australian steiner curriculum … · ‘creator being’ is brought to consciousness when, through...

© Steiner Education Australia DANCE A: EURYTHMY CURRICULUM K-10 www.steinereducation.edu.au Version: (ACARA v8.1) June 2016 / September 2017

STEINER EDUCATION AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN STEINER CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

The Arts:

EURYTHMY CURRICULUM (DANCE A)

Kindergarten/Foundation to Year 10

June 2016

ACARA RECOGNITION GRANTED SEPTEMBER 2017

The Australian Steiner Curriculum: Eurythmy was developed to meet the recognition and equivalence given to alternate internationally recognised curricula by the Australian Curriculum

Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).


©SEA:ASCF DANCE A: EURYTHMY Curriculum Years K-10 of 50 www.steinereducation.edu.auVersion: (ACARA v 8.1)June 2016 / September 2017

Revisions included in this document:

June 2016 As submitted to ACARA Recognition process (based on ACARA v 8.1)

September 2017 ACARA Recognition granted to amended Curriculum



Rationale ‘I seek within

The activity of creative powers, The life of creative forces. The earthly force of weight

Speaks to me Through the word of my feet; The forming might of the air

Speaks to me Through the singing of my hands;

The power of heavenly light, Speaks to me

Through the thinking of my head, How the world in the human being,

Speaks, sings and thinks.’ Rudolf Steineri

Steiner education places the human being in direct relationship to all that exists and can be understood. Within the Steiner school, the developing child unfolds as a being whose very nature is recognised as a microcosmic realisation of all that is revealed in the world. Therefore, Steiner education draws correlations between observable manifestations of the world, inner experience and human development. At its essence, eurythmy draws on the creative forming forces which shape all existence and are active in the human being. An intrinsic understanding of the connection between the world and the human being is strongly brought about through the artistic medium of eurythmy.

Eurythmy is an art form where inner movements, evoked in the human being through speech and music, are made visible through movements of the body. Underpinning this artistic pursuit is an exploration into form and metamorphosis. Readily observable representations of form and metamorphosis can be found, for example, in crystalline structures and in the living growth-processes in plants. More subtle aspects of form and metamorphosis can be seen in the sentient expressions and/or gesture qualities of animals and in thought patterns of human beings. These naturally occurring form principles come to artistic expression when the human being creates, and the human being is most intimately creative when using one’s own body as the instrument, when speaking and singing. In eurythmy, the splendour of the human being as a ‘creator being’ is brought to consciousness when, through beautiful, rhythmic movements, the forms which arise when speaking and singing are made visible.

Through eurythmy, archetypal forms and their varied manifestations are discovered and explored. Form and metamorphosis arises through an ever-changing relationship between time and space. Underpinning all nuanced form is also the interplay between qualities of expansion and contraction. The subtle ways in which these qualities combine create a great variation of external forms and inner experiences that can be recognized. At their most minimal, the contrasting qualities of expansion and contraction are revealed through the straight line and the curve, or as point and periphery. Here is to be found the most fundamental of gesture principles. These known form gestures can also be experienced as movement tendencies in the soul life of the human being. Soul or emotional expressions of expansion and contraction have been recognized as a tendency towards introversion and extroversion, melancholy and cheer, or cowardice and courage. Thus, form and metamorphosis can be understood to have both inner and outer expressions. Through eurythmy, the artful task begins whereby the student comprehends the relationship between his or her inner experiences, external manifestations of form in the world and the creative forming of words and tone. When the human being speaks or sings, expansion and contraction, and time and space, come into dynamic relationship. This relationship occurs during the creative forming of sounds and tones.



Sounds and tones, formed by the human larynx, are worked with consciously in eurythmy. They provide a window through which the beauty and wonder of form and gesture can be understood, and bring the human being into relationship with archetypal forms and metamorphic processes. The difference between sounds crafted through speech, which give rise to vowels and consonants, and tones formed when singing, which create pitch and tone colour, is perceivable. In each instance, quite different forming principles are brought into play. These different principles are studied discretely through the two branches of eurythmy. The different ways in which human beings create through these forming forces is studied through: speech eurythmy, which brings to visible form the spoken word; and tone eurythmy, which reveals the inner experiences and structure of music. Artistically, eurythmy can be best explored when working with material already imbued with creative, human endeavour. Stories, poetry, imaginative picturing and music provide students with an artistic basis from which to begin their exploration into movement.

The whole human being comes into expression when creating eurythmy. Eurythmy movement sequences arise from meaningful gestures which reveal the flow and shape of form that can be seen in the larynx, mouth and lips when speaking or singing. These gestures are combined with spatial patterning. Some patterns bring to light the musical or grammatical structure underpinning the material with which the student works, while others draw on archetypal, naturally occurring forms seen in nature or from perceivable tendencies in human soul experiences. These sequences are created and performed both individually and collaboratively. Through an artful combination of eurythmic sequences, the relationship between sound or tone, musical or grammatical structure, archetypal form principles and the human being in space and time, is brought to expression. Through the subtle way in which the gestures and patterns are chosen and formed, the human being’s inner, soul relationship to the spoken word, imaginative picture and music is also revealed. The development and refinement of technical movement skills, and an understanding of movement principles, enables the body to become the ‘invisible’ instrument through which the sounds, tones, forms and metamorphic processes can be made visible.



Through eurythmy gestures and archetypal formations, as well as through improvised and newly created sequences, students explore and express personal, cultural, social, emotional, philosophical and spiritual meaning and intent. Terminology specific to eurythmy, the spoken word and music is also acquired. The acquisition of this terminology enables students to express themselves creatively when exploring, creating and refining eurythmy both individually and collaboratively, as well as when evaluating and discussing viewed works, literature and music. Through practise, choreography, performance and appreciation, students identify, connect and experience their own culture kinship, as well as that of ancient and present civilisations, indigenous cultures and other communities throughout the world. Pursuit in eurythmy brings the human being, in body, soul and spirit, into joyful harmony. It enkindles innovative thinking, helps to integrate students’ academic learning through kinaesthetic experience, enlivens feeling life and furthers physical coordination. Through practising, choreographing, performing and appreciating eurythmy, students become flexible and self-assured movement artists, develop innovative problem-solving skills, acquire capacities of observation, school their inner life, gain multi-modal, trans-disciplinary understanding and obtain an appreciation of the world around them. Eurythmy also works towards the integration and harmonisation of cognitive, emotional and physical growth processes. This harmonisation process occurs within the individual and with regard to the students’ interaction as members of a community. Through practising archetypal movements in eurythmy, in accordance with the students’ developmental stage and in a warm and creative manner, imbalances in the human being and in the workings of the class can be brought into harmonious relationship.

Aims Eurythmy knowledge, understanding and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:

▪ body awareness and spatial orientation, as well as technical and expressive skills, which allow them to express and communicate the elements of eurythmy, artistically and creatively through movement

▪ a healthy relationship to self and others, including understanding of and tolerance for individual

movement tendencies and knowledge of factors which contribute towards productive engagement with movement as an ensemble

▪ an awareness and understanding of the relationship between the human being in movement, natural form elements and form tendencies perceivable in the soul

▪ an understanding of the interconnectedness between movement principles (growth) and

structural form (frozen form) as well as an understanding of form and metamorphosis

▪ knowledge of the relationship between time and space and how movement exists through the interplay of these two principles, as well as how the manipulation of these principles creates the possibility for differentiated movement

▪ a harmonious relationship between qualities of expansion and contraction and a balancing of movement capability within the human being in relation to these contrasting elements and the three directions in space

▪ choreographic skills which enable the communication of meaning and intention through

sequenced elements of eurythmy

▪ performance skills which encompass, age appropriately, an awareness of the performance space, ensemble members and the audience

▪ appreciation for their own and others’ works and respect for and knowledge of diverse factors

and heritages which influence and inform the creation of movement art forms



Learning in Eurythmy

From the first class of the Waldorf School upwards we have introduced eurythmy, this expression of visible speech. What is expressed in eurythmy rests upon laws just as language does. Speech has laws, and so has eurythmy. Eurythmy lets the soul life flow outwards and thereby becomes a real expression of the human being, like language; eurythmy is visible speech.

Rudolf Steinerii

The study of music is the study of the human being. The two are inseparable, and eurythmy is the art which brings this most clearly to expression… [we are guided] along a path towards an understanding of the human form as music come to rest – the movements of eurythmy bring this music back to life.

Dorothea Mier iii

Learning in eurythmy involves students exploring meaningful movement. In eurythmy, the human body is the instrument and the space directly surrounding the body and between performers is the ‘substance’ with which the student works. The interactive relationship and harmonious exchange between inner experience and outer space, within the context of time and in response to the spoken word, music or imaginative imagery, is the sphere in which eurythmy learning takes place. The body becomes the refined instrument through which this interaction can be made visible. Learning in eurythmy develops aptitude for and an understanding of artistic movement and begins with sensing and imitation. Importantly, through the choice of appropriate exercises and well-chosen poetry, prose and music, the capacity for imagination, picture building, and an affirming experience of one’s place in the world, is established. Students develop their skills and understanding through practising, choreographing, performing, experiencing, appreciating and analysing eurythmy. They make reference to themes explored during Main Lessons and in cross-curricular learning corresponding to their developmental stage. Students engage with form specific and improvised elements of artistic movement expression, including the elements of space, time, flow, dynamics, movement communication and the contrast between point and periphery, while using safe eurythmy practices. They develop bodily, kinaesthetic awareness, movement techniques, lateral thinking skills, and subtle, feeling capabilities.

Making in eurythmy begins with imitation in Foundation - Class 3 and, in accordance with the developmental stage of the child, evolves increasingly toward the capacity for independent, creative movement expression by Year 10. It involves learning, developing and refining both fundamental and specialised movement skills which include specific, movement pattern and gesture archetypes. Students also learn to work creatively with eurythmy elements, enabling individual and collaborative artistic expression. Age sensitively, students learn and create eurythmy initially through imitating the teacher’s movements, then by improvising possible combinations of patterns and gestures, and choreographing individually and collaboratively. They also deepen their eurythmy by practising and refining sequences, and by rehearing and performing.

Responding in eurythmy initially calls for the children’s responses to remain solely in the realm of experience and imitative practice, living as imaginative pictures and movement enjoyment. The teacher warmly observes the young child’s responses, through the way in which he or she engages with the work. Throughout Classes 4 to 8 students respond by appreciating their own and others work which involves viewing, reflecting, identifying, describing and discerning. During these years, students respond to concrete elements of eurythmy which can be directly experienced. As mindful, intellectual engagement



with eurythmy becomes possible in Year 10, fully articulated and well considered responses, which involve reflection, evaluation and thoughtful consideration, become possible.

Knowledge In eurythmy, students develop kinaesthetic and conceptual knowledge of form and metamorphosis. They become aware of the ways in which the essence of form and movement manifests, and understand that formations arise and change in relation to time and space. Students gain knowledge of forming forces evident in nature, as well as how these forming principles are reflected in the soul life of the human being, in thought patterns and in artistic endeavour. They learn that the laws inherent in eurythmy connect with feelings and, through movement, experience the relationship between inner life and the outer world.

Students gain knowledge of how forming forces are creatively at work when the human being speaks and sings. They develop an understanding of how sound and tone formations can be shown through eurythmy gestures, and how these gestures can be artistically wrought, making the spoken word or tone visible. When creating, practising and considering eurythmy, students gain knowledge of form principles arising from the interplay of space, time, tempo, dynamics and relationship. Students also gain knowledge of specific forms such as: geometric forms, rhyme patterns, binary form, ternary form, sonata form, and rondo form. In Classes F-3, knowledge of these elements is built through imitative practice. Throughout the stages, knowledge and understanding of form principles become increasingly concrete.

Artistically, students develop knowledge of how to choreograph by identifying, combining, augmenting and sequencing the elements of eurythmy. Through choreography, students understand ways in which to give artistic expression to the spoken word or music. They appreciate that subtle listening and sensing skills are needed which enable them to align their movements with the intention of the composer or author. Within this context, they develop knowledge of grammatical forms underpinning poetry and prose, as well as structural features in music. They also gain an understanding of a variety of choreographic techniques and devices, including synchronisation and cascading, for example. Students explore the ways in which viewpoints and attitudes, arising from personal, group, cultural, language and/or historical influences, guide and inspire authors, composers and choreographers. They realise that technical ability, skill level and resources, influence making and choreographing. Knowledge of these aspects enables students to appreciate, compare and evaluate their own choreography, and that of others, within an informed context. Intrinsically, students learn about stages in the development of performance pieces and the phases of exploration, development, practice, rehearsal and performance. They gain knowledge of eurythmy as a performing art, as well as an endeavour which brings about personal health and social well-being.

Cross-curricular integration allows for knowledge of eurythmy to be explored within the context of other subjects. Discoveries made in the Main Lessons and/or in other disciplines can be further explored in eurythmy. Historical and cultural contributions toward a variety of styles of artistic movement are studied, including those of Asian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.



