Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century. The performing arts are those forms of Art which differ from the Plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own Body, Face and presence Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright Marie Steiner-von Sivers (born Marie von Sivers - or Sievers - 14 March 1867 &ndash 27 December 1948) was the second wife of Rudolf The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education -- especially in Waldorf schools -- and as a movement therapy. Pedagogy (ˈpɛdəgɒdʒi or paedagogy is the Art or Science of being a Teacher. Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education is a Pedagogy based upon the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder

The word eurythmy stems from Greek roots meaning beautiful or harmonious rhythm; the term was used by Greek and Roman architects to refer to a harmonious balance of proportion in a design or building. ^[1]

Movement repertoire

The gestures that build the basic movement repertoire of a eurythmist are connected to the sounds and rhythms of language, to the tonal experience of music, to fundamental soul experiences (such as joy and sorrow), and so on. A gesture is a form of Non-verbal communication made with a part of the body used instead of or in combination with verbal communication. Once this fundamental repertoire is mastered, it can be composed into free artistic expressions. The eurythmist also works to cultivate a feeling for the qualities of straight lines and curves, the directions of movement in space (forward, backward, up, down, left, right), contraction and expansion, and color. The element of color is also emphasized both through the costuming, usually given characteristic colors for a piece or part and formed of long, loose fabrics that accentuate the movements rather than the bodily form, and through the lighting, which saturates the space and changes with the moods of the piece. ^[2] Copper eurythmy rods and copper balls^[3] are used in various eurythmy exercises, including therapeutic exercises. ^[4]

Eurythmy's aim is to bring the artists' expressive movement and both the performers' and audience's feeling experience into harmony with a piece's content;^[2] eurythmy is thus sometimes called "visible music" or "visible speech", expressions that originate with its founder, Rudolf Steiner, who described eurythmy as an "art of the soul". Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright

Most eurythmy today is performed to classical (concert) music or texts such as poetry or stories. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Silent pieces are also sometimes performed. ^[2]

Eurythmy with music

When performing eurythmy with music (also called tone eurythmy), the three major elements of music, melody, harmony and rhythm, are all expressed. In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of ^[2] The melody is primarily conveyed through expressing its rise and fall; the specific pitches; and the intervallic qualities present. Pitch represents the perceived Fundamental frequency of a sound In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical Harmony is expressed through movement between tension and release, as expressions of dissonance and consonance, and between the more inwardly directed minor mood and the outwardly directed major mood. Rhythm is chiefly conveyed through livelier and more contoured movements for quick notes, slower, dreamier movements for longer notes; in addition, longer tones move into the more passive (listening) back space, quicker tones into the more active front space.

Breaths or pauses are expressed through a larger or smaller movement in space, giving new impulse to what follows. Beat is conveyed through greater emphasis of downbeats, or those beats upon which stress is normally placed. Beat is generally treated as a subsidiary element, expressed through greater emphasis on the down- or other accentuated beats. Eurythmy has only occasionally been done to popular music, in which beat plays a large role.

The timbre of individual instruments is brought into the quality both of the tonal gestures and of the whole movement of the eurythmist. Usually there will be a different eurythmist or group of eurythmists expressing each instrument, for example in chamber or symphonic music.

A piece's choreography usually expresses elements such as the major or minor key, the shape of the melody line, the interplay between voices or instruments and the relative dominance of one or another voice or instrument. See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή" Thus, musicians can often follow even the finest details of their part in the movements of the eurythmists on stage. Particular musical forms (e. g. the sonata) can have special characteristic choreographic expressions. Usage of sonata The Baroque applied the term sonata to a variety of works though most works in the Baroque Period were fugues and toccatas ^[5]

Eurythmy with spoken texts

Eurythmy is often performed with spoken texts such as poetry, stories or plays. Speech eurythmy includes such elements as the sounds of speech, rhythms, poetic meters, grammar and mood. The phoneME project is Sun Microsystems reference implementation of Java virtual machine and associated libraries of Java ME with source licensed under the GNU Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of In Poetry, the meter or metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. Grammar is the field of Linguistics that covers the Rules governing the use of any given natural language. In speech eurythmy, all the sounds of language have characteristic gestural qualities: the sound of an 'Ah' is formed by raising your arms over your head in a v-shape, designed to show the open quality of that sound. A 'n', however, uses a sharper, jerking movement, again complementing the sound of the letter. Note that it is the audible sounds themselves, not the letters of the written language, that are expressed. ^[6]

History

Eurythmy was born in 1911 when a widow brought her young daughter, Lory Smits, who was interested in movement and dance, to the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Rudolf Steiner ( 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher literary scholar educator artist playwright Due to the recent loss of her father, it was necessary for the girl to find a career. Steiner's advice was sought; he suggested that the girl begin working on a new art of movement. As preparation for this, she began to study human anatomy, to explore the human step, to contemplate the movement implicit in Greek sculpture and dance, and to find movements that would express spoken sentences using the sounds of speech. Soon a number of other young people became interested in this form of expressive movement.

