"Moscow action" continues

festival dance

At the theater center STD "On Strastnoy" as part of the V international festival of authentic theatrical and musical art "Moscow Action", the Norwegian eurythmy ensemble Oslo Eurymiensemble and the Japanese Troupe of Music, Movement, Improvisation and Rhythm (MIER) presented their works. TATYANA KUZNETSOVA plunged into the mysteries of eurythmy.

The ensemble of Norwegian eurythmists was founded almost twenty years ago by Margret Solstad, the long-time leader of the Norwegian Anthroposophical Society and a member of the presidium of the International Society of Anthroposophists. Who else, if not her, knows all the ins and outs about the “etheric body”, “life-spirit”, “sensing soul body” and other obscure qualities of man as a “cosmic being”. She studied eurythmy, the plastic expression of anthroposophy, in her homeland - in the famous Swiss Dornach, where almost a century ago the philosopher Rudolf Steiner honed his theses about “visible speech” and “visible singing” on numerous neophytes and neophytes.

Mrs. Solstad - a stately, dignified lady with a strong-willed, enlightened face and the uncompromising eyes of a born spiritual leader - leads an international group of six eurythmists, a pianist and a reader, preserving and developing the Steiner heritage using local material. That is, making Norwegian poems “visible” and Grieg’s music “visible”. This happens in much the same way as in rhythm lessons in primary ballet schools: eurythmists are divided into groups and try to plastically depict the modulations of the reader’s voice or the development of the musical theme and accompaniment. Finely mince and shake the brushes if the speech speeds up, and passages shimmer in the music; they glide with wide steps, smoothly moving their arms, when the theme is lyrically leisurely, and the reader falls into epic pathos; they freeze in pauses, agitate their bodies in climaxes and constantly scoop handfuls of something from the air - maybe cosmic energy, maybe grace.

All this is reminiscent of a divine service: the ministers of the cult of eurythmy are dressed in a uniform developed a century ago (a loose tunic to the toes and with long sleeves, with an airy cape thrown over it), their faces glow with unearthly knowledge, their bows are restrained and fleeting. Their manners are gentle and dignified, no matter what these middle-aged women who have found the meaning of life portray - be it fairy-tale trolls, or the characters of the unknown ballad "Olav Liljekrans", or even a rooster and hens from some fairy tale. The “etheric bodies” of the eurythmists most unfortunately did not correspond to their physical ones: awkward, ugly, they performed their ritual in such a pathetic manner that it is even awkward to evaluate these manipulations as a dance. However, unlike her charges, Mrs. Solstad is truly gifted plastically and musically: looking at how precisely, subtly and subtly this woman dances the historical number “Erotikon” staged by Rudolf Steiner himself, one can imagine why at the beginning of the last century Europe was struck by the total eurythmy epidemic.

The Japanese troupe does not so strictly adhere to the century-old European canons. Even more, they blasphemously follow the lead of the public, smuggling elements of pop culture into their performance “Visible Music”. The closest thing to this troupe is the teaching of the Swiss Emile Jacques-Dalcroze: rhythm is the basis of the diverse compositions of the Japanese women. The team is ready to rhythmize anything - even Bach, performing his organ chorale using metal tubes with hammers; at least Bela Bartok, desperately jerking his limbs in his “Russian Kolomeika”; at least the poem "Kappa", breaking it down into sounds. To the accompaniment of their hiccups, gurgles, quacks, and clatters, the Japanese women acted out a hilarious scene of gluttony with facial expressions and body movements of cartoon characters. There was also a place for exoticism - the ancient polyphonic song “Sakura” was performed by dancers in luxurious kimonos with fans in their hands: they bloomed with lush flowers, drew graceful curves of lines, and grouped themselves in asymmetrical patterns. The diversity of Japanese women had an exciting effect on the audience: the men, who had fallen asleep on eurythmy, screamed heart-rendingly “bravo” and even “encore”. Inspired by their success, the artists uttered a samurai-like scream backstage.

"Moscow Action" turned out to be an instructive experiment in reviving the past. At their birth, eurythmy and other “Duncanisms” were programmatically unprofessional, and this was seen as a guarantee of their freedom. But the parameters of freedom today are completely different, but the lack of professionalism remains the same. Public celebrations in honor of dead gods can be respected, but cannot be shared: when pulled onto the stage, they only cause a feeling of awkwardness.

Feast of the "life spirit"