Skills, techniques and processes Students develop their skills in and understanding of eurythmy by engaging practically and conceptually with:

▪ progressively complex movement combinations and sequences, individually and within ensemble configurations

▪ an increasingly detailed exploration into form, structure and movement principles, as well as a working knowledge of music, speech and movement vocabulary

▪ objects, such as copper rods, balls, scarves and staffs, which assist students in the concrete development of posture, space, the relationship between inner and outer, and the development of timing and rhythm

▪ elements informing choreographic process and decisions ▪ factors which enhance aesthetics, movement communication, relationship, expression and

performance ▪ refined technique whereby the body becomes a transparent medium through which the

movement of the soul is made visible ▪ safe and respectful practices when making, rehearsing, performing and appreciating

Conceptual and technical skill progression and development is approached with the developmental stage of the child in mind.

In all stages, practical skill development focuses on furthering student ability with regard to foundational elements of movement and eurythmy. In later stages, practical skill development includes the ability to combine these elements effectively when practising and performing complex and technically demanding sequences, and when creating sophisticated and layered responses to artistic material when choreographing. As students mature and develop their practical skills, they progress through learning phases which include: imitation; assisted execution of learnt sequences; independent execution of learnt sequences; assisted progression of skill refinement; independent skill refinement; assisted creators of simple sequences; choreographers of increasingly sophisticated capacity. While imitation is the sole form of learning during Foundation to Class 2, students in Years 9 and 10 combine all learning approaches to further their ability.

Conceptual skill development begins as the child becomes immersed in meaningful movement expression which corresponds truthfully to the imaginative picture created by the eurythmy teacher. Increasingly, the teacher guides the student in the development of critical thinking skills through the processes of viewing, listening, reflecting, describing, judging, comparing, discerning, assessing, evaluating and analysing. From Class 3, conceptualising can expand to included reflections and comments on the aesthetic appeal and beauty of form and movement that manifests when viewing well executed, simple form structures and movement patterns, or when forming gestures carefully. Initially, these skills are developed within the contexts of concrete and readily observable form and movement phenomena, directly experienced by the student. By the end Year 10, thought development has progressed and students explore both concrete and abstract concepts. Factors that influence the practice and creation of eurythmy and other movement arts are fully explored at this time. Examples of considered areas include but are not limited to: complex form principles; philosophies; ideologies; culture; history; sympathies; antipathies; viewpoints and attitudes.

Skill development in eurythmy is best furthered through a layering approach whereby the combination of teaching methodology, resources and practice combine to build imaginative picturing, subtle feeling, movement technique and future capacity. Factors considered include Rudolf Steiner’s stage indications, eurythmy indications, the needs of the students, the capacity of the teaching eurythmist and the school context.

A note on Making and Responding in eurythmy: Students engage with eurythmy via a two-way stream. The first stream moves inward and denotes the way in which eurythmy forms and sequences work on



and foster the growing child and the developing social fabric of the class; here the structure of form is the creative principle, or the maker, and the student, initially the unconscious but gradually the conscious responder. The second stream begins later and moves outward. This second stream expresses the process whereby the student becomes the maker and conscious responder. Once the second stream is established, eurythmy learning oscillates between the two. It is through the second stream that students develop their skills as choreographers, performers and critical appreciators, informed by experiences they have gained and skills they have developed through their engagement with the first stream.

When working with the first stream, the eurythmy teacher lays down the elements of eurythmy age appropriately through story/poetry, music and/or imaginative pictures, and students learn skills by practising pre-choreographed sequences and, as appropriate, through guided, improvisation.

When developing skills in the second stream, students engage in the creative processes in accordance with their stage development. Their engagement becomes increasingly sophisticated and by Year 10 students engage through:

▪ Choreography, which includes sensing, identifying, improvising, selecting, organising, and structuring movement to communicate their intention and meaning and to reveal the elements of eurythmy

▪ Performance, which includes practising, rehearsing, refining movement sequences and expressive techniques, as well as skills which show movement relationship to space, audience and ensemble members

▪ Appreciation, which includes viewing, recounting, describing, explaining, evaluating and critically analysing their own eurythmy and that of others

Materials The materials for eurythmy begin with the human body, the space around the body, the imaginative picture, form principles underpinning existence and the subtle reading of soul movement in response to speech and music. Materials also extend to objects, such as copper rods, balls and scarves. The application of form principles grows out of an understanding of metamorphosis and the relationship between form principles, growth, speech and music. The student experiences and practises the elements of eurythmy and uses them to show meaning and to expresses his or her ideas when rehearsing, choreographing and performing. Through the use of music, speech and movement vocabulary, the student expresses him or herself increasingly articulately when discussing movement principles and when sharing ideas. Production components such as performance space, costumes, props, lighting, sets, sound and multimedia elements may be incorporated in the study of eurythmy.



Foundation to Class 2

Kindergarten aged children are still in an important period of rapid, physical growth and lessons in eurythmy assist to harmonise their experience of their body in space. Through unconscious sensing, the children gain impressions that stream towards them. They discover themselves as belonging to the world and community within the protective experience of ‘wholeness’. As yet, they do not question their surroundings and instead drink in and imitate all that they see. They develop their experiences and order their understanding through games and playful movement.

At this stage, the eurythmy exercises are taught with centre facing, circular orientation and with the concept of ‘wholeness’ in mind. Elements of movement are developed in a joyful, creative manner. Children enter into creative movement through imitation and develop fundamental movement skills, as well as movement gestures specific to eurythmy and fine and gross motor skills. The children imitate the teacher’s movement which creatively reveal the picture built through the material with which the children work. Gestures give expression to simple characters from stories, actions (for example, gnomes hammering), inner experiences articulated through poetry (for example, the rising sun) and qualities experienced when listening to pentatonic music. Particular importance is placed on consonants and eurythmy gestures that emphasise large limb movements followed by small gestures. Musically, the melodies in the pentatonic mode are ideally suited to the dream-like delight in music that enables the young child to live into the innocence of melody and musical form in all its simplicity. Instruments, such as chimes, triangles or wooden flutes, can also contribute to the children’s musical experience. Simple rhythmical elements in poetic verse or music, such as claps, stamps and light or heavy steps, can be gently introduced.

The fairy-tale mood permeates Class 1 and children continue to work with form principles and gestures arising from the narrative. The lesson structure follows a consistent pattern which creates a healthy rhythm and secure foundation. Variations in the flow of the lesson are introduced when celebration is called for. Birthdays, the seasonal festivals and other, meaningful surprise events can be beautifully woven into the eurythmy lesson.

As in the first Main Lesson, the first eurythmy lesson in Class 1 explores the Straight Line and the Curve. As the most fundamental of form principles, straight and curved forms become the building blocks for all further development in choreography. The teacher artistically creates form sequences which explore these form principles and merges them meaningfully. Musically, the pentatonic tonality continues to prevail as the Class 1 child still hovers between heaven and earth. However, the capacity for inner visualisation becomes stronger throughout the year, which means that eurythmy gestures and forms can be worked with in greater detail. Expressive aspects of movement can also be brought gently as students become more conscious of their feeling/soul forces, for example their sympathies and antipathies, or their experience of happiness and sadness as expressed in a fairy-tale.

Throughout Class 2, the fairy-tale and legend mood still provides much of the backdrop. Formations continue to be created with circle, centre-facing orientation, although the teacher can now include more challenging combinations which provide the children with an opportunity to learn new skills. From Term 2, a seasonal poem can introduce a new experience of individuality as a simple circle form gives way to more complicated choreography. This new form allows the children to become a little more conscious of their own movement within the group movement. Following the Main Lesson which delves into a story, e.g. The King of Ireland’s Son, elements from the tale can be used and provide the basis for continued exploration into narrative movement.

Throughout the year, the students begin to develop an awareness of their own body in spatial relationship with others. Their ability to create a ‘soul or feeling mood’ through their movement also develops. This development begins to form the basis for soul, or emotional expression which is strongly worked with in later stages. The teacher does not yet speak openly of this quality, yet it is to be made palpable at certain



key moments within each lesson as children imitate the teacher’s movements which give form to rich, imaginative pictures. By gently awakening to mood through gesture, the children begin to become conscious of what it means, for example, to be happy or sad. As they discern this quality, they begin to develop a capacity for moral responsibility. By inwardly connect gestures to feelings, eurythmy becomes an instrument through which moral imagination is developed and empathy emerges. To this end, it is critical that the teacher chooses truthful and enlivening pictures, poems and stories with which to work. The eurythmic forming of the story or poem builds the moral integrity of the child in a subtle way.

The eurythmy lessons can now be crafted with the students as co-creators at key moments. The festivals, for example, provide a wonderful opportunity for the children to explore and suggest meaningful ways in which to show elements of the story or verse through movement. The children can now delight in co-choreographing in preparation for their presentation.

Content Description Content Elaborations

K – 2.1 Experience and develop elements of eurythmy and fundamental movement skills and explore and improvise ways in which ensouled movement can express story, verse, poetry and music

Working across stage Content Elaborations K-2.1.1 Exploring and improvising a diverse and contrasting range of movements, including:

- expanding and contracting arm gestures (large limb movements, followed by small)

- expanding and contracting circle formations - varied weight (heaviness and lightness practised playfully through

movement) - varied tempo - differentiated step styles (for example: skipping and hopping,

walking like giants and tip-toeing like elves, running like the bubbly brook and flowing like a deep river, fluttering like a butterfly and soaring like an eagle)

K-2.1.2 Improvising and exploring movements which embody the features of characters from the stories and/or poems such as:

- movements which depict the flight of a bird, - the hop of a kangaroo - the slithering of a snake - the swaying of leaves in a tree - the hammering of the shoemaker - the sweeping of the housekeeper

K-2.1.3 Improvising and exploring fundamental gestures and movements which depict expanding and contracting qualities inherent in stories, poems and music Foundation/Kindergarten Content Elaborations K.1.1 Using stories, verses and music with imaginative pictures and/or illustrative musical motives such as:

- rhythmic and seasonal verses - action/daily life verses - stories with repetitions including theme and variation (e.g. The

Flippy Floppy Pancake; The Three Billy Goats Gruff) - stories created by the teacher that encourage a sense of delight

and trust in the world - stories of the Dreaming from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

peoples - live music (the pentatonic scale is indicated)

K.1.2 Imitating and experiencing simple spatial form elements created in the circle




K.1.3 Observing and imitating eurythmy sound gestures, with particular emphasis on:

- simple, well-formed sound combinations - consonants, particularly B - ensouled gesture - illustrative gesture

Year One Content Elaborations 1.1.1 Experiencing, imitating and exploring eurythmy sound gestures and spatial form elements to stories, verses, poetry and music including:

- fairy tales - rhythmic and seasonal verses - action/ daily life verses - selected stories, verses and poems from a variety of cultures - live music with emphasis on the interval and mood of the 5th

Year Two Content Elaborations 2.1.1 Experiencing, imitating and exploring eurythmy sound gestures and spatial form elements to stories, verses, poems and music with an emphasis on:

- Celtic stories and poems, fables and stories or poems about Saints

- rhythmic and seasonal verses - live music, introducing simple, melodic music pieces using a

major scale (C- major, G – major and D - major), from the Baroque to the Romantic periods

2.1.2 Exploring form elements which include: - Formations with AB circle groupings - partner dances/sequences which include both adjacent and

opposite partners - Cassini curve (We seek one another) - ‘I and You’ sequence - large, follow the leader spirals - dexterity (concentration) exercises - forward/backward direction changes - clapping and stepping with increasing and decreasing counts

2.1.3 Using imaginative pictures, integrated with music, explore flowing arm movements which show the opening and closing nature of the scale, from the ground tone to the octave 2.1.4 Consciously work with rhythm in a playful manner Years One and Two Content Elaborations 1-2.1.1 Developing body awareness through simple, playful rod work, for example:

- rolling the rod up and down the arm - jumping over the rod - gripping; under/over grip; holding; sliding; bouncing the rod in the

hand 1-2.1.2 Exploring rhythm freely and without correction through gentle rhythmic exercises including clapping, walking, skipping and stamping, for example, in response to music and rhythmic poetry




K – 2.2 Develop movement skills and technique by observing, imitating, improvising and practising simple eurythmy gestures, formations and fundamental movements

Working across Stage Content Elaborations K-2.2.1 Practising and furthering fundamental movement skills, a range of eurythmy gestures and formations that develop:

- general body awareness - spatial awareness - movement control - expression - coordination - harmonised expanding and contracting tendencies

K-2.2.2 Practising and improvising steps and various claps to portray elements of a story, verse, poetry and music, such as:

- clapping, hammering, tapping - walking, stamping, tip-toeing, skipping, hopping

K-2.2.3 Improvising illustrative movements in response to story, poetry, music or imaginative picturing (for example, flying like a butterfly) K-2.2.4 Responding to story, poetry or music expressively and illustratively through differentiated movement intention (for example, respond, through movement, to dynamics, mood and tempo, and imitate differing amounts of movement tension and release) Foundation/Kindergarten Content Elaborations K.2.1 Practising spatial form elements which include, for example:

- circle formations - follow the leader formations - stellar formations using concrete objects and/or images (for

example, while working with a poem or verse about a spider’s web, children, in turn, create a simple star form by unwinding a ball of string across the circle, from child to child)

- simple weaving using various groupings (for example, certain children may be crouching stones while others become the flowing stream moving among the stones)

