On The Wings Of The Arts

Thursday, February 18, 7:30pm at the Toronto Waldorf School

Witness "moving" pieces of High School Performance Arts at this annual event.

+ Senior Eurythmy Group - led by Jonathan Snow

+ Performing Arts Strings and Winds Groups - led by Tony Browning

+ Performing Arts Choir and Ensemble - led by Patricia Mac Master

For details, call the school at 905-881-1611

Sessions in Barrie With Mary Brian

Mary Brian is giving a hygienic eurythmy class on Monday mornings, 10-11am., in February and March, at Natura Medical Arts Centre, 105 Toronto St., Barrie. The class is on a drop-in basis, and is aimed at relaxing, refreshing, and increasing flexibility. Cost is $15/class and if someone wants to come, I appreciate a phone call ahead at 705-739-4114, ext.#2. Thanks! Mary Brian

Correction and Update from Marjorie Taliano-Nordas

In an earlier post, I wrote that Marjorie was the Director of the Eurythmy School in Oslo. In fact, Coralee Schmandt is the Director. My apologies. The good news is that Coralee Schmandt is also a Canadian! Here is an update from Marjorie...

We've been and are practicing the Foundation Stone with Dorothea Mier who was visiting Oslo. I am now going to Dornach for another European project with 12 eurythmists. As well, I teach fulltime, from kindergarten to tenth grade; also teachers and parents...and I play flute! I will try to come to Montreal in May for a visit...

Right now it is clearer light everyday, snowy and frosty but not as cold as Canada and the darkness is lightening up everyday a little more.

Public Eurythmy Courses In Toronto Area

To my amazement, several people have been (re-) discovering eurythmy via this blog. It's surprising how many people know something about eurythmy, and are keen to take courses. The eurythmists in the area are starting to respond. Here is the notice of an upcoming course...

Jonathan Snow is offering adult eurythmy classes from 4:15 - 5:15pm on Saturday afternoons starting January 16 in the eurythmy room at the Toronto Waldorf School. No previous experience necessary. Fee for the 6-lesson course is $75.

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND SPREAD THE WORD!

For questions and registration, contact Jonathan.

Arbor Vitae Project In Ottawa

Sylvie Richard has recently completed her eurythmy training in Spring Valley, and she is not letting grass grow under her feet in Ottawa. She is already giving public performances of tone eurythmy and leading adult workshops - in English and in French! Of particular interest is the Arbor Vitae project...

I have prepared an artistic project called ARBOR VITAE project which I am promoting for the Waldorf schools and eventually for any group of children as well as to adult groups interested in participating in this artistic production. As the tittle alludes to, I use the very rich stories and images, poetry and music that exist around this reality of the Tree of Life. This is meant to be a co-creation with my participants so already the children in grade 6-7 at the Ottawa Waldorf School have created their own short poems about trees directed by their teacher in their exploration of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire) which we will be weaving into the fabric of the production. The format of work is in block of 4 weeks (ideally 3x/week), and we will have 4 phases in the project. Phase 1 is to work on skills which will allow the participants to be sufficiently comfortable with eurythmy gestures and forms. Time will be used as needed toward this goal- depending on the group. Since it is a co-creation I am very interested in the creative unfolding that will emerge through the different phases of the project. Some of my own artistic work solo will be weaved as well in the final production, so that one will be able to experience a multi-level of artistic capacities.I believe very deeply in the artistic capacities that live in the human being, and that is so very alive and mobile in children. We have started this week at the OWS with the grade4-5 and 6-7 classes and it is already full of promises!

Performance Makes Strong Impressions

"...And there are those like you and me and many many others
Who can never forget the Man with the Broken Fingers.
His will, his pride as a free man, shall go on.
His shadow moves and his sacred fingers speak...."

The Remembrance Day program by Grasshopper Productions at the Toronto Waldorf School left very strong impressions on the audience. The Carl Sandburg piece, "The Man With The Broken Fingers" was especially powerful. In this post, I am restating (largely in my own words) some of the comments I have heard from high school eurythmy students. I have also invited other audience members to submit their own articles...MM

"Not bad.." This was meant as a compliment - the performance was actually very interesting to him. "Edgy...surprising...shocking..." It seems that the students were gripped, and they really felt engaged with what was happening on the stage. The eurythmy was not just happening "out there", but "in here". They used words like "weight...grounded...immediate...," and seemed surprised when they remembered they were talking about eurythmy.

There has been some discussion about the relationship between eurythmy and drama. It was very effective when the speaker very ceremoniously put on the boots, and began the Gestapo investigation. But when the costumes are so realistic, is it still eurythmy? Does the speech take over? Do we lose the power of eurythmy, and enter a realm of purely physical drama? Does it matter?

The students appreciated the artistic sequence. The Levertov pieces, which opened and closed the program, involved a rhythmical interplay of different elements, and provided a balance to the more visceral parts of the program. One student felt that the eurythmists somehow managed to maintain a spiritual quality while entering a very physical realm.

I have heard very little about the tone pieces...perhaps this is slowly working on a deeper level...

I asked, "if we showed the piece on YouTube, would people have a similar experience?."

They replied (in so many words), "No."

Youth Movement - Part Two

This summer, at the Whitehorse Conference, I enjoyed a performance evening by Marjorie Taliano-Nordas. Marjorie spoke with affection and gratitude about her first eurythmy lessons with Christa Kuehn in Montreal. She is now the Director of the Eurythmy School in Oslo, and feels an enduring relationship to Canada.

Lori Scotchko, also from Canada, is currently studying at the Oslo school, and has promised an article about her experiences at this excellent school. I have also heard recently from Marie-Eve Piche, who is studying in Spring Valley. (Marc-Antoine Brodeur is studying in the UK, and you can see his earlier post here.)

It's wonderful that they are using the Internet (email and blog postings) to reach out. Although each of us often feels isolated, it's inspiring to re-discover tha we are part of an international community. We have so much to learn from each other, and this is a great way to start.