Founded in 1909, the garden city of Hellerau had an odd design aesthetic: everything would be based on principles of rhythm. Instead of placing a church in the center, the city planners invited the Swiss musician and choreographer Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and the visionary stage designer Adolphe Appia to design a modern theatre and college where they would teach Dalcroze’s Methode Gymnastique Rythmique (Eurhythmics). Imagine a town designed around a massive modernist community arts center!
The City of Rhythm thrived until the outbreak of World War I, and the College’s artist colony attracted innovators like Mary Wigman, Serge Wolkonsky, Serge Diaghilev, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Marie Rambert. In this class, we’ll take off our shoes and move! We’ll explore Dalcroze’s method of embodied rhythmic practice and what happens when revolutionary creatives live and work in community, questioning traditions, supporting each other, and designing for a new shared paradigm.
Learning Outcomes:
The student will learn fundamental, bodied aspects of Eurhythmics including meter, phrase, pulse, solfege, and improvisation.
The student will explore the historical context of this specific artistic garden community and compare it to their own experiences in community.
The student will use this framework to consider and reimagine the role of environment in artistic practice and the role of the artist in shaping community.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 2
M 3:40PM -5:30PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: All courses , Fully In-Person , Fundamentals
Tags: awareness , beat , design , embodiment , gestalt , gesture , groove , harmony , melody , movement , music , Music Fundamentals , Rhythm , Songs