eurhythmics

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eurhythmics was the name given by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865–1950), a Swiss composer and teacher of music, to his system of training that linked musical rhythm with movements of the body. He gave instruction in his method in Dresden before World War I, and later, in 1915, he founded his own Institute in Geneva. Marie Rambert was one of his notable disciples: she learnt the method from him, passed it on to the Diaghilev ballet and later applied it in her own company. ‘Eurhythmy’, or ‘eurhythmic’, from the Greek meaning good proportion or rhythm, had been used earlier in several contexts including architectural harmony, postural grace, and regular pulse.

Stuart Judge


See ballet; music and the body.

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