K.2.2 Developing fine motor skills using simple rhymes and/or music as creative material. Include exercises which bring about concrete body awareness through touch (e.g. Incy Wincy Spider as finger exercises; ‘Open, shut them’ as hand expansion and contraction exercise; foot exercises which draw awareness to foot position and placement; fist hammering like a blacksmith) Year One Content Elaborations 1.2.1 Observing and imitating the evolution sequences of sounds as well as sound sequences for calming and stimulating (calming: LMNPQ; stimulating: DFGKH; R can be used at the end of both sequences to rhythmatise the movement) 1.2.2 Practising spatial form elements which include:

- circle, centre facing orientation - the contrast between straight and curved lines - gentle introduction of AB grouping (only one group moving at a

time) - follow the leader formations which include lemniscates without

crossing - directions in space (forwards/backwards, right/left and up/down) - movement in various tempos - awareness of stillness

1.2.3 Experiencing and practising movements which depict the mood of the 5th by fluidly moving the arms between the tone gesture for C and the tone gesture for G (attention is not drawn to individual tone positions and the harmonious, opening and closing experience becomes the focus) 1.2.4 Developing a movement awareness of pitch through practising the rise and fall of the melody line with the arms, feet and body




Year Two Content Elaborations 2.2.1 Imitating and practising a range of eurythmy gestures and improvised arm movements in response to stories, poems, rhymes, verses and music 2.2.2 Practising formations using AB groupings and partner dances 2.2.3 Practising moving synchronised formations with a partner who is on the opposite side of the circle Years One and Two Content Elaborations 1-2.2.1 Practising rhythmic exercises, for example, clapping, walking, skipping and stamping to different rhythms in music and rhythmic poetry. Students imitate at this stage and are not explicitly corrected

K - 2.3 Share and present learnt eurythmy sequences to a familiar audience to illustrate the story, verse, poem or music - including those from community cultures

Years One and Two Content Elaborations 1-2.3.1 Presenting learnt eurythmy and movement sequences, together with the teacher, to the Class Teacher, members of the school community, parents and/or siblings within the framework of festivals 1-2.3.2 Demonstrating and communicating expression and dynamics by imitating the eurythmy teacher’s movement, for example, gently walking, lightness/heaviness of arms and/or steps, skipping, stamping, fast/slow (tempo changes) 1-2.3.3 Demonstrating and communicating mood and character through illustrative gesture 1-2.3.4 Using simple props, such a veils and wooden staffs, to highlight and accentuate story elements

K – 2.4 Respond to eurythmy, and dances and experience the way in which movements show nature forms, story, poetry and music (including from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

Working across Stage Content Elaborations K-1.4.1 Correlating themes explored in eurythmy with manifestations in the natural world (for example, light movements of the arms are taught in relation to the flight of a butterfly, a flow of children moving around the room can be likened with the flowing of a stream) K-1.4.2 Experiencing implicitly that eurythmy can show the qualities inherent in the story, poetry or music K-2.4.3 Recognising the way in which movements can depict a diverse range of imaginative pictures, motives, moods and characters K-2.4.4 Choosing stories, poetry, music, imaginative picturing and movement sequences which bring rich pictures to the child, enliven a sense of joyful participation and subtlety provide an experience of the correlation between movement and sound K-2.4.5 Viewing live eurythmy performances for enjoyment and to extend and deepen their awareness of eurythmy and movement possibility K-2.4.6 Viewing other children perform eurythmy and enjoying the movement which shows the stories, poems, verses and music being brought to life K-2.4.7 Viewing performances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances and talking about concrete movements shown through the movement, such as the twitching of the kangaroo’s ears Year Two Content Elaborations 2.4.1 Listening and observation skills are consciously worked with in the lesson as children watch other class members, led by the teacher, demonstrate learnt eurythmy sequences 2.4.1 Watching and participating in seasonal festivals, experiencing where and why people move artistically so as to celebrate



Examples of knowledge and skills appropriate for students in Eurythmy at Kindergarten

In kindergarten, students are introduced to movement imaginatively by exploring and practising the basic elements of eurythmy to verses, stories and pentatonic music. Through imitating the teacher, students become acquainted with skills and pictures, focusing their eurythmy practice on: Body

▪ Body awareness - in relation to space, gestures, objects and other people ▪ Body parts and actions - including parts of the body and different ways of moving (for example,

hands, feet, fingers, arms, with stamping, clapping, finger games, etc.)

Space

▪ Levels - moving through a range of zones including low, medium and high (for example, crouching, standing and moving in the middle, stretching, reaching)

▪ Orientation – Circle, centre-facing orientation; ‘follow the leader’ formations ▪ Direction – forwards and backwards, towards and away from, the centre of the circle ▪ Dimension - expanding and contracting movements including large and small gestures ▪ Personal and general space - concentrating on individual movement (self-awareness) and on

moving with others in the circle (social-awareness) ▪ Pathways – simple weaving and patterning; finger, hand and foot games (e.g. open ‘doors’,

close ‘doors’), moving objects in the air (e.g. veils, little wooden rods), moving in ways that explore under, over, around, above and through

Time

▪ Tempo - increasing, deceasing tempo in time to the music/songs, acquiring footwork proficiency

▪ Listening - establishing listening skills ▪ Rhythm/Beat- clapping with hands, tapping with toes, heels and the whole foot

Dynamics

▪ Tension and release - developing control of energy level/degree of relaxation and muscle tension

▪ Mood – for example, moving in ways that show different elements in story or music such as climbing up a mountain proudly, tripping over bridge carefully or flying through the air freely

▪ Weight - heavy/light; soft/loud (for example, soft, elf-like tiptoe and loud giant steps) ▪ Movement qualities – vigorous, immaterial, fluid, sharp (for example, movements that show

various qualities or states of being: awake; asleep; the elements - earth, water, air, fire)

Relationships

▪ Interaction – imitation, leading/following; partnering; meeting; departing ▪ Use of simple props

Fundamental Movement Skills

▪ Locomotor movements – for example, walking, running, stamping, skipping, galloping ▪ Non-Locomotor movements – for example, crouching, stretching, arm gestures, expanding and

contracting

Technical Skills

▪ Technical skills - developed through imitation and through imaginative imagery which supports the quality of movement

▪ Exercises and material chosen to develop body control, gestalt, balance, coordination, social awareness and listening skills, as well as language and musical awareness

Choreographic Focus

▪ Imitating meaningful movements ▪ Simple variations on centre-facing, circle movements and follow the leader formations ▪ Emphasis on consonants

Performance

▪ Perform, together with the teacher, to familiar audiences at festivals or in plays (as appropriate)



Examples of knowledge and skills appropriate for students in Eurythmy at Kindergarten

Safe Practices

▪ Use of well-fitting, non-slippery eurythmy shoes ▪ Awareness of space and physical boundaries when moving with others and when using props ▪ Mindfulness of physical needs including hydration, temperature, comfortable clothing

Examples of knowledge and skills appropriate for students in Eurythmy at Years 1 & 2

In Classes 1 and 2, students are introduced to the basic elements of eurythmy through stories and fables, pentatonic music and simple, classical music pieces. Through imitating the teacher, and with gradually emerging independence, students become acquainted with skills and images, focusing their eurythmy practice on: Body

▪ Body awareness - in relation to space, gestures, objects and other people ▪ Body parts and actions - including parts of the body and different ways of moving (for

example, hands, feet, fingers, arms, with stamping, clapping etc.) Space

▪ Levels - moving through a range of zones including low, medium and high (for example, crouching, standing and moving in the middle, stretching, reaching)

▪ Orientation – Circle, centre-facing orientation; ‘follow the leader’ formations ▪ Direction – With circle orientation, explore all directions including: forwards and backwards;

right /left; up /down ▪ Dimension - expanding and contracting movements including large and small gestures ▪ Personal and general space - concentrating on individual movement (self-awareness) and on

moving with others in the circle (social-awareness) ▪ Pathways & Formations – Straight line and Curve; weaving and patterning; Cassini curve; I

and You; finger, hand and foot games (for example, open ‘doors’, close ‘doors’), moving objects in the air (for example, veils, little wooden rods), moving in ways that explore under, over, around, above and through

Time

▪ Tempo - increasing, deceasing tempo in time to the music, acquiring footwork proficiency ▪ Listening - establishing listening skills ▪ Rhythm/Beat- Rhythm is emphasised including stepping, clapping, tapping with toes, heels

and the whole foot. Emphasis is placed on rhythm Pitch

▪ Melody line – rise and fall ▪ Interval quality - 5th emphasised

Dynamics

▪ Tension and release - developing control of energy levels/degree of relaxation and muscle tension

▪ Mood – for example, moving in ways that show different elements in story or music such as a sleeping mouse, a great bear or flying through the air

▪ Weight - heavy/light; soft/loud ▪ Movement qualities – vigorous, immaterial, fluid, sharp (for example, movements that show

various qualities or states of being: awake; asleep; the elements - earth, water, air, fire) Concentration & Dexterity

▪ Dexterity development through concentration exercises ▪ Listening skills – teacher instruction, quality of speech, musicality




Relationships ▪ Interaction – imitation; lead/follow; partnering; meeting and departing ▪ Synchronisation – moving in unison with others; moving in unison with a partner on the

opposite side of the circle ▪ Use of simple props


▪ Locomotor movements – for example, walking, running, stamping, skipping, galloping ▪ Non-Locomotor movements – for example, crouching, stretching, arm gestures, pitch,

expanding and contracting Technical Skills

▪ Technical skills - developed through imitation and through imaginative imagery which supports the quality of movement

▪ Exercises and material chosen to develop body control, gestalt, balance, coordination, social awareness and listening skills, as well as to develop language and musicality

▪ Teacher guidance to develop body control, rhythm, gestures and spatial awareness Choreographic focus

▪ Imitating meaningful movements ▪ Imitating combined movements through sequencing ▪ Imaginative improvisations, for example, flying like a bird, hammering like a blacksmith ▪ Circle formations including forms with A/B groupings ▪ I and You exercise ▪ Cassini Curve

Performance

▪ Perform to familiar audiences at assembly, in festivals or in plays (as appropriate) Safe Practices

▪ Use of well-fitting, non-slippery eurythmy shoes ▪ Awareness of space and physical boundaries when moving with others and when using

props ▪ Mindfulness of physical needs including hydration, temperature, comfortable clothing

Conceptual Understanding Appropriate for this Stage

▪ Through movement, experience the relationship between eurythmy and sounds of speech, music, imaginative picturing and things in the natural world

▪ Experience the cycle of the year, the quality of the 5th, harmonious social workings and images filled with wonder by moving to appropriate stories, verses and music which are imaginatively and lovingly brought by the teacher

Foundation to Class 2 Achievement Standard

By the end of Class 2, students imitate eurythmic movements which meaningfully portray elements of speech, music and imagery. Their body awareness and sense of space has begun to develop and circle orientation can be maintained with students moving gestures, rhythms and formations harmoniously in unison.

Students’ experience how their movements correlate to story, verse, and music, as well as to formations evident in the world around them. Students demonstrate safe practice.



Class 2 Eurythmy



Years 3 & 4

Children in Class 3 and 4 are now well established in the rhythmical life of the school and the seasonal and festive cycle of the year. Their appreciation of language is well developed and they derive rich, inner pictures from what they hear. Through eurythmy, they work with these pictures creatively and expressively.

Throughout Class 3, the content of the lesson focuses on the inner beauty and harmonious structure of form and gesture. Genesis, which is explored at the beginning of the year in the Hebrew Creation Stories Main Lesson, brings to the children imaginative pictures which describe creation and can be wonderfully worked with in eurythmy. Differentiated qualities and forms, namely - light, day and night, the waters and the firmament, the sun and moon, the animals and the human being, come into being out of an unformed state. The children’s immersion in the Hebrew creation story aligns with inner experience and, at about the age of nine, a change occurs which marks this developmental shift. Images of arising, independent forms, mirror their newly unfolding relationship to self and others. They begin to see themselves as individuals, separate from the community of home, the class or school. An inner unsettledness may be apparent, which may result in a wish to test authority as they seek reassurance. The student begins to discover an inner world of personal thoughts and feelings which is separate from those experienced by others. As a result of this emerging personal inner-life, the child wants to know the world and the teacher from a new angle, and wishes to confirm their position in the world. To stabilise this uncertainty, the curriculum provides security by introducing themes which explore why we are here on earth, and how one can fulfil earthly tasks.

In addition to Genesis, other creation stories, stories and poems with farming themes, as well as concepts arising out of the Measurement Main Lesson, become suitable material through which the children can explore forming principles and differentiated movement. Musically, C - Major scale, as a variation of expansion and contraction, is also introduced and can be brought creatively to the students in combination with the days of creation described in Genesis. The correlation between these expanding and contracting movements with specific tones and arm positions comes in later in the year, after the class teacher has introduced the musical notes. Once this occurs, the children’s relationship to music then shifts. It is now important that they become schooled by musical structure and laws, and that the movements correlate more exactly to simple, musical principles.

