Fragments
The history of the Movements and their teaching by Georgi Ivanovich Gurdjieff is erratic, non-linear and characterized by uncertainties. The reasons for this are complex and have to do with the sheer incomprehensibility and depth of the teachings conveyed by Gurdjieff himself.
Gurdjieff’s years of teaching
In principle, the Sacred Dances can be assigned to two eras, the threshold constituting Gurdjieff’s serious car accident in 1924. All dances between 1916 and 1924 can be classified as “old” Movements, Gurdjieff’s first teaching and creative phase. The second period stretched from 1937 until his death in 1949 and included the “new” Movements. The differences between the dances taught in these sections are significant, both in function and design. What they have in common is the central role in the teaching of G. I. Gurdjieff (see Wim van Dullemen (2018): The Gurdjieff Movements).
Preservation and transmission of the dances
Only a fragment of the Movements led by Gurdjieff has survived to the present generation, an estimated 30 from the early period and 220 from the second phase. The Sacred Dances are passed on and taught by various organizations and private individuals who stood in direct contact with Gurdjieff or his students and serve as transmitters for the living teaching.
„In the rhythm of certain dances, in the precise movements and combinations of the dancers, certain laws are vividly recalled. Such dances are called sacred.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff himself forbade his students to take notes of the choreographies, so as not to substitute the rich inner experience with a mental image. Nevertheless, transcripts of G. I. Sacred Dances can be found all over the world, in varying quality and completeness. It is thanks solely to the exceptional efforts of his students that Movements are still taught today.
Gurdjieff’s
Sacred Dances
Fragments
The history of the Movements and their teaching by Georgi Ivanovich Gurdjieff is erratic, non-linear and characterized by uncertainties. The reasons for this are complex and have to do with the sheer incomprehensibility and depth of the teachings conveyed by Gurdjieff himself.
Gurdjieff’s years of teaching
In principle, the Sacred Dances can be assigned to two eras, the threshold constituting Gurdjieff’s serious car accident in 1924. All dances between 1916 and 1924 can be classified as “old” Movements, Gurdjieff’s first teaching and creative phase.
The second period stretched from 1937 until his death in 1949 and included the “new” Movements. The differences between the dances taught in these sections are significant, both in function and design. What they have in common is the central role in the teaching of G. I. Gurdjieff (see Wim van Dullemen (2018): The Gurdjieff Movements).
Preservation and transmission of the dances
Only a fragment of the Movements led by Gurdjieff has survived to the present generation, an estimated 30 from the early period and 220 from the second phase. The Sacred Dances are passed on and taught by various organizations and private individuals who stood in direct contact with Gurdjieff or his students and serve as transmitters for the living teaching.
Gurdjieff himself forbade his students to take notes of the choreographies, so as not to substitute the rich inner experience with a mental image. Nevertheless, transcripts of G. I. Movements can be found all over the world, in varying quality and completeness. It is thanks solely to the exceptional efforts of his students that Movements are still taught today.
„In the rhythm of certain dances, in the precise movements and combinations of the dancers, certain laws are vividly recalled. Such dances are called sacred.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff’s
Sacred Dances
Gurdjieff’s
Sacred Dances
Fragments
The history of the Movements and their teaching by Georgi Ivanovich Gurdjieff is erratic, non-linear and characterized by uncertainties. The reasons for this are complex and have to do with the sheer incomprehensibility and depth of the teachings conveyed by Gurdjieff himself.
Gurdjieff’s years of teaching
In principle, the Sacred Dances can be assigned to two eras, the threshold constituting Gurdjieff’s serious car accident in 1924. All dances between 1916 and 1924 can be classified as “old” Movements, Gurdjieff’s first teaching and creative phase. The second period stretched from 1937 until his death in 1949 and included the “new” Movements. The differences between the dances taught in these sections are significant, both in function and design. What they have in common is the central role in the teaching of G. I. Gurdjieff (see Wim van Dullemen (2018): The Gurdjieff Movements).
Preservation and transmission of the dances
Only a fragment of the Movements led by Gurdjieff has survived to the present generation, an estimated 30 from the early period and 220 from the second phase. The Sacred Dances are passed on and taught by various organizations and private individuals who stood in direct contact with Gurdjieff or his students and serve as transmitters for the living teaching.
„In the rhythm of certain dances, in the precise movements and combinations of the dancers, certain laws are vividly recalled. Such dances are called sacred.„
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff himself forbade his students to take notes of the choreographies, so as not to substitute the rich inner experience with a mental image. Nevertheless, transcripts of G. I. Sacred Dances can be found all over the world, in varying quality and completeness. It is thanks solely to the exceptional efforts of his students that Movements are still taught today.
