movement training to her practice with an extensive background in Modern Dance, Ballet, Contact Improvisation, T’ai Chi, Pilates, Ideokinesis, Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals and more recently West Coast Swing and Flamenco dance. She has developed an expertise working with performing artists, bringing her choreographer’s creative and playful sensibility to problem solving, her performer’s sensitivity to the many demands of a performing artist on and off stage, and a keen eye and sensitive ear to deciphering the subtle interferences in a student’s coordination.
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Also active as a presenter, Ariel delivered her TEDx talk Posture myth-busting in Waltham, MA in June 2021 and has presented annually for World Voice Day and Endoscopy Airways Course at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has also presented at Grand Rounds at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, at the Freedom to Act conference, the 2105 ATI Annual General Meeting and the 11th and 12th International Congress of Alexander Technique. Seeking to further enhance the greater Alexander community, Ariel is an active member of ATLP (Alexander Technique Liberation Project), a founding member of ATTGP (Alexander Technique Teachers of Greater Philadelphia) and co-founded and presented the Freedom to Make Music Alexander Technique Conference for Musicians in New York City.