Children in Class 3 begin to learn and perform the formations and gestures independently and, for the first time, the connection between gesture and speech, and gesture and music, is made conscious. A certain degree of independence now enters the lesson and the children delight in the discovery that their movements are connected to speech. The children can identify many sounds and begin to create their own combinations of gestures. Children explore, practise and refine gestures by working with simple rhymes or verses which clearly illustrate sound repetition, and musical pieces which are built around the experience of the third. Movement elements continue to be explored in the circle and students practice many variations of moving around the circle. These variations include: direction changes; AB groupings; forward and backward movement as expanding and contracting qualities; curve and straight line combinations; as well as weaving and simple call and answer forms. When moving to poems, stories or music, children learn to depict feelings and moods finely and expressively, through carefully performed sequences.



In Class 4, children experience their world subjectively and finding their own sense of self is important. Learning in eurythmy now focuses on an experience of the strength and character of form and gesture. For the first time, forward facing orientation, where the child experiences his or her position in space independently and objectively, is added as a new spatial relationship, although the circle is not abandoned. Individual self-consciousness becomes stronger and the child’s place within friendship groups is important as, although they strive for independence, they yet yearn for the security of community. Children in this developmental stage appreciate challenges within the realm of their capability. Multi-directional orientation in space, as well as spatial zones, is introduced with students moving forward and backwards, right and left and up and down. Repetition of form with changing orientation creates new challenges which are well met. The hero’s journey becomes important and the children become immersed in stories which reveal paths taken by characters they can look up to. The stories introduced in the Norse Mythology Main Lesson provide wonderful material with which to work in eurythmy. As the children develop gestures and steps which embody the characters explored, their sense of morality is refined.

Class 3 Verse iv Class 4 Viking Battlev Spatial Awareness, Coordination and Rhythmic Movement Unit




3-4.1 Investigate and discover new elements of eurythmy and further develop familiar sequences and fundamental movement skills safely Investigate new elements of eurythmy and improvise, organise and structure movement ideas, elements of eurythmy/dance and choreographic devices when creating movement sequences to represent a story, mood or music

Working across stage Content Elaborations 3-4.1.1 Investigating, discovering and independently learning all sound gestures 3-4.1.2 Devising gesture combinations independently and structuring sequences in response to identified sounds in words (for example, creating their own eurythmy gestures to names and key characters in a story) 3-4.1.3 Playfully discovering and/or consolidating:

- simple geometric square and triangle forms and transitions - Cassini curves - crown form (circle facing in Class 3, front facing Class 4) - formations in all directions including loops, curves, straight lines,

both forward and backwards 3-4.1.4 Experiencing a balance between active and quiet eurythmy movements as a result of a well-structured lesson 3-4.1.5 Learning rod exercises, including:

- safe handling of rods - seven fold - twelve fold - spiral

3-4.1.6 Using elements of eurythmy/dance and choreographic devices when creating movement sequences Class 3 Content Elaborations 3.1.1 Investigating and discovering eurythmy gestures and form elements in response to:

- stories from the Old Testament - farming and house building stories or poems - seasonal nature stories and poems - live music

3.1.2 Exploring expanding and contracting gesture movements in response to major and minor thirds in music 3.1.3 Imaginatively, through story and/or pictures and in response to music, exploring general arm movements which suggest the opening and closing of C - major scale (laying the foundation for the eurythmy tone gestures) 3.1.4 Investigating, exploring and structuring movement expression which reveals the four elements of earth, water, air and fire 3.1.5 Exploring rod exercises that emphasise contrast Class 4 Content Elaborations 4.1.1 Investigating, discovering and creating eurythmy gestures and form elements to stories, moods and verses from Norse Mythology 4.1.2 Experiencing, discovering and devising formation elements which include:

- forward facing orientation - crown form facing the front - pentagram - elementary apollonian form laws including nouns and verbs

(active, passive and duration) - simple square transitions - forms which explore all directions in space consciously including

forward/backwards, right/left, up/down - mirror formations with one axis - moving together in Norse battle formations

4.1.3 Exploring alliteration steps through poems from Norse Mythology 4.1.4 Experiencing and discovering tone gestures for C - major scale as concrete arm positions; learn, in relation to the circle of 5th, arm movements for G-Major, D-Major and F-Major, B-Major; and exploring




gestures for sharps and flats 4.1.5 Learning rod exercises with precision, including:

- rod throwing and catching to develop coordination and courage - waterfall

3-4.2 Practise eurythmy gestures and formations to enhance movement capacity and clarity Practise technical skills, including rhythmic exercises, eurythmy gestures and formations, to enhance fundamental and specialised movement skills safely

Working across stage Content Elaborations 3-4.2.1 Practising diverse rhythms and combinations of rhythms Incorporate stepping and clapping, mostly in unison, but now simple cannon exercises can begin Class 3 Content Elaborations 3.2.1 Practising vowels in combination with concentration, dexterity and jumping/springing exercises 3.2.2 Practising coordination ‘ae’ with arms and feet 3.2.3 Practising, with circle facing orientation, the crown form, as well as form combinations which include all directions in space 3.2.4 Practising major and minor through contracting and expanding formations, as well as through spiral formations. Learn these movements as qualities which express happiness and sadness, darkness and lightness, for example 3.2.5 Practising contrasting movements by rehearsing large sweeping formations and small wavy formations Class 4 Content Elaborations 4.2.1 Practising a variety of formations with forward facing orientation 4.2.2 Practising exact stepping of melody lines

3-4.3 Perform learnt sequences with control, accuracy, projection and focus to an audience to communicate ideas, cultural stories and music through movement

Working across stage Content Elaborations 3-4.3.1 Refining learnt sequences and the ability to move with others in preparation for performance 3-4.3.2 Presenting learnt formations and arm gestures to an audience, as an ensemble (without the teacher moving with the class) 3-4.3.3 Performing a variety of movements in performance which show a range of movement qualities, expressions and ideas; for example, performing light, fluid steps when depicting birds and heavy steps when moving as giants 3-4.3.4 Rehearsing and performing stories, poems and music which explore the environment and cultural diversity, including:

- stories from the old testament and Hebrew music in Class 3 - stories and poetry from Norse Mythology in Class 4 - material from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - poetry which recounts nature scenes and seasonal experiences

3-4.4 Identify and reflect on ways in which elements of eurythmy/dance show human experience, cultural expressions, sounds of speech, qualities of music, form tendencies, and changing seasonal moods (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture) Identify, describe and discuss how elements of eurythmy/dance show ideas in movement

Working across stage Content Elaborations 3-4.4.1 Experiencing, identifying and describing qualities of happy and sad as expresses in major and minor in music 3-4.4.2 Experiencing and describing the different types of movement used when exploring Hebrew stories and music, stories from Norse Mythology and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances 3-4.4.3 Identifying, remembering and naming the eurythmy speech sound gestures and basic tone gesture positions 3-4.4.4 Discerning, discussing and describing movement qualities and techniques which create beautifully performed formations and gestures 3-4.4.5 Experiencing and identifying form tendencies and movement differentiation that expresses seasonal mood Question example appropriate to the stage: In viewing your friends practise the Cassini curve, can you see how beautiful it looks when they carefully move together and smoothly follow the line of the form? Can you see how we now have the Sun and the Moon where we could before see the circle? 3-4.4.6 Exploring and identifying how human experience, cultural




sequences which they make, perform and view, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance

expressions, sounds of speech, qualities of music, form tendencies, and changing seasonal moods can be shown through the elements of eurythmy 3-4.4.7 Identifying and describing how movement is used to express ideas in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances 3-4.4.8 describe and discuss similarities and differences between dances they make perform and view.


In this Classes 3 and 4, students expand their knowledge of the elements of eurythmy and build on and refine concepts and understandings which are conveyed through eurythmy gestures and movement. Increasingly independently, students become acquainted with skills, images and concepts, focusing their eurythmy practice on: Body

▪ Body awareness - in relation to space, gestures, objects, other people, different locations/stage space

▪ Body parts and actions - including parts of the body and different ways of moving ▪ Body Zones – For example, front/back; right/left; cross-lateral

Space

▪ Levels - moving through a range of zones including low, medium and high; forming gestures in the middle sphere, above the head or low to the ground

▪ Orientation – Forward-facing; centre-facing; ‘follow-the-leader’ ▪ Direction – forwards/backwards; right /left; up /down; circular; diagonal; sideways steps ▪ Dimension - expanding and contracting movements including large and small gestures and

forms, narrow and wide angles ▪ Personal and general space - concentrating on individual movement and self-awareness when

facing the front, as well as on social-awareness when moving with others frontally or centre-facing.

▪ Pathways & Formations – Geometric (triangles, squares); crown formation; organic; flowing; angular; symmetrical; asymmetrical; combination; straight line and curve; weaving; Cassini curve; I and You; moving objects in the air (for example, veils, balls, copper rods)

Time & Musicality in Tone and Speech

▪ Listening skills – developed in relation to both music and poetry ▪ Melody line – rise and fall ▪ Interval quality – major and minor 3rds emphasised ▪ Tempo - increasing, deceasing tempo in time to the music, slow/fast ▪ Rhythm - Rhythmic stepping, clapping, passing rods to poetry and music; syncopation ▪ Beat – walking the beat ▪ Consonant and vowel gestures – forming gestures according to the tone of speech and context ▪ Stillness - holding back gesture and form, freeze or pause then continue

Dynamics

▪ Differentiation – controlling qualities of movements and changing movement intention in response to meaning and dynamics in music and speech

▪ Mood – lightness/darkness; happy/sad; bold/timid ▪ Weight - heavy/light; soft/loud; watery/dense; airy/fiery ▪ Movement qualities – vigorous, immaterial, fluid, sharp, sustained ▪ Alliteration – strongly stepping alliteration rhythm in poetry and strongly forming alliterated

consonant gestures

Concentration & Dexterity

▪ Dexterity development through concentration exercises with music and verses




Relationships

▪ Interaction - leading/following; partnering - meeting and departing, circling, moving side by side, taking turns

▪ Groupings – A/B formations; smaller groupings ▪ Spatial relationships – near/far; alongside/adjacent/opposite; mirrored/parallel ▪ Synchronisation – moving in unison with others in a variety of formations and when forming

gestures ▪ Use of props (for example, veils, rods, staffs, balls, branches, drums, tambourines, recorders,

etc.)


▪ Locomotor movements – for example, walking, stamping, skipping, galloping ▪ Non-Locomotor movements – for example, contracting, stretching

Technical Skills

▪ Increase body control, gestalt, gesture clarity, form accuracy and ensemble awareness ▪ Develop the ability to walk in all directions, forwards, backwards and sideways, and build

confidence

Choreographic focus

▪ Triangles and squares in geometry ▪ Form progressions which start and end in the same position ▪ Combining movements through sequencing ▪ Symmetrical formations with frontal orientation ▪ Contrast and repetition ▪ I and You step patterns ▪ Cassini Curve variations ▪ Gesture combinations that well-illustrate key words

Performance

▪ Perform to audiences at assembly, in festivals or in plays

Safe Practices

▪ Use of well-fitting, non-slippery eurythmy shoes ▪ Awareness of space and physical boundaries when moving with others and when using props ▪ Mindfulness of physical needs including hydration, temperature, comfortable clothing


Students:

▪ Memorise and independently perform frequently used vowels and consonants and understand the sound gesture’s relationship to speech

▪ Memorise and independently perform formations ▪ Experience and identify moods expressed in story, poetry and music (for example, qualities of

happy and sad in major and minor) and experience how these qualities are shown through eurythmy

▪ Identify and discuss the shapes created when performing the formations ▪ Experience the difference between the major and minor third ▪ Identify the alliterated consonant in alliteration poetry and know when to step



Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standard

By the end of Class 4, students describe elements of dance/eurythmy and sense and identify the correlation between some familiar gestures and sounds of speech and musical tones. They recognize that beautiful movement can be created when moving collaboratively as a class and when performing gestures and formations artistically.

Students learn eurythmy/dance sequences that represent stories, poetry, imaginative pictures and music. They present qualities of expression relating to experiences of feeling.

Students describe and discuss similarities and differences between eurythmy/dances they make, perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of eurythmy/dance in sequences depending on the purpose.

They collaborate to create and rehearse eurythmy/dance using the elements of eurythmy/dance and choreographic devices. They perform with control, accuracy, projection and focus.



Years 5 & 6 In Class 5, the children have arrived at the ‘golden age of childhood’ where a harmony between physical capability, emotional maturity and cognitive capacity is often evident as a momentary reprise before the onset of next developmental stage which leads to puberty. The Main Lesson cycle takes students through the study of the great epochs of humanity and they gain rich and diverse pictures of cultural expressions. By observing cultural change, the children also experience humanity’s progression which places human experience within the flow of time. Children in Class 5 develop skills which enable them to understand and reveal each cultural impulse through eurythmy. They consider the daily life, stories and mythologies which arise from each culture, and develop differentiation techniques and style-specific gestures (Cultural Epoch eurythmy gestures). The Ancient Greece Main Lesson in particular, becomes a leitmotiv for the year, especially during the latter half. The children’s developmental phase can be seen as aligning to qualities of balance, harmony and beauty which are evident in Ancient Greek sculpture, architecture and painting. Aspects of movement flow, rhythm, grace and lightness are well addressed in combination with Greek Mythology and the children’s capacity to understand patterning becomes flexible.