Sacred Dances
The external form of the Movements provides insufficient information about what a particular dance expresses and what forces act on the dancers in their innermost being. Only by being thrown into a group and finding oneself as an element of a higher-level organism, the arcanum might reveal itself to the participants: the triamazikamno, the sacred “law of three”.
In the eye of the storm
An essential part of this process is the experience of one’s own powerlessness. Being faced with alternating rhythms, canonically taken body positions and complicated counting sequences, everyone is confronted with the automatic reactions of his or her personality. The dancer’s self-image, hardened over many years, becomes porous and therefore open for the discovery of what is real.
„If our aim is a harmonious development of man, then for us, dances and movements are a means of combining the mind and the feeling with movements of the body and manifesting them together. In all things, we have the aim to develop something which cannot be developed directly or mechanically.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff’s Movements are designed to make students clearly aware of their inner turmoil. It is precisely in the midst of the greatest friction, at the apex of the clash between two opposing forces, that the willingness on part of the dancer to witness and experience the conflict with the greatest possible distance comes into play. It opens the door for the emergence of the reconciling force. It is an act of mercy from another world.
Sacred Dances
The external form of the Movements provides insufficient information about what a particular dance expresses and what forces act on the dancers in their innermost being. Only by being thrown into a group and finding oneself as an element of a higher-level organism, the arcanum might reveal itself to the participants: the triamazikamno, the sacred “law of three”.
In the eye of the storm
An essential part of this process is the experience of one’s own powerlessness. Being faced with alternating rhythms, canonically taken body positions and complicated counting sequences, everyone is confronted with the automatic reactions of his or her personality. The dancer’s self-image, hardened over many years, becomes porous and therefore open for the discovery of what is real.
„If our aim is a harmonious development of man, then for us, dances and movements are a means of combining the mind and the feeling with movements of the body and manifesting them together. In all things, we have the aim to develop something which cannot be developed directly or mechanically.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff’s Movements are designed to make students clearly aware of their inner turmoil. It is precisely in the midst of the greatest friction, at the apex of the clash between two opposing forces, that the willingness on part of the dancer to witness and experience the conflict with the greatest possible distance comes into play. It opens the door for the emergence of the reconciling force. It is an act of mercy from another world.
Sacred Dances
The external form of the Movements provides insufficient information about what a particular dance expresses and what forces act on the dancers in their innermost being. Only by being thrown into a group and finding oneself as an element of a higher-level organism, the arcanum might reveal itself to the participants: the triamazikamno, the sacred “law of three”.
In the eye of the storm
An essential part of this process is the experience of one’s own powerlessness. Being faced with alternating rhythms, canonically taken body positions and complicated counting sequences, everyone is confronted with the automatic reactions of his or her personality. The dancer’s self-image, hardened over many years, becomes porous and therefore open for the discovery of what is real.
„If our aim is a harmonious development of man, then for us, dances and movements are a means of combining the mind and the feeling with movements of the body and manifesting them together. In all things, we have the aim to develop something which cannot be developed directly or mechanically.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff’s Movements are designed to make students clearly aware of their inner turmoil. It is precisely in the midst of the greatest friction, at the apex of the clash between two opposing forces, that the willingness on part of the dancer to witness and experience the conflict with the greatest possible distance comes into play. It opens the door for the emergence of the reconciling force. It is an act of mercy from another world.
Sacred Dances
The external form of the Movements provides insufficient information about what a particular dance expresses and what forces act on the dancers in their innermost being. Only by being thrown into a group and finding oneself as an element of a higher-level organism, the arcanum might reveal itself to the participants: the triamazikamno, the sacred “law of three”.
An essential part of this process is the experience of one’s own powerlessness. Being faced with alternating rhythms, canonically taken body positions and complicated counting sequences, everyone is confronted with the automatic reactions of his or her personality. The dancer’s self-image, hardened over many years, becomes porous and therefore open for the discovery of what is real.
„If our aim is a harmonious development of man, then for us, dances and movements are a means of combining the mind and the feeling with movements of the body and manifesting them together. In all things, we have the aim to develop something which cannot be developed directly or mechanically.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff’s Movements are designed to make students clearly aware of their inner turmoil. It is precisely in the midst of the greatest friction, at the apex of the clash between two opposing forces, that the willingness on part of the dancer to witness and experience the conflict with the greatest possible distance comes into play. It opens the door for the emergence of the reconciling force. It is an act of mercy from another world.
Inner Ways
The inner orientation of the student is of the greatest possible relevance in the Movements. Gurdjieff’s dances require an absolute willingness to confront the unconscious and mechanical reactions of one’s own personality with sincere determination.
Stranger’s look on oneself
In a state of increased attention, enforced by the Movements, the participants are enabled to take a radical and judgment-free look at their own existence. This surprising and sometimes painful experience is an essential part of the process of achieving a more earnest self-image.
