Anthony Spawforth (1919-2003), British teacher of the Alexander Technique, who started his training with F. M. Alexander.
Life
Anthony Spawforth started training with F. M. Alexander in February 1951, and was qualified by Walter Carrington in 1955.
He worked as an assistant at Ashley Place and also taught part-time in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1958, and was the first teacher to teach the Technique in continental Europe.
He and his wife Pat, who also trained in the Technique, moved to Bournemouth in 1966 where he taught until a few days before his death. For some years he also taught regularly in Bath and Cardiff.[1] [2] [3]
A description of his style of teaching is provided in the obituary by his daughter, Penny.[4]
Writings, Video
Spawforth gave the F. Matthias Alexander Memorial Lecture in 1997, ‘F. M. Alexander’s training course: The last years’,[5] his memories of training with Alexander 1951–53.
He gave the keynote address to the 6th International Congress of the Alexander Technique in Freiburg, in 1999.[6]
A workshop by Anthony Spawforth given at the 2001 STAT conference in Bristol was published as a DVD.[7]
Other people’s writings
Spawforth is mentioned in Binkley’s diaries of training with F. M. Alexander.[8]
Obituaries and remembrances
‘Anthony Spawforth 1919-2003’ by Penny Spawforth.[9]
‘Tony Spawforth’ by Walter Carrington.[10]
‘A man of many parts’ by John Edwards.[11]
‘Loss of a pioneer’ by Jean Clark.[12]
Anthony Spawforth *25 March 1919 – †8 March 2003.