Class 5 students also explore the plant world in the Botany Main Lesson and mathematical patterning in the Geometry Main Lesson. These studies provide a backdrop from which to investigate a great variety of movements arising from form principles evident in the plant kingdom and arising out of mathematical form principles. It is important for students to engage concretely with these forming principles and many examples of plants, showing different plant form and growth patterns, as well as beautifully rendered geometric construction, should be brought to the class.

In tone eurythmy students continue to refine their ability to depict beat, rhythm, melody, time, phrasing and dynamics. Two voices in music are now explored through movement, and students learn to hear each voice and the exchange between the two musical parts. They explore simple ways in which to express this relationship through choreography.

From Class 6 the children are able to approach quite challenging exercises and they respond to this challenge eagerly, seeking to discover their individual strengths and weaknesses so as to further their abilities. A new stage in physical growth, which will continue throughout the pubescent years, begins and the experience of the octave is important at this time as it works as a balancing force that provides the soul with an experience of the higher self, whilst the body strongly develops physically. This physical change is also accompanied by a greater aptitude for cognition, as well as a deepening awareness of emotions which lead to an interest in refined movement expression. Through the Peace and Energy Dances, and the Merry and Tragic Measures, for example, this soul life is explored and expressive and contrasting tendencies, rhythm, precise footwork and harmonious movement communication can be developed. In combination with the Astronomy Main Lessons, children investigate and choreograph complex patterning based on stellar formations in many variations. Poetry, music and movement styles, which are specific to a variety cultures - including that of people from Asian decent and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, are studied. These studies augment the History and Geography curriculum.

Tone eurythmy throughout Class 6 expands to include an understanding of the mathematical ratios underpinning intervals and, in combination with the Music curriculum and the Physics Main Lesson, students learn to hear intervals and to perform their gestures and corresponding forms.

Throughout the stage, knowledge and skills that have been previously developed are applied and drawn upon more consciously; all elements introduced during the primary years are extended and worked with in more complex combinations.




5-6.1 Explore movement and choreograph sequences using the elements of eurythmy and choreographic devices when creating movement sequences to express meaning

Class 5 Content Elaborations 5.1.1 Exploring space, time, dynamics and relationship through eurythmy movement combinations in response to poetry, stories and music from the cultural epochs of humanity, including:

- Ancient India - Ancient Persia - Ancient Egypt - Ancient Greece

as well as to poetry, stories and music: - in languages other than English - from a diverse range of cultures - dreaming and music from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

peoples 5.1.2 Exploring choreographic devices relating to

- formations for grammar (apollonian formations) - hexameter rhythm in poetry (combine with the Ancient Greece

Main Lesson) - continuous movement (for example, ‘planetary eights’,

continuously moving figure of eights along a circle) - mirror movements, in both forms and arms, spiral forms, solo and

in groups - past/present/future as qualities which can be expressed through

directions in space - movements for two voices in music, including the fundamentals of

beat, melody and rhythm and how these elements relate musically -

5.1.3 Exploring tone gestures to music from the Baroque to the Classical period Class 5/6 5-6. 1.1 Choreograph sequences using elements of eurythmy/dance and choreographic devices to create movement sequences that express speech or music to communicate meaning, e.g choreograph riddles, poems, simple melodies and stories. Class 6 Content Elaborations 6.1.1 Exploring space, time, dynamics and relationship through eurythmy gestures and formations in response to poetry about:

- Ancient Rome, including poems in Latin - Nature and seasonal poems

6.1.2 Experiencing formations corresponding to a happy and sad mood using the happy and melancholy preludes (Heiter Auftakt/Tragisher Auftakt) and, respectively, suitable major or minor music 6.1.3 Exploring transformations for geometric patterns 6.1.4 Experimenting with steps, rod throwing and arm movements which correspond to and explore the qualities inherent in each of the Greek rhythms including, among others:

- anapaest; dactyl; amphibrachs and Jambus 6.1.5 Furthering understanding of apollonian (grammatical) form elements 6.1.6 Re-visiting alliteration steps and consonant repetition 6.1.7 Developing the qualities of intervals and their gestures and forms with particular emphasis on the octave and corresponding spatial forms (including intensive work on interval and harmony hearing exercises; these elements can be worked with in conjunction to the Science Main Lesson – Acoustics, Optics & Warmth)




5-6.2 Refine movement technique and develop movement expression. (with increasing clarity, balance, focus, accuracy, coordination) to perform for an audience.

Working across stage Content Elaborations Practising and Performing the following movement techniques and expression: 5-6.2.1 Practising difficult formations including different types of lemniscates and stellar formations such as the pentagon, hexagon, septagon and octagon 5-6.2.2 Rehearsing formations performed with a forward facing orientation 5-6.2.3 Practising many scales in both major and minor key 5-6.2.4 Furthering concentration, coordination and dexterity by practising exercises including:

- Kibitz skip, with and without rods - Step combinations with a focus on technique and accuracy

5-6.2.5 Practising elements of choreography including, but not limited to:

- Cascades - Cannons - A/B groupings - rondo form - synchronisation - solo and ensemble configurations

5-6.2.6 Experimenting with and developing expressiveness to communicate meaning in stories, poetry and Dreaming, as well as in music 5-6.2.7 Developing movement clarity, focus and accuracy in the lead up to performance 5-6.2.8 Furthering movement consciousness and clarity by pictorially recording practised eurythmy formations and chosen gestures in a workbook Class 5 Content Elaborations 5.2.1 Rehearsing suitable gestures and formations to effectively portray texts or music from the cultural epochs 5.2.2 Practising foreign language gesture indications with an emphasis on gesture differentiation and movement style 5.2.3 Developing movement technique to effectively portray Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dreaming 5.2.4 Practising straight line and curve movement differentiation through ‘the inner has conquered/the outer has conquered’ in relation to form elements in nature. For example, the pointy form of maple leaves, the smooth forms of pebbles 5.2.5 Practising ‘behold yourself, behold the world’ form curves as manifestations of inward and outward expression Class 6 Content Elaborations 6.2.1 Refining movement contrast and soul expression through working with the Energy and Peace dances as well as through soul gestures for love, belief, hope, sadness etc. 6.2.2 Practising ‘light streams upwards/ darkness pushes downwards’ 6.2.3 Practising the octave, which is uplifting and provides an experience which balances the students’ feelings of earthly weight which arises as their physical development strongly and rightly comes to the fore. (As the physical body further develops, the student can also experience the foretelling of their higher self through the octave. This interval also provides a sheath and expansion of soul at this stage)




5-6.3 Perform eurythmy to communicate the choreographer’s intent and to convey an experience of the cultural epochs as well as stories and music from many cultures, including Asian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies

Working across stage Content Elaborations 5-6.3.1 Exhibiting movement clarity, focus and accuracy when performing 5-6.3.2 Demonstrating learnt techniques which depict qualities of culture and/or language 5-6.3.3 Appling elements of eurythmy to convey meaning when performing 5-6.3.4 Developing movement consciousness which demonstrates a working awareness of relationships which exist between the individual performer, the ensemble and the audience 5-6.3.5 Using costuming and lighting to enhance the audience’s appreciation of the performance and to convey additional layers of meaning and experience

5-6.4 Explain how elements of eurythmy /dance, choreographic devices and production elements combine to communicate meaning in relation to nature forms, cultural epochs, literature, music, mythologies of different peoples, and Dreaming stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Describe characteristics of these eurythmy/dances and how they influence their dance-making and consider where and why people dance

Working across stage Content Elaborations 5-6.4.1 Using a workbook, pictorially recording formations and chosen sound gestures so as to become increasingly conscious of movements being practised 5-6.4.2 Discussing and comparing the relationship between word and movement, or music and movement, both in terms of gesture and form 5-6.4.3 Experiencing and explaining the way in which eurythmy/movement communicate ideas and considering why people do eurythmy/dance and watching live performances including other classes and/or fellow class members perform learnt sequences 5-6.4.4 Reflecting on and discussing aspects of movement performed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers 5-6.4.5 Explaining how choreographic devices such as canons, syncopation and synchronisation communicate meaning. In dances they make perform and view. Class 5 Content Elaborations 5.4.1 In conjunction with the Botany Main Lesson, moving, discussing and exploring the relationship between the rich variety of forms which exist in the plant world and which can be experienced in movement through eurythmy 5.4.2 Identifying and discussing examples of inner and outer as contrasting form tendencies found in nature, for example leaf variegation Class 6 Content Elaborations 6.4.1 In conjunction with the Acoustics, Optics and Warmth Main Lesson, identifying and discussing forms and movements arising from tone (Chladni plate experiments) 6.4.2 Reflecting on movement expression by discussing, for example:

- energetic movement, needed for the energy dance - expansive movement, suitable for the happy prelude - gentle movement, appropriate for the peace dance - melancholic movement, suitable for the tragic prelude

6.4.3 Exploring and discussing how production elements contribute to the expression of ideas



Examples of knowledge and skills appropriate for students in Eurythmy at Years 5 and 6

In Classes 5 and 6, students expand and extend their knowledge of eurythmic elements and their ability to use these elements creatively when making and performing. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding skills through eurythmic practices, focusing on:

Body

▪ Body zones/parts/action – lower, middle, upper zones; legs, arms, hands etc.; a variety of actions, for example, straight arms, curved arms, bend legs straight legs, contraction/expansion

▪ Eurythmy gesture combinations including all vowels and consonants, as well as some soul gestures

▪ Exercises which create body balance - ‘light streams upwards/ darkness pushes downwards’

Space

▪ Levels - moving through a range of zones including low, medium and high; forming gestures in the middle sphere, above the head or low to the ground

▪ Orientation – Forward-facing; centre-facing; ‘follow-the-leader’; combination ▪ Direction – forwards/backwards; right /left; up /down; circular; diagonal; sideways steps; direct;

undulating ▪ Dimension - expanding and contracting movements including large and small gestures and

forms, narrow and wide angles ▪ Personal and general space - concentrating on individual movement and self-awareness when

facing the front, as well as on social-awareness when moving with others in a variety of configurations

▪ Pathways & Formations – Apollonian formations; Geometric formations; geometric transitions; crown formation; organic; flowing; angular; symmetrical; asymmetrical; combination; straight line and curve; weaving; axis mirroring; rotational mirroring; planetary eights; moving objects through the air (for example, copper rod throwing)

Time, Dynamics & Musicality in Tone and Speech

▪ Listening skills – developed in relation to music and poetry ▪ Melody line – rise and fall, contour ▪ Interval quality – major and minor 3rds emphasised; intensive work with the octave in Class 6 ▪ Scales – a variety in major and minor including experience of sharps and flats and their

corresponding gestures ▪ Tempo - acceleration/deceleration; allegro/largo etc. ▪ Rhythm – developed in relation to music and language - hexameter, dactyl, amphibrachs and

iambus; quaver, crotchet, minim, semibreve etc.; rhythmic relationship to longs and shorts; rhythmic correlation between backwards/forwards and asleep/awake; rhythmic stepping, clapping, passing rods to poetry and music; regular and irregular rhythms; syncopation

▪ Beat – walking the beat; right/left beat steps; bar line ▪ Phrasing – contouring musical and language phrasing ▪ Consonant and vowel gestures – forming gestures according to the tone of speech and context ▪ Past/present/future - qualities expressed through directions in space ▪ Stillness - holding back gesture and form, freeze or pause then continue ▪ Dynamics & Expressive Techniques – Contouring; crescendo/decrescendo; forte/piano;

staccato/legato; forceful; weak; fiery; airy; watery; earthy; slashing; light, flicking; resisting; exclamation and question in speech

Relationships

▪ Groupings - solo, duet, ensemble of various sizes ▪ Spatial relationship - near/far; alongside/adjacent/opposite; mirrored/parallel. For example,

stellar formations including the pentagon, hexagon, septagon and octagon, 4 x 4 rows, various A/B circles; small or large groups of students in lines, diagonals, clusters, squares, spirals

▪ Interaction – moving around each other; coming together and parting; space between performers; synchronisation

▪ Giving and receiving – rod/staff exercises; copper ball exercises; taking turns; cannons/cascades




Fundamental movement skills

▪ Combining locomotor movements and non- locomotor movements

Technical skills

▪ Developing technical aptitude in body control, accuracy, gestalt, strength, balance, coordination and spatial awareness

▪ Achieving spatial and dynamic changes e.g. kibitz jump, kibitz sideways, shrinking, exploding, expansion

▪ Combining sound or tone gesture sequences and formations

Safe Practices

▪ Use of well-fitting, non-slippery eurythmy shoes ▪ Awareness of space and physical boundaries when moving with others and when using props ▪ Awareness of performance space when performing in new environments ▪ Mindfulness of physical needs including hydration, temperature, comfortable clothing ▪ Working safely and respectfully in groups

Choreographic focus

▪ Apollonian formations ▪ Question/answer ▪ Heiter Auftakt /Tragisher Auftakt ▪ Energy dance/ peace dance ▪ The inner has conquered /the outer has conquered ▪ Geometric formations and transitions ▪ Stellar formations and transitions ▪ Organic formations ▪ Fluid/curved formations ▪ Combination formations ▪ Elements of choreography including cascades, cannons, synchronisation, A/B groupings,

repetition, rondo form, rotational mirroring; axis mirroring ▪ Solo and ensemble configurations


Students:

▪ Know and use familiar tone and speech gestures and combine these when choreographing short poems or pieces of music

▪ Identify and discuss elements of language and music, such as: verbs and nouns; rhythm, pitch and beat; major and minor; phrasing and contouring; mood; and meaning, and know how these elements are expressed through eurythmy

▪ Identify, explore and discuss the correlation between eurythmy soul gestures and inner feelings/states of being

▪ When creating, explore and discuss the ways in which eurythmy movements show elements in the story, poem or music, as well as the culture/peoples from which the story or music comes.

