JUDITH KOLTAI
Find Judith Koltai Peavy’s obituary here:
A master teacher, Judith was a guest instructor of our summer intensive, Way Out West, for five years. Jennifer (Mascall) remembers:
The work she taught us was steeped in study with legendary somatic practitioners, themselves pioneers. In Paris, France, Her life-changing, rigorous training with Mme. Thérèse Bertherat (The Body Has Its Reasons) was accompanied by the lectures of legendary physiotherapist Françoise Mézières. Her apprenticeship in Sensory Awareness with Charlotte Selver began in 1973, ending only with Ms. Selver’s death at age 102 (2003). Mary Starks Whitehouse, founder of Authentic Movement, was a seminal influence, and she studied with Janet Adler, a follower of Ms. Whitehouse, considered the outstanding contemporary scholar and practitioner of the Discipline of Authentic Movement. Her studies with T’ai Chi teacher Chungliang Al Huang spanned thirty years.
Judith Koltai was a gift to Vancouver’s cultural community of all ages. Arriving here in 1964 from Sweden with acting training and a Masters in French Literature diving into modern dance with Norbert Vesak and Linda Rubin, teaching children creative drama in her basement, inspiring Holiday Theatre audiences, and flourishing as a performer under Joy Coghill’s guidance (Playhouse Holiday). Therapeutic movement and Theatre studies led to a second Masters, advanced teaching qualifications and a therapeutic movement practice.
For decades, she taught extensively. From national and international workshops, festivals, institutions and conferences, to such companies as Compagnie Marie Chouinard, her influence spread. Through the National Voice Intensive (with David Smukkler), her approach had further impact on Canadian and international professional artists. She retired from teaching in her 80’s, yet continued to mentor students committed to the teaching of her work.
More about Judith Koltai, her work and the practitioners who carry it forward can be found at https://www.embodiedpractice-judithkoltai.com/