Here is an inspiring story from Texas. They started from scratch 10 years ago, and now look what's happening! (
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In November 2006, the Austin Eurythmy Ensemble celebrated its 10th Anniversary as a professional eurythmy troupe. This is a milestone which the members mark with awe and delight for a past filled with incredibly satisfying performance work, whirlwind tours, amazing professional collaboration, important alliances and relationships, and, most of all, enormous gratitude for their many, many supporters.
For those who have been fortunate enough to travel some of this 10-year journey with the ensemble, this is a milestone in which you can take particular pleasure. Over the course of those years, the ensemble has grown by incredible leaps and bounds on many different levels. From their beginnings as a 4-member troupe with little or no budget and no local peer support (moving from Spring Valley, New York, rife with eurythmy, to Austin, Texas, theretofore void of eurythmy!), they have indeed grown into a mature troupe of professional artists complete with a devoted Circle of Friends and deeply satisfying professional relationships. The supporters of the Austin Eurythmy Ensemble, and in fact of eurythmy in general, can take delight in these accomplishments.
There are, indeed, many important accomplishments to be celebrated. Having been granted the unique position of artists-in-residence upon their arrival in Austin, Markus and Andrea Weder and Jolanda Frischknecht have been able to continue their work as professional eurythmists while at the same time enjoying the immensely satisfying work of teaching eurythmy at the Austin Waldorf School. Providing the school with consistent, high quality eurythmy instruction has not only benefited the school, resulting in programs such as the Austin Youth Eurythmy Troupe, an extra-curricular high school troupe, and the first ever International High School Eurythmy Festival, it has also fed a particular passion of the eurythmists to work intensely with youth. The reciprocity of this relationship is one that has in no small way lent to the momentum that has fueled the AEE’s work as an ensemble.
And work they have. Since their inception, the group has produced and performed over four different evening programs and numerous children’s programs, traveling across the U.S. and Canada in at least seven performance tours. Much to their delight, audiences have been readily complimentary with praise, commenting on the depth, eloquence, sophistication and precision that the ensemble brings to the stage. But more important than those individual elements of their programs is the quality of cohesion that the ensemble has achieved; indeed, a history of 10 years together has provided the space in which the members have been able to grow into more than the sum of its parts. As Rachel Andrews, former eurythmist at the Summerfield Waldorf School, succinctly stated upon the occasion of attending an AEE performance of Voices of the Hereafter, “A true Ensemble, one can experience [with the AEE] a strong collaboration between the artists not always present in eurythmy performances.” And from Mary Barhydt of the San Francisco Waldorf School upon witnessing the program Among the Ashes, “Of all the aspects of this group which is paramount in my memory, it is the truly ensemble quality of this group’s work.” These reflections are indicative of a high level of maturity and underscore the importance of longevity when considering the quality of performance art.
It is here necessary to point out the relationships the eurythmists have cultivated and enjoyed with their collaborative artists, for the nature of eurythmy to make visible the world of music and speech would make it impossible to practice it without supporting musicians and speech artists. Fellow eurythmists Barbara Bresette-Mills and Annette Heinze, pianist Dr. Anthony Tobin, speech artists Katherine Thivierge and Ellen Burke, violinist Rebecca Browne, and pianist Christina Lunceford are some of the many who deserve recognition here. They have offered their talent and time with generous hearts and their collaborations have helped to shape the ensemble into its present form.
In that present form, the ensemble pursues many opportunities to further develop the presence of eurythmy in the world. Along those lines, one of the most important manifestations of the past 10 years has been the Summer Eurythmy Academy. In these recurring month-long intensives, graduates of Waldorf education can more fully explore the art of eurythmy as it relates not only to performance work but also to self-development. The young adult has an opportunity to further his or her understanding of the soulful quality of eurythmy in the light of anthroposophy, as introductions to that topic are made and discussed. This has been an enormous success story, and the momentum of this work has carried it to the point that opportunities for the students to perform their work with the ensemble in a professional capacity are being explored.
In another effort to bring eurythmy more visibility, the ensemble has branched out into the public sphere with workshops, lecture/demonstrations, and public performances at local venues such as theaters and museums. The future holds more such work, and the ensemble is thrilled to be a part of the movement to bring eurythmy to a larger audience.
As they continue into the next decade, touring and performing across the U. S. and Europe and mentoring youth, the ensemble remains devoted to bringing eurythmy ever more fully into human consciousness. Taking a look back over their shoulders now
they can recognize that its many supporters and advocates are in no small way responsible for their success. The support of the Austin Waldorf School has been instrumental in the ensemble’s ability to pursue their goals, and their gratitude for this relationship is monumental. Many organizations and foundations have been steadily and consistently providing practical, monetary support needed for such work, and they are (in no order), the Eurythmy Association of North America, The Mid-States Shared Gifting Group, the Waldorf Educational Foundation, and the Rudolf Steiner Foundation. And to their dedicated Board of Directors, Circle of Friends, and the many, many others who have offered their support, both financial and otherwise, the ensemble wishes to offer a tremendous Thank You!
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