18. Beauty

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18.2. Music and movement

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18.1. Beauty: text and idea

Beauty, Petka (Petra Godulova)

TEXT

Start with song the new born day;

Song is light upon your way.

(Repeat from “Start”)

Like butterflies we spread our wings,

Raising each hand a new blessing brings.

Graceful our bodies thus will grow

Golden seeds of future beauty now we sow.

(Repeat from “Graceful”)

Lively as when brooklets flow,

Thus our minds and hearts will grow,

So we dance each day to be graceful, beautiful and free.

(Repeat from “Lively”)

IDEA

Exercise 18.Beauty relates to the ability to solve our task as set in exercise 17 “Square” by using the "male" approach. We perform hardness, decisiveness, power, persistence, walking straight forward. We try to walk straight through the problem situation, in the language of gesture arms and hands do not fold. We overcome resistance, in the language of gesture making small steps forwards even when the body is “pushed” backwards. Some examples of hard and straight forward approaches:

the hard rock, the lightning in nature;
using direct, and harder words;
in relationships showing power, persistence, pushiness or being more rude;
approaching an issue straight to the point.

Exercises 17-21 are related thematically as a group. In 17.Square we have a problem situation, a task. With 18.Beauty and 19.Agility we work to solve it using the hard and the mild approach. In 20.Conquering we solve and overcome it. With 21.The Joy of the Earth we perform the joy of the achieved.

“The hands, one after the other reach forwards and upwards while the body gently rocks forwards and backwards, from one leg to the other. This movement represents the processing of the forces of the square… This processing is a work of art, a mastery. The lines of the movement are straight. Therefore, we may say that the masculine principle which processes the square is expressed here. This is the electricity.” [Beinsa Douno, Paneurhythmy, p.80]

Beauty, Ondřej Smetana Beauty, Stefka Nikolova (follow-up activities)

QUESTIONS

1. Text: What are the images of beauty in the text? Write in your own beautiful words a sentence/essay/poem about hardness, decisiveness, boldness, persistence.

2. Drawing: Draw an illustration how you/an animal/a plant overcomes an obstacle on the way (a high wall, water etc.) by going straight forward/through it. Draw an illustration to the exercise.

3. Questions: How would you describe the traditional “male” approach? What are the "male" and "female" qualities in everyone? A painting is beautiful but it took a lot of efforts and persistence for the painter to make it; give other examples where something is achieved with persistence.

4. Experience: Tell us of situations and experiences when you have solved a situation by being decisive and persistent. What is the feeling?

5. Imagination: Imagine while you play the exercise that there is a strong wind against you but you overcome its power by small steps, although it tries to push you back.

6. Affirmations: Write your own positive affirmation for Beauty. For example: I can be hard and decisive.

7. Quotes: Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it (Confucius). Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and determination will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these (James Whitcomb Riley). Find your own favourite quote for Beauty.

Beauty, Nevyana Momchilova

Published in 18.1. Text and idea

18.2. Beauty: music and movement

MUSIC

Measure: 3/4
Tonality: B minor
Total: 90 measures
1 measure = 1 movement

MOVEMENT

SP:

Arms: Arms are down by the sides of the body.

Legs: Feet are together in standing position.

Arms: The right arm moves upward and forward to 45˚, with hand upward and forward, palm down. Simultaneously the left arm moves down to the back to 45˚, with hand down to the back, palm upwards. Both arms are stretched in the elbows and in the wrists.

Legs: Step forward with the right foot. The weight of the body transfers to it with a slight swing, so that the left foot lifts up a little from the ground at the end of the movement.

Duration: 1 measure

Arms: The arms keep their position: the right is 45˚ up, the left is 45˚ down to the back.

Legs: With a slight swing the weight of the body transfers to the left foot and it steps down some inches forward in respect to its initial position (making a tiny step, but still remaining to the back). Then the right foot lifts up a little from the ground.

Duration: 1 measure

Arms: The arms start a movement of change of position. The left arm starts towards 45˚upward and forward, the right starts towards 45˚down to the back, stretched.

Legs: The right foot steps down some inches forward, in respect to its initial position.

Duration: 1 measure

Movements 1-3 repeat symmetrically (left-right) in movements 4-6:

Arms: The arms continue their movement and the left reaches upward and forward at 45˚, the right down to the back at 45˚.

Legs: Step with the left foot. The right foot lifts up a little.

Duration: 1 measure

Arms: The arms keep their positions of 45˚.

Legs: The right foot steps some inches forward in respect to its initial position. The left foot lifts up a little.

Duration: 1 measure

Arms: The arms start a movement of change of position: the right up, the left down.

Legs: The left foot steps some inches forward in respect to its initial position.

Duration: 1 measure

Movements 1-6 make up a cycle which repeats 15 times

Final Position = return to SP.

VERSIONS:

For the palm of the back hand: the palm turns to "face" the body (the whole arm remains straight from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers).

Published in 18.2. Music and movement