„In a class, each individual must ‚work‘ in the sense of ‚being present at every second‘, putting all his attention on the relationship with his body, and on the most exact execution of the positions and their sequences.“
Solange Claustres
Gurdjieff’s Sacred Dances require a harmonious interaction of all three human centers: mental, emotional and physical. In their neglected state, they are woven into an inextricable tangle and interfere with each other’s actual function. Through continuous practice of the Movements, the centers regain their independent freedom. The Gordian knots on the royal chariot begin to unravel and pave the way for the harmonious development of man.
Inner Ways
The inner orientation of the student is of the greatest possible relevance in the Movements. Gurdjieff’s dances require an absolute willingness to confront the unconscious and mechanical reactions of one’s own personality with sincere determination.
Stranger’s look on oneself
In a state of increased attention, enforced by the Movements, the participants are enabled to take a radical and judgment-free look at their own existence. This surprising and sometimes painful experience is an essential part of the process of achieving a more earnest self-image.
Gurdjieff’s Sacred Dances require a harmonious interaction of all three human centers: mental, emotional and physical. In their neglected state, they are woven into an inextricable tangle and interfere with each other’s actual function. Through continuous practice of the Movements, the centers regain their independent freedom. The Gordian knots on the royal chariot begin to unravel and pave the way for the harmonious development of man.
„In a class, each individual must ‚work‘ in the sense of ‚being present at every second‘, putting all his attention on the relationship with his body, and on the most exact execution of the positions and their sequences.„
Solange Claustres
Inner Ways
The inner orientation of the student is of the greatest possible relevance in the Movements. Gurdjieff’s dances require an absolute willingness to confront the unconscious and mechanical reactions of one’s own personality with sincere determination.
Stranger’s look on oneself
In a state of increased attention, enforced by the Movements, the participants are enabled to take a radical and judgment-free look at their own existence. This surprising and sometimes painful experience is an essential part of the process of achieving a more earnest self-image.
„In a class, each individual must ‚work‘ in the sense of ‚being present at every second‘, putting all his attention on the relationship with his body, and on the most exact execution of the positions and their sequences.“
Solange Claustres
Gurdjieff’s Sacred Dances require a harmonious interaction of all three human centers: mental, emotional and physical. In their neglected state, they are woven into an inextricable tangle and interfere with each other’s actual function. Through continuous practice of the Movements, the centers regain their independent freedom. The Gordian knots on the royal chariot begin to unravel and pave the way for the harmonious development of man.
Inner Ways
The inner orientation of the student is of the greatest possible relevance in the Movements. Gurdjieff’s dances require an absolute willingness to confront the unconscious and mechanical reactions of one’s own personality with sincere determination. In a state of increased attention, enforced by the Movements, the participants are enabled to take a radical and judgment-free look at their own existence. This surprising and sometimes painful experience is an essential part of the process of achieving a more earnest self-image.
Gurdjieff’s Movements require a harmonious interaction of all three human centers: mental, emotional and physical. In their neglected state, they are woven into an inextricable tangle and interfere with each other’s actual function. Through continuous practice of the Movements, the centers regain their independent freedom. The Gordian knots on the royal chariot begin to unravel and pave the way for the harmonious development of man.
„In a class, each individual must ‚work‘ in the sense of ‚being present at every second‘, putting all his attention on the relationship with his body, and on the most exact execution of the positions and their sequences.„
Solange Claustres
Simplicity
The ability to foresee the energy required for an activity and to measure it accordingly, is one of the core competencies of the Gurdjieff Work.
Reduced to the essence
True, objective beauty unfolds in the reduction of all movements and expressions to their minimal required dimension. The Movements and their dancers strive for clarity, precision and renunciation of excess in every respect. In this energy field, even the simplest gesture, a single word, a fleeting breath can leave a profound impression and cause resonances of hitherto unknown strength.
„Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.“
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
During the Movements, the dancer goes on a journey into himself. In the tireless search for balance and relaxation, he becomes the plaything of energies of unimagined potency. These energies of a higher nature result in transformation processes in the participants‘ system, leading to a heightened state of attention, thus enabling a less identified perception of their existence and their surroundings.
Inner Ways
The inner orientation of the student is of the greatest possible relevance in the Movements. Gurdjieff’s dances require an absolute willingness to confront the unconscious and mechanical reactions of one’s own personality with sincere determination. In a state of increased attention, enforced by the Movements, the participants are enabled to take a radical and judgment-free look at their own existence. This surprising and sometimes painful experience is an essential part of the process of achieving a more earnest self-image.
Gurdjieff’s Movements require a harmonious interaction of all three human centers: mental, emotional and physical. In their neglected state, they are woven into an inextricable tangle and interfere with each other’s actual function. Through continuous practice of the Movements, the centers regain their independent freedom. The Gordian knots on the royal chariot begin to unravel and pave the way for the harmonious development of man.