▪ Comprehend, move and draw a variety of formations and geometric transitions ▪ Discuss the relationship between forms in nature and eurythmy formations. For example, in

conjunction with the study of the Botany Main Lesson, move, discuss and explore the relationship between the rich variety of forms which exist in the plant world and which can be experienced in movement through eurythmy

▪ Discuss the relationship between parts of speech and Apollonian choreography ▪ Discuss and explore movement styles and gestures that appropriately depict the nuances of

poetry and music from a great variety of cultures, times and places




By the end of Class 6, students explain how eurythmy gestures they make and view, relate to speech and tone, and how formations express botanical forms, geometry, grammar, poetic rhythm, the rise and fall of speech and elements of music. They identify gestures which reveal inner characteristics of the different cultural epochs, and explore how movement can be nuanced to show qualities of soul experience.

Students rehearse and perform learnt eurythmy/dance gestures, formations and structure movement sequences using elements of eurythmy/dance, and the principles of form, to give artistic expression to poetry, music and imaginative images. They work collaboratively when creating, rehearsing and performing eurythmy/dance, and demonstrate developing technical and expressive skills.

Students explain how the elements of eurythmy/dance, choreographic devices and production elements communicate meaning in eurythmy/dances they make, perform and view. They describe characteristics of eurythmy/dances from different social, historical and cultural contexts that influence their eurythmy/dance making. Students structure movements in dance sequences and use the elements of dance and choreographic devices to make eurythmy/dances that communicate meaning.

Eurythmy as part of Class 5 play of Persephone

Pentagon transition form – Class 5 / 6



Years 7 & 8 In Years 7 and 8, students deepen their understanding of eurythmy and further develop their ability to reveal form principles, geometry, poetry, story, music and imaginative picturing through their movement. They create movement sequences collaboratively and refine their skills whilst working with the ensemble.

The Year 7 student finds him or herself on the threshold between childhood and adolescence and, throughout this stage, the young person develops a new relationship to his or her body. Rapid limb growth and physical development may result in a period of reduced coordination and a changing sense of space, although the student’s capacity and aptitude for movement refinement and exactitude increases once the adolescent has become accustomed to his or her new physicality. The relationship between emotion and a sense of wellbeing becomes more pronounced, and cogitative capacity matures with students able to engage more astutely when investigating, distinguishing and comparing aspect of movement and inter-disciplinary themes.

A strong emphasis on skill development and refined technique provides students with challenging undertakings through which they can school their developing relationship to their body in space. Students deepen their understanding of how to express the elements of eurythmy through movement, and they develop skills which enable them to do this effectively. They work independently and collaboratively when practising, choreographing and performing eurythmy. The practice of eurythmy now includes: relatively complex, free-flowing formations; a great variety of geometric structures and corresponding transitions; an emphasis on movement contrast in all areas; intensive work with scales and music pieces in both major and minor keys; intervals and their gestures; soul/mood gestures, expressive techniques and foot and head placements for states of being; rapid tempo changes and dynamics; and movement clarity, projection and audience/performer engagement.

Students have the opportunity to respond to a diverse range of artistic material including poetry, prose and music. They engage with works from a range of cultural and historical backgrounds, languages, periods of time and locations. Students develop their understanding of how these factors influence literature, music and forms of artistic movement, including eurythmy. Their understanding informs their practice, choreography and performance.

Throughout the stage, knowledge and skills are best developed and furthered by working with a number of different artistic pieces, as opposed to one or two, as variety is the spice of life for the adolescent. The choice of artistic material provides students with the opportunity to build rich inner pictures and allows students to practise exercises, devise choreography, perform and grapple with themes which explore concepts pertaining to their developmental stage. Eurythmy exercises, chosen by the teacher, assist in harmonising their new physical, emotional and cogitative capacities.

Students understand that safe practices underlie their study of eurythmy. They perform within their own body capacity and work safely in groups.




7-8.1 Discover elements of form and metamorphosis and develop spatial awareness and creative expression by improvising, sequencing and learning choreographic forms and eurythmy gestures

7-8.1.1 Learning archetypal eurythmy gestures and, through improvisation and experimentation, discovering expressive combinations which meaningfully depict a range of artistic material including, for example:

- texts exploring themes from the main lessons as well as…

▪ Year 7 - texts and music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - poetry and short stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the

Round Table - poetry and short stories arising from the Geography and History

Main Lessons - excerpts from The Canterbury Tales - form principles arising from the Maths in Nature Main Lesson ▪ Year 8 - Excerpts from works by Shakespeare with accompanying Steiner

forms (simplified if required) - humorous texts and music - texts and music with dramatic themes - ballads - texts and music from diverse cultures and periods of history - music which modulates between major and minor

7-8.1.2 Exploring ways in which inner experience can be conveyed, and how emotional expression can be schooled through eurythmic movement by, for example:

- increasing movement differentiation - developing inner balance through contrast; for example, exploring

dramatic, forceful, large arm gestures as well as very fine gestures, sometimes only with the finger-tips

as well as… ▪ Year 7 - soul gestures - foot/head placements for courage and states of being (I am

here/not here) - sympathy and antipathy gestalt (concave/convex body gesture) - yes/no steps - gesture and directional aspects of major and minor ▪ Year 8 - emphasising the minor keys - focussing on music which modulates between major and minor

7-8.1.3 Exploring increasingly complex formations including:

- improvised formations in response to the spoken word or music - sequenced patterning arising from combinations of archetypal form

tendencies - geometric transitions and their inversions

as well as… ▪ Year 7 - crystalline and growth formations relating to the Maths in Nature

Main Lesson - apollonian formations – include head gestures and body leans (all

work is to be accompanied by dramatic arm gestures) - major and minor directions in space in response to music pieces

which modulate between major and minor* ▪ Year 8 - interval formations and gestures in conjunction with music from a

broad range of cultures and periods - formations to longer pieces of music which modulate from major to

minor




- formations to music pieces in which the experience of the interval is pronounced and which are choreographed using interval forms

- revisiting the ‘inner/outer’ has conquered as polar form elements 7-8.1.4 Developing concentration and movement discipline by engaging with:

- increasingly complex copper rod exercises - improvisations on known rod exercises to develop new

combinations - rhythmic exercises - timing exercises - revisiting the kibitz skip (Year 8)

7-8.2 Refine and develop movement skills and technique by practising the elements of eurythmy artistically and safely in response to feedback

Working across stage Content Elaborations 7-8.2.1 Developing arm gesture clarity, with an emphasis on the quality of movement required for:

- each archetypal sound gesture - tone gestures including ♯ and ♭ - various major and minor scales; minor scales consciously

introduced in Year 7 with a focus on minor throughout year 8 - interval gestures; used in Year 7 and taught consciously from Year

8 - major and minor chord gestures - soul gestures - nuanced gestures - combined and sequences gestures

7-8.2.2 Developing spatial awareness and formation clarity, with an emphasis on, for example:

- straight lines and curves - directions in space - follow the leader formations - forward facing formations - mirror formations - A/B variations, cascades, cannons

7-8.2.3 Refining and improving movement differentiation, contrast and expression, including:

- control and intention - qualities of light/dark through applied muscle tension or release - dynamics - piano/forte, weight, tension/release - tempo - slow/fast - timing, rhythm and beat - space - expansion/contraction; inner/outer; four directions,

up/down; direction changes - time and flow - relationship and communication - transitions ▪ Year 8 - Contrasts strongly explored -

7-8.2.4 Applying safe movement practices when creating, rehearsing and performing eurythmy sequences and when incorporating object manipulation and/or props (for example, when using rods, balls, flags, scarves); identifying individual movement capacity and safe spatial distance when using objects or props




Year 7 Content Elaborations 7.2.1 Exploring and selecting foot positions, yes/no gestures and body leans to show meaning. For example, leaning forwards then backwards to show sympathy and antipathy respectively; applying yes and no steps purposefully to enhance meaning Year 8 Content Elaborations 8.2.1 Refining foot placement, movement fluidity and purpose by carefully applying three-fold-walking

7-8.3 Improvise, combine and nuance elements of dancemaking literal movements into archetypal/abstract movements.

Working across stage Content Elaborations 7-8.3.1 Selecting eurythmy gestures that reveal the literal meaning of the story or poem 7-8.3.2 Differentiating gesture quality and size to show meaning. For example, choosing to depict the word flower with a small ‘L’ and the word world with a large ‘L’ 7-8.3.3 Discovering movements which show non-literal representations of story and instead show ‘structural’ elements of music and language. For example, the interpretation of voice tonality into an undulating pattern that shows the rise and fall of speech, major and minor directionality, rhyme forms 7-8.3.4 Improvising movements to show a transition from literal to abstract interpretative response to story, poetry, music and imagining Develop their choreographic intent by applying the elements of dance to select and organise movement

7-8.4 Choreograph and develop choreographic intent through creating and structuring eurythmy/dance sequences by selecting and organising elements of eurythmy/dance and choreographic devices, gestures and form elements.

Working across stage Content Elaborations 7-8.4.1 Selecting, sequencing and personalising eurythmy gesture combinations and form elements to express meaning and choreographic intent while depicting a chosen element or elements evident in the story, poetry or music. Possible lesson questions – forms and elements: For example - How can the phrasing of this simple melody line be shown through group formation? Which orientation is best used when choreographing this piece of music, centre-facing circle, forward facing or a combination of both? Which one sound, in each line of poetry, reveals the meaning of that line? Which combinations of gestures reveal this melody line? 7-8.4.2 Documenting choreographic process and recording gesture and form choices to enable development, progression and refinement of work over a period of time 7-8.4.3 Considering and evaluating choreographic choices and intent and refining choreographic sequencing in response to feedback

7-8.5 Perform with confidence, clarity, expression, and choreographic intent and effectively portray stories, poetry and music from diverse cultural and historical backgrounds using technical and expressive skills appropriate to the dance style

Working across stage Content Elaborations 7-8.5.1 Performing choreographed sequences displaying the elements of eurythmy and the choreographer’s intent clearly and confidently 7-8.5.2 Adapting choreographed sequences to new spaces when rehearsing for performance 7-8.5.3 Displaying an awareness and understanding of cultural, historical, time, location and style specific features in literature, music and artistic movement and how these characteristics are effectively portrayed when performing eurythmy/dance 7-8.5.4 Using rehearsal, feedback, reflection and evaluation to enhance clarity, intent, precision, projection, confidence, focus, relationship to ensemble, relationship to space and expression in the lead-up to performance 7-8.5.5 Understanding the difference in approach needed when rehearsing and performing, and moving in ways that enhanced ensemble cohesion 7-8.5.6 Working respectfully and safely with ensemble members in the lead up to and during performance




7-8.6 Analyse and evaluate how they, others from different cultures, times and places and choreographers in general use elements of eurythmy/dance and production elements to communicate intent through dance and apply this knowledge in dances they make and perform . ,

Working across stage Content Elaborations 7-8.6.1 Investigating, discussing and analysing ways in which stimuli being worked with informs choreographic choice and aspects of production including stage space, costuming and lighting choice 7-8.6.2 Developing listening and sensing skills that enable consideration of inner experience in relation to form, gesture, music and poetry Year 7 Content Elaborations 7.6.1 Investigating form principles evident in the plant world in relation to the Maths in Nature Main Lesson and experimenting with ways in which growth forms can be applied, transformed and sequenced when choreographing eurythmy Year 8 Content Elaborations 8.6.1 Identifying and describing the influence technological development has had on production and performance Possible lesson questions – technology: In what setting was artistic movement performed throughout periods in history and what has the development of electrical lighting enabled? How has advancement in textile production influenced costuming? 8.6.3 Discerning, analysing and explaining factors which influence choreography including number of performers, aptitude of ensemble members, orientation, focus elements (for example, vowels or consonants, melody, rhythm or beat, mood or grammatical structure) as well as choices arising from cultural, historical period, location and personal factors 8.6.4 Identifying and discussing ways in which choreographers express their intent by combining the elements of eurythmy in individual and diverse ways

7-8.7 Identify and connect specific features and purposes of dance and eurythmy from contemporary and past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their dance-making, starting with dance in Australia and including dance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADAR019

7-8.7.1. Displaying an awareness and understanding of cultural, historical, time, location and style specific features in literature, music and artistic movement and how these characteristics are effectively portrayed when performing eurythmy/dance from contemporary and past times. 7-8.7.2 Identify and connect features and purposes to explore viewpoints and enrich their dance/eurythmy making in…:

- texts exploring themes from the main lessons as well as…

▪ Year 7 - Dance from Middle Ages and the Renaissance - viewpoints from medieval dance - dance arising from the Geography and History Main Lessons

including from Australian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

- Early English dance - form principles arising from the Maths in Nature Main Lesson ▪ Year 8 - Dance from the Elizabethan era - Dance expressing humorous texts and music - ballads - texts and music from diverse cultures and periods of history - dance to music which modulates between major and minor - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance




In Years 7 and 8, students expand and extend their knowledge of eurythmic elements and their ability to use these elements creatively when making and performing. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through eurythmic practices, focusing on:

Body

▪ General Body Awareness – for example, limbs, torso, head; gestalt; zones - down, middle, up; hands, feet

▪ Specialised body awareness - distribution of weight (for example, standbein/spielbein); foot placement – threefold walking; tone streaming through the skeletal system; gesture forming using the muscular system; body leans; head and foot placements for states of being; leading formations and gestures from the centre of eurythmic movement – the rhythmic system

Space

▪ All aspects of space used with increasing complexity - for example, direction, dimension, form: free-flowing and geometric, positive and negative space, planes, pathways, patterns, general and personal space

▪ Spatial movements for specific eurythmy indications and/or exercises - for example, Apollonian formations (including head gestures and body leans); preludes and postludes; major and minor directionality; interval gestures and formations; all sound and soul gestures; the ‘inner/outer’ has conquered; geometric transitions and their inversions

▪ Performance space – adapt movements in accordance with the nature of the space and position of the audience (for example, small/large stage, raised stage/floor stage, raked stage, tiered seating, flat seating, in the round/semi-round, outside oval/amphitheatre, etc.)

