The Origin and Development of Eurythmy 1923–1925

GA 277d — 18 April 1923, Dornach

Eurythmy Performance

The performance was announced in the conference program of the Pedagogical Course from April 15-22, 1923, as “Eurythmy as an Educational Tool.” It was performed by the children of Dornach and students of the Eurythmy School, but the program of the performance is not available. The address was transcribed for the first time for this volume, but there are some gaps and uncertain readings, especially towards the end; see “Notes on the Text.”

Ladies and gentlemen!

I took the liberty of saying a few words about the artistic side of eurythmy before the last performance, so today it will only be necessary to say a few words about the performance that is now to be attempted, more in relation to education. The point is that in eurythmy we are initially dealing with something that is intended to be presented to the world as an art form. At the same time, however, eurythmy has an educational and didactic value, because for the growing child it is, if I may say so, a truly soulful and spiritual form of exercise.

Eurythmy is visible language or visible singing, and by introducing eurythmy as a compulsory subject alongside gymnastics at the Stuttgart Waldorf School, and by being able to share in the progress the children make in eurythmy here, it becomes apparent that at a slightly later age, children learn this animated singing and speaking, this animated language, just as naturally as they unconsciously learn spoken language in their younger years. This is because eurythmy – drawn out in such a natural way from the whole organization of the human being, just like spoken language – reveals itself from this organization.

I would like to remind you of what I said to the esteemed teachers gathered here about the relationship between learning to speak and learning to walk, and indeed everything connected with a child's learning to walk. Learning to walk actually encompasses much more than just walking. It encompasses the human being's adjustment to the balance and movement possibilities given to them by their organization, the world, and the earthly environment. One need only observe how a child must learn to find its way from a completely different state of balance—one that humans otherwise only experience in sleep—into the state of balance that must be characteristic of a normally awake human being in the world.

We must then look at the relationship between the statics and dynamics of the human organism and what is expressed in speech. Speech develops entirely on the basis of these statics and dynamics. These statics and dynamics can be seen in the mutual relationship between the speech center on the left side of the human brain and the right side [of the rest of the organism]: What is static and dynamic in humans is shaped entirely — as everything that occurs in the human organism leaves an imprint on the brain — so the static and dynamic aspects of humans leave an imprint on the brain, and from this, in turn, everything that flows into speech arises. So that, basically, even ordinary speech is nothing more than an expression of the human organism in motion and in equilibrium.

Yes, the way it works is that, as I mentioned recently, in ordinary life, humans can only manage to “babble” in terms of gestures. Everything else that they wanted to express through the entire movement of their organism remains, as it were, at rest from a certain point onwards, is only expressed in the brain, and from there it is transferred into language. So that language is the revelation through all vibrations and movements, the revelation is the possibilities of movement and position /? of the human organism. From this we can already see that, so to speak, from such sources, from language, a completely visible language can also be created [through] the representational possibilities of human movement.

This also means that when children learn eurythmy, they feel just as natural performing these eurythmic movements, which are a visible linguistic revelation, as they do unconsciously fitting into spoken language. And one can really see how progress in eurythmy also helps children to articulate their speech more clearly and to understand language instinctively. It has now reached the point where people who are engaged in linguistic studies come up and say: Yes, eurythmy actually reveals the mystery of the laws of language much more clearly than all philological and linguistic research. But because eurythmy is created from body, soul, and spirit, it also reveals the whole human being in body, soul, and spirit.

In gymnastics, the movements are really only an expression of the statics and dynamics of the body and a little bit of the soul. In gymnastics, the whole human being is not revealed; in eurythmy, [the whole] is an animated and spiritualized form of gymnastics. At the same time, the whole, the total human being comes into action. This is what children also feel and through which they find their way so naturally into this visible language, that is, for them, for the children, into this animated gymnastics.