„In a class, each individual must ‚work‘ in the sense of ‚being present at every second‘, putting all his attention on the relationship with his body, and on the most exact execution of the positions and their sequences.„
Solange Claustres
Simplicity
The ability to foresee the energy required for an activity and to measure it accordingly, is one of the core competencies of the Gurdjieff Work.
Reduced to the essence
True, objective beauty unfolds in the reduction of all movements and expressions to their minimal required dimension. The Movements and their dancers strive for clarity, precision and renunciation of excess in every respect. In this energy field, even the simplest gesture, a single word, a fleeting breath can leave a profound impression and cause resonances of hitherto unknown strength.
During the Movements, the dancer goes on a journey into himself. In the tireless search for balance and relaxation, he becomes the plaything of energies of unimagined potency. These energies of a higher nature result in transformation processes in the participants‘ system, leading to a heightened state of attention, thus enabling a less identified perception of their existence and their surroundings.
„Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.„
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
Simplicity
The ability to foresee the energy required for an activity and to measure it accordingly, is one of the core competencies of the Gurdjieff Work.
Reduced to the essence
True, objective beauty unfolds in the reduction of all movements and expressions to their minimal required dimension. The Movements and their dancers strive for clarity, precision and renunciation of excess in every respect. In this energy field, even the simplest gesture, a single word, a fleeting breath can leave a profound impression and cause resonances of hitherto unknown strength.
„Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.“
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
During the Movements, the dancer goes on a journey into himself. In the tireless search for balance and relaxation, he becomes the plaything of energies of unimagined potency. These energies of a higher nature result in transformation processes in the participants‘ system, leading to a heightened state of attention, thus enabling a less identified perception of their existence and their surroundings.
Gurdjieff
Movements Seminars
Our weekend seminars offer an insight into the characteristics of the Gurdjieff Work. No prior knowledge of this discipline or other spiritual paths is required.
Participating in the Gurdjieff Movements is an extremely intense experience, especially for beginners. The dancers are confronted with their illusions in a complex way and learn to face and accept them honestly.
Registration
If you are interested in participating, please contact us using the form below.
Simplicity
The ability to foresee the energy required for an activity and to measure it accordingly, is one of the core competencies of the Gurdjieff Work. True, objective beauty unfolds in the reduction of all movements and expressions to their minimal required dimension. The Movements and their dancers strive for clarity, precision and renunciation of excess in every respect. In this energy field, even the simplest gesture, a single word, a fleeting breath can leave a profound impression and cause resonances of hitherto unknown strength.
During the Movements, the dancer goes on a journey into himself. In the tireless search for balance and relaxation, he becomes the plaything of energies of unimagined potency. These energies of a higher nature result in transformation processes in the participants‘ system, leading to a heightened state of attention, thus enabling a less identified perception of their existence and their surroundings.
„Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.„
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
Simplicity
The ability to foresee the energy required for an activity and to measure it accordingly, is one of the core competencies of the Gurdjieff Work. True, objective beauty unfolds in the reduction of all movements and expressions to their minimal required dimension. The Movements and their dancers strive for clarity, precision and renunciation of excess in every respect. In this energy field, even the simplest gesture, a single word, a fleeting breath can leave a profound impression and cause resonances of hitherto unknown strength.
„Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.“
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
During the Movements, the dancer goes on a journey into himself. In the tireless search for balance and relaxation, he becomes the plaything of energies of unimagined potency. These energies of a higher nature result in transformation processes in the participants‘ system, leading to a heightened state of attention, thus enabling a less identified perception of their existence and their surroundings.
„From realizing the significance of your neighbour when your attention rests on him, that he will die, pity for him and compassion towards him will arise in you, and finally you will love him; also, by doing this constantly, real faith, conscious faith, will arise in some part of you and spread to other parts, and you will have the possibility of knowing real happiness, because from this faith objective hope will arise – hope of a basis for continuation.“
G. I. Gurdjieff
quoted by C. S. Nott in Teachings of Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff
Movements Seminars
Our weekend seminars offer an insight into the characteristics of the Gurdjieff Work. No prior knowledge of this discipline or other spiritual paths is required.
Participating in the Gurdjieff Movements is an extremely intense experience, especially for beginners. The dancers are confronted with their illusions in a complex way and learn to face and accept them honestly.
Registration
If you are interested in participating, please contact us using the form below.
Gurdjieff
Movements Seminars
Our weekend seminars offer an insight into the characteristics of the Gurdjieff Work. No prior knowledge of this discipline or other spiritual paths is required.
Registration
If you are interested in participating, please contact us using the form below.
Participating in the Gurdjieff Movements is an extremely intense experience, especially for beginners. The dancers are confronted with their illusions in a complex way and learn to face and accept them honestly.