Time, Dynamics and Musicality in Tone and Speech

▪ All elements of time with increasing difficulty and in a variety of combinations – for example, metre, beat, tempo, momentum, accent, duration, phrasing, rhythmic patterns, stillness and past/present/future directions

▪ A range of dynamic and expressive elements with increased difficulty and in a variety of combinations – for example: intonation; inflection; exclamation; mood; meaning; questioning; call and answer; modulate from major to minor; contouring; crescendo/decrescendo; slow/fast/; light/dark; forte/piano; staccato/legato; percussive/fluid; forceful; weak; fiery; airy; watery; earthy; slashing; light, flicking; resisting; soul gestures; foot placements for states of being

Relationships

▪ Groupings - solo, duet, ensemble (various sizes and with increasingly complex configurations) ▪ Spatial relationship – between eurythmy students in a great variety of combinations; between

the body and space around the body; transitional space between gestures; between eurythmy students and objects

▪ Interaction – awareness of ensemble members in a variety of situations when creating, rehearsing and performing a range of form and gesture combinations; awareness of the relationship between characters in a story or ballad; awareness of the relationship between performers moving to different parts/voices in music; awareness of the relationship between the stage space and the auditorium when performing (may include, for example, outside performance and audience spaces)

▪ Giving and receiving – rod/staff exercises; copper ball exercises; taking turns; cannons/cascades

Fundamental movement skills

▪ Coordination and general movement capacity – for example: harmonious gestalt; balanced step that carries the body smoothly; parallel foot placement; sustained walking/fast walking/threefold walking; kibitz skip; skipping; hopping; catching/throwing; gesturing

▪ Combinations of movement with increasing complexity Technical skills

▪ Gesture clarity and form accuracy – combinations of increasing difficulty ▪ Centre of eurythmic movement – leading with the rhythmic system, achieved through a

refinement of step placement




▪ Differentiated and controlled gestures – for example: vowels; percussive consonants, air consonants; major and minor chords

▪ Movement expression - showing aspects of music and poetry artistically by combining elements in increasingly complex ways

Safe practices

▪ Awareness of own and others movement capacity when creating, rehearsing and performing ▪ Maintenance of safe spatial distance when using objects or props ▪ Awareness of available space when rehearsing and performing in new situations ▪ Mindfulness of floor surfaces and safe use of appropriate footwear ▪ Awareness of bodily needs such as hydration

Choreographic Focus

▪ Music pieces choreographed using interval forms ▪ Contrasting and dramatic movements to music, poetry and ballads (Year 8) ▪ Devices - repetition, inversion, accumulation, cascade, cannon, variation, development,

retrograde (movement sequences backwards), changing orientation, ▪ Movement phrases and motives, and the swings in-between motives/phrasing ▪ Unity/synchronisation/contrast ▪ Transitions

Choreographic forms

▪ Unary; Binary; Ternary; Quaternary (one, two, three & four parts) ▪ Interval, melody, the inner and the outer has conquered, geometric, stellar, crystalline, fluid,

rhyme pattern, apollonian, major and minor, crown, prelude and postlude formations Conceptual Understanding Appropriate for this Stage Students:

• Identify, explore and discuss ways in which material being worked with informs choreographic choice

▪ Discern and evaluate how dramatic music and poetry informs choreography, costuming and lighting

▪ Identify and discuss ways in which choreographers express their intent by employing the elements of eurythmy in individual and diverse ways

▪ Remember and explain regularly used form indications and eurythmy speech, tone and soul gestures, as well as their relationship to speech, music and feeling

▪ Use eurythmy form indications and gestures when choreographing ▪ Identify and describe the influence technological development has had on production and

performance ▪ Investigate form principles evident in the plant world in relation to the Maths in Nature Main

Lesson and experiment with ways in which growth forms can be applied, transformed and sequenced when choreographing eurythmy

▪ Investigate how poetry, story and music, from a variety of cultures, societies and peoples, may express both culture specific and universal elements, and discuss how the uniqueness of each poem, story or piece of music, and the environment from which it arose, can be shown through eurythmy

▪ Know their developing capacity and learn through direct instruction and feedback ▪ Respect movement tendencies, styles and aptitude of class members and work socially and

constructively




By the end of Year 8, students identify and discuss the elements of eurythmy and explore how gesture relates to speech and tone, and how formations relate to naturally occurring form and growth principles, as well as to geometry, music and poetry; they apply this knowledge when making and performing eurythmy sequences. They experience and discuss how music and poetry from different cultures, times and places reveals distinctive qualities and how these qualities can be shown through eurythmy.

Students choreograph eurythmy sequences demonstrating the selection and organisation of rod exercises, gestures and formations to communicate choreographic intent which depicts the poem, music or imaginative picture. They perform with confidence and clarity, movements which they learn and choreograph, showing appropriate technical and expressive skills. Students identify and analyse the elements of eurythmy/dance, choreographic devices and production elements in movement/dances in different styles and apply this knowledge in eurythmy/dances they make and perform. They evaluate how they and others from different cultures, times and places communicate meaning and intent through eurythmy/dance.

Students choreograph eurythmy sequences/dances, demonstrating selection and organisation of the elements of eurythmy/dance, choreographic devices and form to communicate choreographic intent

Ariel’s Dance, from a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest



Years 9 & 10 The young person now needs to engage with eurythmy consciously and creatively. Content that is nourishing for their soul life, and which embodies powerful inner pictures or moving, musical motifs, is brought. Students build on knowledge and skills developed during the previous years and participate in making and responding with increased awareness and greater aptitude. Their capacity for intellectual thought is coming to the fore and they engage more searchingly with the content of their learning.

Year 9 begins with a revision of all previously covered material. It is now important for the students to understand the principles underpinning eurythmy movement and they undertake a review of eurythmy with this in mind. They continue to study the correlation between eurythmy movement and forms and growth process found in nature, making more astute observations and linking their realisations with their developing understanding of the human being. The relationships between inner experience, sounds and tones formed in the larynx, and poetry or music, becomes concretely explored, questioned and understood.

During Year 9, the adolescents’ emotional life and sense of individual and social well-being is important. Their soul mood strongly influences their experience of subject content, as well as their sense of self and their interactions with fellow human beings. Poetry and music, rich in strong, emotional themes can be brought as it provides a medium through which the breadth of human emotion, including antipathies and sympathies, can be explored. Here, content focuses on exercising polarities of feeling and this exploration can occur safely, within the context of artistic form. Advanced free-flowing, dramatic choreography allows students to give movement expression to their feelings. The conscious introduction of Dionysian forms can also school this area of soul life. Apollonian forms, geometric formations and the TIAOAIT sequence develop the students’ capacity for logical thinking. This practice balances emotional extremes through structured expression.

One of a series of forms for Schubert’s Impromptu D.946vi



Once in Year 10, the curriculum presents students with material whereby they work towards establishing objectivity through overview. Students now discover and explore gesture in relation to the great cultural epochs and this study augments themes covered in the English and History Main Lessons; students investigate the archetypal human realm where stylized gesture expresses representative states of consciousness as opposed to subjective experience. Complex form sequences which require heightened concentration, such as Steiner’s formation for Goethe’s Hymn To Nature, are also particularly relevant and the motives themselves further develop overview as students are led through a progression of formations which correlate to organic life processes and space in relation to time (how form changes over time, rhythm in nature - building and destroying growth forms). Tone eurythmy now calls for an artistic representation of complex musical motifs, including movements that correlate to multiple musical parts and tonal elements.

Students engage in practice though working on individually devised choreography, as well as choreography devised by fellow students, class ensembles, the teacher, other professionals within the field, and Rudolf Steiner. Style specific elements of choreography are explored and students use these form elements when choreographing. Students improve their ability to perform specialised movements, such as gesture or tone combinations formed through intended tension and release, while also developing their understanding of the principles of space, time and flow, dynamics, movement communication and relationship.

In both tone and speech eurythmy, the emphasis is on the extension of knowledge and skills through complex sequencing and a study of choreographic techniques in relation to form principles and inner experience. Increased exactitude and the development of refined body and spatial awareness becomes a focus as students aim to become an instrument through which the artistic material can be made visible. Students also view and engage with styles of artistic movement created within diverse cultural contexts and periods, as well as traditional and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances. Students identify key features communicated and worked with in traditional dances, and look at themes and intensions explored through contemporary eurythmy and dance works by contemporary choreographers.


9-10.1 Personalise and refine gestures to achieve nuanced and intended expression through clearly formed space and controlled tension and release and explore movement within the context of different genre and styles

Year 9 Content Elaborations 9.1.1 Revising and further developing all elements of eurythmy associated with sound gestures, consonants and vowels, and identifying features of the muscular system including the impact muscular tension and release has on gesture differentiation, movement flow and dynamics 9.1.2 Consciously exploring and practising pitch and interval gestures in relation to: an objective, ‘felt’ experience of pitch and the intervals; human anatomy and features of the skeletal system; mathematical tone ratios; the circle (the head) and straight line (the limbs) as form elements and their corresponding relationship to space and negative space; expansion and contraction in the skeletal system; and form metamorphosis 9.1.3 Combining and refining elements of tone eurythmy by working on pieces of music with strong melody lines, and express the melody through intervals and tone gestures 9.1.4 Establishing and creating gestures for all chords as understood interval combinations, coupled with expansion, contraction and direction. Developing archetypal and nuanced gestures for all inversions of major and minor chords, dominant 7th, augmented 7th, generally dissonant chords and tri-tones 9.1.5 Further exploring learnt soul gestures and improvising gesture combinations which depict emotional experiences and develop movement expression 9.1.6 Exercising and engaging with elements of eurythmy which develop an experience of contrast in all aspects




Year 10 Content Elaborations 10.1.1 Developing complex gestures of tones, intervals and chords Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.1.1 Exploring new combinations of sound gestures and individually choosing and improvising sound gestures in relation to the artistic material with which one is working 9-10.1.2 Explore different styles of eurythmy for different languages

9-10.2 Establish a clear overview of patterning and structure and exhibit proficiency in a range of spatial skills in varying contexts

Year 9 Content Elaborations 9.2.1 Revising and recognizing all ground elements of formation and, through a systematic re-introduction of the laws underpinning eurythmy forms, engaging critically with the concepts behind form indications and eurythmy movements 9.2.2 Practising all pedagogical formation elements including harmonious eight (multi directional), EVOE, the Large Star, hallelujah (with and without curves), TIAOAIT, ‘He who Illumines the Clouds’, and geometric formations 9.2.3 Re-visiting formations corresponding to a happy and sad mood using the Happy and Melancholy preludes (heiter auftakt/tragisher auftakt) and, respectively, suitable Major or Minor music 9.2.4 Practising contrapuntal formations 9.2.5 Refining technique so as to communicate point and periphery as tangible spatial contrasts Year 10 Content Elaborations 10.2.1 Exploring form indications for Epic, Lyric and Dramatic poetry in relation to qualities of thinking, feeling and willing (Dionysian forms) 10.2.2 Improvising and practising form indications for pronouns, verse structure and rhyme patterns Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.2.1 Practising formations in a range of groupings, for example, solo, duet and ensemble variations, in accordance with appropriate grouping sizes informed by the story, poetry or music (for example, a three part music piece is to be choreographed using one performer, or group of performers, for each musical voice; solo formations should be created for poems with a definite, individualistic theme or when emphasising a single, musical voice) 9-10.2.2 Exploring orientation and developing proficiency in performing learnt and improvised sequences when changing direction (for example, forward facing, follow the nose, facing different directions – front, side, back to the audience) and in new spaces 9-10.2.3 Exploring spatial zones for example, up/down, crouching/stretching