There will certainly come a time when gymnastics will be less overrated than it was in the nineteenth century. I don't want to say anything against gymnastics; I didn't introduce eurythmy into Waldorf schools instead of gymnastics, but only alongside gymnastics, and gymnastics should not be disparaged in any way. I just want to mention what happened here in this hall once, after I had spoken about the relationship between eurythmy and gymnastics. A very famous contemporary physiologist, who had listened to and watched the talk – I don't want to mention his name, otherwise you would realize how famous the man in question is — he said to me, after I had explained to him that [eurythmy] was part of the Waldorf curriculum, that it was spiritualized gymnastics alongside gymnastics: Yes, you are going too far. As a physiologist, I tell you that gymnastics is not education at all, because gymnastics is barbaric for children. — Yes, you see, of course I am not going that far here; I did not say that, a famous contemporary physiologist said it. But it was said by such a highly learned person in this hall.

Well, this shows that it is right to include in the curriculum something that makes the child feel in every movement how the soul and spirit overflow into the movement. In gymnastics, only the human limbs are placed in spatial positions. In eurythmy, everything is brought out of the soul. Insofar as the soul warms and flows through the body everywhere, what the soul experiences is expressed in the movement of the body. This is why eurythmy has completely different hygienic and therapeutic effects as an educational tool, and we have developed therapeutic eurythmy in addition to eurythmy as something pedagogical, didactic, and artistic. This is not exactly the same as what you see here, because it is designed with the aim of healing and is practiced at the Clinical-Therapeutic Institute in Arlesheim under the direction [by Dr. Wegman] in Arlesheim and in Stuttgart [unclear passage, see notes] – there, therapeutic eurythmy is practiced as a special therapy for very specific cases in which it is applicable, so that it is the right therapy, so that one is dealing with something that has a profound effect on the mental, psychological, and physical organization of the human being.

Now, however, we can see that children really gain a great deal by finding their way into this eurythmy. Or, what our present age particularly needs is for the volitional element of the soul, which comes to the fore especially in eurythmy, to be developed in particular. It is above all volitional initiative that is developed in eurythmy. Gymnastics only develops external flexibility and impulsiveness, but not initiative of will. Initiative of will is developed precisely through this animated, spiritualized gymnastics of eurythmy.

Similarly, one can say that with ordinary spoken language, it is possible to lie, and as you know, it cannot be ruled out that some people do so and that children show signs of lying as they grow up. Those who have to reveal what lives in their soul with their entire human organism cannot lie. One cannot lie in eurythmy; it is contrary to the whole human organism. Therefore, as paradoxical as it may sound to some today, eurythmy is truly a means of educating truthfulness, and as such it is particularly important in this day and age to have eurythmy among the compulsory subjects. And there are many other examples that would show how important eurythmy is as a means of education. And today we would like to show you how eurythmy is practiced as an animated and spiritualized form of gymnastics.

However, if I may say so, you will see children's eurythmy somewhat differently (gap?), but that will not diminish your enjoyment, but rather increase it greatly. You will really see children's eurythmy in part. But then you will also see eurythmy, how shall I put it, not by children in relation to human children, but by eurythmic children, that is, by those eurythmic children who are at the beginning of learning eurythmy, who can therefore only be addressed as eurythmic children when that [illegible].

So you will have the pleasure of seeing eurythmy in a normal elementary school, so to speak, and then seeing eurythmy in a eurythmy school by those who are able to attend the eurythmy school. And I have always held the view that no one is too old for eurythmy if they are learning it for the sake of what it can do for them. I have said that there is no age limit; at the lower end, as soon as you get children to do it, and at the upper end, yes, it can go up to 90 years of age, which is still a very suitable age if you have the necessary mobility to be introduced to eurythmy. [Gap?] We will not give you that pleasure today. So you could easily have 90-year-olds performing as eurythmic children – of course, you will only see what we call young ladies, but at least you will get a glimpse not only of eurythmy in school, but also of the school of eurythmy. I would like to make that distinction.

Therefore, you will be able to enjoy a double treat, so to speak, but both are eurythmy in an educational context, as we announced in the programs. What is primarily school eurythmy will begin [gap] after the [gap] break.