On Campus: 3rd & 4th Grade Eurythmy
Eurythmy you say?
This winter, our 3rd and 4th graders had the opportunity to spend time in Eurythmy blocks with Ms. Elena Baba. The time was spent on our stage, working on pieces that would normally be shared at an all school assembly for our community. They can instead, be explored here.
What is Eurythmy?
In the description given by Waldorf Publications, “This dance form is an essential part of the curriculum in Waldorf schools. It has its echo in another topic unique to Waldorf schools, Form Drawing. This kind of drawing builds a spatial awareness in children, and leads them to know the drawing of line as movement come to stillness. In Eurythmy many of these forms would appear on the floor if the feet were made of chalk!
Eurythmy was started by Rudolf Steiner as a performance art to make music and speech visible in artistic form. Professor Fred Amrine, at the University of Michigan, recently completed research that places the line of modern American dance in the hands of Rudolf Steiner, following Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan. Rather than self-expression, modern dance began as a disciplined, meditatively-based art form. Steiner took this to new heights to create, through dance, visible music and visible speech.” (Source)
At the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, Eurythmy comes to life for students across our grades and can take many varying forms including work with copper rods, form work and complex patterns.
Please explore a short video of 3rd and 4th grade eurythmy work below from the winter of ‘21.
“It was such a joy to work with third and fourth grade the last four weeks of this Eurythmy block. They performed for the first and second grade and it was truly a festive and joyous celebration. We covered a lot of material this time around , and they were ready to embrace each and every aspect of the work. Teaching on the stage has its merits! They seemed to love being up there and able to share their work with the school. I am looking forward to the time we can share this festive spirit with all of you. In the meantime I hope you enjoy these videos and photographs. ”