During these years, Steiner was writing a new drama each year for performance at the Anthroposophical Society's summer gatherings; beginning in 1912, he began to incorporate the new art of movement into these dramas. The General Anthroposophical Society is an organization dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the form of Spirituality known as Anthroposophy Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting When the Society decided to build an artistic center in Dornach, Switzerland (this later became known as the Goetheanum) a small stage group began work and offered weekly performances of the developing art. Dornach is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Goetheanum, located in Dornach (near Basel) Switzerland, is the world center for the anthroposophical movement Marie Steiner-von Sivers, Steiner's wife, who was a trained actress and speech artist, was given responsibility for training and directing this ensemble. Marie Steiner-von Sivers (born Marie von Sivers - or Sievers - 14 March 1867 &ndash 27 December 1948) was the second wife of Rudolf This first eurythmy ensemble went on tour in 1919, performing across Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[7]

Steiner saw eurythmy as a unique expression of the anthroposophical impulse:

"It is the task of Anthroposophy to bring a greater depth, a wider vision and a more living spirit into the other forms of art. Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925 which postulates the existence of an objective intellectually But the art of Eurythmy could only grow up out of the soul of Anthroposophy; could only receive its inspiration through a purely Anthroposophical conception. " - Rudolf Steiner ^[8]

In 1924, Steiner gave two intensive workshops on different aspects of eurythmy; transcripts of his talks during these workshops are published as Eurythmy as Visible Speech and Eurythmy as Visible Singing. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Eurythmy ensembles in Stuttgart, Germany and at the Goetheanum soon became established parts of the cultural life of Europe. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Goetheanum ensemble was recognized with a gold medal at the Paris Expo of 1938. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Stuttgart training and ensemble, led by Else Klink, had to close in the Nazi period but reopened shortly after the close of World War II. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including There are now training centers and artistic ensembles in many countries. ^[7]

Eurythmy as a performing art

There are notable eurythmy ensembles in Dornach, Switzerland; Stuttgart, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands; London, England; Järna, Sweden and Chestnut Ridge, New York (near New York City), USA. Dornach is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Chestnut Ridge is a village in the Town of Ramapo Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New The City of New York The United States of America —commonly referred to as the All of these groups both perform locally and tour internationally. Many smaller performing groups also exist (see list).

Pedagogical eurythmy

When the first Waldorf School was founded in 1919, Eurythmy was included in the curriculum. Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education is a Pedagogy based upon the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[9] It was quickly recognized as a successful complement to gymnastics in the school's movement program and is now taught in most Waldorf schools, as well as in many non-Waldorf pre-school centers, kindergartens and schools. Gymnastics is a Sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength agility and coordination Its purpose is to awaken and strengthen the expressive capacities of children through movement, stimulating the child to bring imagination, ideation and conceptualization to the point where they can manifest these as "vital, moving forms" in physical space. Imagination is the ability to form Mental images/sounds/feelings or the ability to Spontaneously Generate images/sounds/feelings within one's own Mind The term "concept" is traced back to 1554–60 ( l conceptum - something conceived but what is today termed "the classical theory of concepts" is the theory of Aristotle ^[2]

Eurythmy pedagogical exercises begin with the straight line and curve and proceed through successively more complicated geometric figures and choreographed forms, developing a child's coordination and concentration. An extensive set of special exercises has also been developed for pedagogical purposes. ^[2] These include many geometric or dynamic movements (such as form metamorphoses), exercises with (usually copper) rods to develop precision in movement and expand the experience of space, and exercises with (usually copper) balls to objectify the movement experience.

There are post-graduate trainings for eurythmy teachers; however, pedagogical trainings are increasingly being incorporated into many colleges of eurythmy.

Therapeutic eurythmy

There are post-graduate trainings in the therapeutic use of eurythmy. Therapeutic eurythmy aims at helping in conditions of illness that have both psychological and somatic components. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and "Somatic" redirects here for the musician known as Somatic see Hahn Rowe.

For more information

• Frequently asked questions about eurythmy
• A complete list of the eurythmy ensembles of the world
• Eurythmy Association of North America

Performance excerpts

• An excerpt from a symphonic eurythmy performance
• Various performances
• Eurythmy and Waldorf Education (Youtube. com)
• Eurythmy: various pieces (Youtube. com)

Training programs

Full-time eurythmy courses are generally four-year programs. There are an increasing number of part-time programs available. English language trainings include:

• Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California
• The School of Eurythmy in Chestnut Ridge, New York
• Peredur School of Eurythmy in East Grinstead, Sussex, England
• West Midlands School of Eurythmy in Stourbridge, England

See a full list of English language training programs with links to some other programs

Notes

1. ^ Matila Ghyka, The Geometry of Art and Life, Sheen and Ward, NY 1946, p. 5
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Carlo Willmann, Waldorfpädogogik, Böhlau Verlag, ISBN 341201898-8, 1998.
3. ^ Mercurius, makers of eurythmy rods and eurythmy balls. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
4. ^ About Eurythmy Therapy. Hermes Health. Retrieved on 2007-11-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events
5. ^ Robert A. McDermott, The Essential Steiner, ISBN 0-06-065345-0, p. 403
6. ^ The gestures of eurythmy have been found to be related to the flow the larynx gives to the stream of air when speaking different sounds. The larynx (plural larynges) colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the Neck of Mammals involved in protection of the See here.
7. ^ ^{a b} Alan Stott, Eurythmy: its Birth and Development, ISBN 0954104846
8. ^ Rudolf Steiner's "Lecture on Eurythmy" August 26, 1923
9. ^ Karl Stockmeyer, Rudolf Steiner's Curriculum for Waldorf Schools, Steiner Schools Fellowship, 1985

Bibliography

• Kirchner-Bockholt and Wood, Fundamental Principles of Curative Eurythmy , ISBN 0-904693-40-6
• Poplawski, Thomas, Eurythmy: Rhythm, Dance and Soul, ISBN 0-88010-459-7
• Siegloch, Magdalene, How the New Art of Eurythmy Began, ISBN 0-904693-90-2
• Spock, Marjorie, Eurythmy, ISBN 0-910142-88-2
• Steiner, Rudolf, Eurythmy as Visible Speech, ISBN 0-85440-421-X
• Steiner, Rudolf, Eurythmy as Visible Singing
• Steiner, Rudolf, An Introduction to Eurythmy: Talks Given Before Sixteen Eurythmy Performances , ISBN 0-88010-042-7