9-10.3 Manipulate combinations of the elements of dance and choreographic devices to communicate their choreographic intent (ACADAM021)

Year 9 Content Elaborations 9.3.1 Identifying key features in the story, poem or music and the corresponding choreographic form indications 9.3.2 Choreographing sequences using Eurythmy indications to a range of dramatic and emotive pieces. For example, to dramatic and emotive poetry, and to music with two and more parts, and/or strong contrasts between major and minor (using music up to the end of the Romantic period). Year 10 Content Elaborations 10.3.1 Choreographing sequences using Eurythmy indications to a range of poetry and music, for example, to dramatic, epic or lyric poetry and to music with two and more parts, with an emphasis on using music up to the end of the Romantic period, although contemporary works can be included selectively, and to movements from sonatas or other longer pieces of music Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.3.1 Appling form and gesture indications appropriately and manipulating indications to create original and artistic works when choreographing individual and group devised choreography, using for example: - Apollonian and Dionysian form indications - spatial directions for the Tonic, dominant, subdominant in music - movement tendencies for consonant/dissonant harmonies in music - rhyme formations in response to poetic structure - point/periphery as form principles which express meaning - cascades as elements of time and space - rondo, call and answer and A/B form variations - dynamics through differentiated tension - soul gestures as emotional expression - Sound (speech), tone and chord gestures

9-10.4 Interpret poetry, prose and music and choreograph through transforming meaning and subtle, inner experiences into movement expression by using the elements of dance/eurythmy, choreographic devices and form and production elements

Year 9 Content Elaborations 9.4.1 Identifying the elements of earth, water, air and fire in relation to states in nature, qualities in the human being, and in response to story, poetry or music and developing movements which portray these elements effectively Possible lesson questions – culture: How does an understanding of the four elements, as articulated in Ancient Greece, relate to the human being and what does knowledge of the traditional Chinese and Aya Vedic five elements contribute to our understanding? Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.4.1 Identifying and recognising stress and intonation patterns of speech and showing appropriate prosody through differentiated movement intention Possible lesson questions – technique: How do the stress and intonation patterns of speech, which are especially evident when a poem is spoken artistically, inform our employment of tension and release in each gesture and our execution of the form? 9-10.4.2 Identifying individual and combined aspects of the story, poem or music that can be interpreted through movement including: rhythm; beat; pitch and melody; harmony; chords; and dissonance; alliteration; assonance; rhyme forms; composition forms (for example the Sonata form); tempo; dynamics; as well as imagery, mood and emotion Possible lesson questions – listening: Which element of music, melody, rhythm or beat, is strongly represented during this music piece. Which aspect or aspects of the music do you wish to reveal through your movement?




9-10.5 Perform devised sequences to communicate the choreographer’s intent and apply expressive techniques to effectively portray mood and meaning within the context of style and genre

Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.5.1 Refining technique, with emphasis on movement clarity, projection and focus, in preparation for performance 9-10.5.2 Displaying an awareness of how relationship between audience and performer/s is established, and demonstrating the ability to establish this relationship in varying contexts Possible lesson questions – relationship: What is my relationship to the space, the ensemble and the audience in a large auditorium with a raised stage and what type of projection is needed in this instance? How can I include the audience and maintain ensemble relationship when performing in the round? In what way do I change my projection when performing for different audiences, for example, very young children? 9-10.5.3 Identifying ways in which to respond flexibly, artistically and safely, in unforeseen circumstances or in the event of mishap, so as to safely maintain performance, if possible and appropriate Possible lesson questions: What shall I do if another ensemble member performs a sequence incorrectly and this impacts on my own sequencing? How should I respond if I forget an element of the choreography? Under what circumstances is it no longer safe to continue performing? 9-10.5.4 Performing choreographed sequences as intended, showing the choreographer’s vision and style 9-10.5.5 Using expressive elements effectively to enhance performance and communicate meaning

9-10.6 Practise and refine movement to proficiently portray dynamics, tempo, weight, time and flow, relationship and movement communication

Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.6.1 Revealing qualities in the story, poem or music by integrating movement dynamics, including acceleration/deceleration, tempo, weight, time and flow, when rehearsing and performing 9-10.6.2 Intensively practising threefold walking and foot placement, in terms of both fluidity and varied tension, thereby enabling time and flow, tempo, dynamics, for example - piano/forte, and movement qualities, for example - dark/light, to be shown through the step 9-10.6.3 Identifying beat and rhythm in the music and refining the capacity to show and/or manipulate these elements when creating and performing 9-10.6.4 Practising concentration, rod and ball exercises to the point of virtuosity Possible lesson questions - skill development: How can you use object manipulation safely to enhance posture, timing, fluidity, spatial awareness and movement communication?

9-10.7 Explore cultural elements, as expressed through movement, from both ancient and modern societies, including the Ancient Cultural Epochs, and works from Asian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Year 9 Content Elaborations 9.7.1 Exploring movement styles and dances from Asian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage including traditional forms of dance/movement as well as current practices and new developments Year 10 Content Elaborations 10.7.1 Developing and exploring Eurythmy gesture indications for the cultural epochs and applying these gestures when practising poems and music relating to past cultures including: Ancient India; Stories from the Old Testament; Ancient Persia; Babylon and Egypt; Ancient Greece; and Rome




9-10.8 Analyse the choreographer’s use of the elements of dance, choreographic devices, form and production elements to communicate choreographic intent in dances they make, perform and view. Evaluate their own choreography and performance, and that of others, to inform and refine future work

Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.8.1 Identifying and critically discussing the correlation between choreography, sound and the piece with which one is working Possible lesson questions: How successfully did the group choreography represent the three voices in the music? Were Apollonian or Dionysian form principles most suitable when choreographing sequences to a particular poem? 9-10.8.2 Recognising personal capacities and identifying elements to improve and refine so as to further develop choreography and performance 9-10.8.3 Considering feedback to develop objective, self-evaluation skills and assessing if their choreographic intent has been successfully conveyed 9-10.8.4 Providing feedback to others respectfully, recognising achievements and enabling refinement of work 9-10.8.5 Analysing how elements of eurythmy/dance:space, time, dynamics and relationships communicate choreographic intent in dance/eurythmy they make perform and view. 9.10.8.6 Analysing the use of e.g.abstraction, sequence, repetition, transition, contrast, variation and canon to communicate choreographic intent in dance/eurythmy they experience e.g. other classes’ musical theatre, visiting professional dance performers. 9-10.7 Analysing choreographers use of production elements and contributions these elements have make in eurythmy and dance performances e.g lighting, staging and venue.

9-10.9 Appreciate and compare eurythmy and dance styles from a range of periods and genres, and identify and discuss influences and impulses underpinning the development of artistic movement styles They evaluate the impact of dance from different cultures, places and times on Australian dance.

Year 10 Content Elaborations 10.9.1 Identifying and critically discussing the ways in which culture, time and place influences dance styles, including, eurythmy, Australian dance and dances choreographed by people who are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decent 10.9.2 Considering the position of eurythmy within the context of global and Australian dance trends 10.9.3 Investigating and identifying differing views and philosophies and how these might influence creating and performing, including on Australian dance Working across stage Content Elaborations 9-10.9.1 Investigating eurythmy and dance from a range of genres and periods, and identifying and critically discussing the ways in which eurythmy and elements of dance/artistic movement have been used to express meaning and how styles change within varying contexts 9-10.9.2 Exploring and identifying the impact technological development and digital technology, for example, sound, lighting, visual effects, social media and video sharing sites, has had on creating and performing eurythmy and dance, and on societal awareness and appreciation of movement art forms Possible lesson questions: How have technological developments, such as electrical lighting or recorded music, affected movement performance? What does live music contribute to a performance? How do choreographers and/or production designers combine kinaesthetic and visual elements? What has image/video sharing enabled and how has this impacted on eurythmy/dance creating and performing?



Year 10 rehearsal

Year 10




In Years 9 and 10, students expand and extend their knowledge of eurythmic elements and their ability to use these elements creatively when making and performing. They build on and refine their knowledge, understanding and skills through eurythmic practices, focusing on:

Body

▪ Physical body awareness as well as feeling ‘body’ awareness ▪ Body part articulation, weight transfer and zones ▪ Vertical, horizontal and combination ▪ Movement stream and movement sculpturing ▪ Starting point of eurythmic movement (rhythmic system; collarbone) ▪ Metabolic/limb system, rhythmic system, nerve/sense system

Space

▪ All aspects of space used in increasingly complex and refined ways - Inner and outer, expansion and contraction, orientation, direction, dimension, height, shape, active and passive space, positive and negative space, planes, pathways, general space, personal space and performance space

▪ Muscular sculpting (speech eurythmy)

Time, Dynamics, Pitch and Musicality in Tone and Speech ▪ All aspects of time in relation to language, music and movement - meter, beat, tempo,

momentum, duration, accent, phrasing, rhythmic patterns, past/present/future and stillness ▪ Streaming through skeletal structure (tone eurythmy) ▪ All aspects of dynamics in relation to language, music and movement – for example:

differentiated movement qualities applied to varied material and in a range of contexts; plosive sounds/breath sounds/water sound/vowel sounds etc.; weight, force and energy

▪ Musicality – foot placement; gesture nuancing; stresses; melody, intonation, pitch, phrasing, breaths, pauses; the body becomes the instrument through which music and speech is made visible

Relationships

▪ Various groupings and spatial relationships ▪ ‘Soul’ feeling in relation to movement and the space around the body to reveal emotive and

subtle feeling qualities in story, poetry and music ▪ Ensemble awareness and audience/performer relationship

Technical skills

▪ Extending technical competence in all aspects of eurythmy – for example: coordination; orientation/directions in space; gesture and form clarity; form and gesture combinations; gesture and step differentiation; general fluidity; contrast; movement communication; moving the space around the body and between class members; tension and release; accuracy; and endurance

Expressive skills

▪ Representation of polarity and contrast ▪ Epoch and cultural representations through gestalt, gesture and step ▪ Extending confidence, clarity of movement and intension, projection, movement

communication, focus, musicality and expression of creative speech Safe practices

▪ Knowledge and structure or musculoskeletal system ▪ Identify potential safety hazards when using copper rods and other props ▪ Identifying potential safety hazards in a eurythmy studio or venue

Choreographic Focus

▪ Style chosen in response to the nature of the poem or music ▪ As appropriate to choreographic intent




Choreographic forms ▪ Variations of point and periphery in increasing complexity ▪ Apollonian ▪ Dionysian ▪ Interval ▪ Major & minor, tonic, dominant, sub-dominant ▪ Multi-voiced music ▪ Forms choreographed by Rudolf Steiner

Conceptual Understanding Appropriate for this Stage Students:

▪ Conceptually understand all aspects of eurythmy presented up to the end of the stage (note: additional content is brought in Years 11 & 12)

▪ Identify and critically explore form principles underpinning gesture, patterning and choreography

▪ Know and explain the relationship between the musculoskeletal system and music and speech ▪ Explore and discuss the seat of thinking, feeling, willing in the human being ▪ Explore and discuss the concepts of macrocosm/microcosm ▪ Experience Self in the present by grappling with polarity (Year 9) ▪ Understand and explain the evolution of consciousness past to present (Year 10) ▪ Explore and critically investigate the relationship between eurythmy and other movement arts ▪ Explore and discuss the role of choreography and factors influencing choreographic choice ▪ Identify an articulate the influence technological development has had on movement arts and

eurythmy


By the end of Year 10, students identify, consider and discuss elements of eurythmy and the relationship between eurythmic movement, and speech, music and principles of form. They explore factors which influence choreographic choice, and discuss how these factors are expressed in eurythmy that they make, perform and view. They evaluate the position of eurythmy within the context of artistic movement in general, and assess the impact culture, place and time has on the development of artistic movement expressions.

Students learn, rehearse and perform archetypal eurythmy gestures and formations and choreograph eurythmy sequences by combining and nuancing these gestures and formations to give artistic expression to poetry and music and to communicate their understanding and experience of speech, tone and form principles, as well as their choreographic inspiration. They choreograph, rehearse and perform eurythmy, demonstrating technical and expressive skills appropriate to the genre, poetry and music.

Students analyse the choreographer’s use of the elements of eurythmy/dance, choreographic devices, form and production elements to communicate choreographic intent in eurythmy/dances they make, perform and view. They evaluate the impact of eurythmy/dance from different cultures, places and times on Australian dance.

Students choreograph eurythmy/dances by manipulating and combining the elements of eurythmy/dance, choreographic devices, form and production elements to communicate their choreographic intent.



i Steiner, R. lecture to Eurythmists,11th July 1924 ii Steiner, R. 1995, The Kingdom of Childhood, Lecture 6, Torquay, England, August 1924, GA311, Anthroposophic

Press, NY iii Mier, Dorothea, in introduction to Eurythmy as Visible Singing, lectures by Rudolf Steiner, available at

http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA278/English/AMTRP1996/EuViSg_forward.html iv Form and verse by Diane Tatum, Kamaroi Rudolf Steiner School v Tatum, Diane; Class IV Eurythmy Teaching manual : Vikings, Gods and Giants vi Form by Elizabeth Chan, Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School

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