In artistic Eurythmy, the artist strives to make the spoken word visible and to make music visible, through ensouled movements of the body. In teaching Eurythmy in school, while it is still the endeavor to bring the spoken word to life through movement and to see the Eurythmy tones singing in the children, Eurythmy is first and foremost a tool to help the children to incarnate into their bodies in a healthy and balanced way so that they can be free from hindrances in body and soul. This also keeps me appreciating my unusual vocation.
It has been a great pleasure to meet all the new children in our school and especially to welcome the new Class 1s into our Primary School. Their Eurythmy lessons in Class 1 have started off very gently with games for us to get to know each other and for the children to settle into their new surroundings. This week we will start moving to stories together, as they are used to from kindergarten, but now moving the characters with more energy, awareness, and questions I’m sure.
In Class 2, the children are slowly being introduced to short agility exercises, that call on the movement of their limbs in a variety of actions and directions, with various kinds of stepping, skipping and jumping, and body geography. There will be moving stories of animals and saints and circle dances too.
In Class 3, as the children enter this year of the Rubicon, we have started with some jumping exercises and mid-line crossing, which are great incarnating exercises to help the children grasp hold of their bodies. The Class is also learning a dance made up of two circles moving in different directions, which is coming together beautifully.
Class 4 are also starting the year off with a dance but now they have grown more skillful in their moving and so the dance is quite involved. The steps are more detailed and counted out exactly and there is much variety within it. This is the year I will test their concentration and ability to multitask in movement. For example, stepping a rhythm with their feet while adding gestures to their arms or clapping a different rhythm with their hands to their feet. This year they will also slowly discover the names of the Eurythmy gestures and start to learn them consciously.
In Class 5, as the children are growing more independent and will start to feel their separateness more often, we introduce them to some wonderful flowing forms or choreography; where they have to move together as a Class, in time with one another and the music, in order for the form to work, more so than previously. This is the year to feel themselves in community in Eurythmy or striving towards this. They can also begin to work more independently and come up with ideas out of themselves. That is always very exciting for me to see as the teacher.
The Class 6‘s by now have a wonderful grasp of their bodies in general and this is the year that I push for exactness in the lessons. They can be quick on their feet and quite precise, they know a lot of gestures quite well now and I will test their spatial orientation by giving them exercises that involve quick changes in direction. They will learn the copper rod exercises given by Rudolf Steiner, which is fitting for their age. As their muscles are growing and developing the rod exercises serve to stretch them out and bring them into a balanced posture.
In Class 7 the children are working on a piece to perform in assembly soon. This year we incorporate a lot of what they have learnt in the previous years, now combining rod exercises, geometric forms moved as a group, and elements of social Eurythmy. On the music side, they will learn more specific elements of tone Eurythmy.
As the Primary School Eurythmy teacher, I continue to be grateful for the special enlivening nature of Eurythmy and for the wonderful children I get to work with every day.
Ms Jody Terblanche
(Picture Ref: “Angel letters Class 1 Chrysalis Steiner school”)
