ONO ŠTO NISTE ZNALI O POKRETIMA

Istorija Gurđijevljevih plesova

Wim van Dullemen

Svaka osoba nosi u sebi - kao dete koje je u skrivenu fijoku sakrilo neke prelepe kamenčiće, pero, ili komadiće stakla u boji - neki mali broj primarnih iskustava koji su oblikovali njegov život. Za mene je doživljaj Gurđijevljevih plesova jedna takva dragocenost. Poštujući zahtev da pišem o Plesovima za časopis Stopinder-a, otvorio sam fijoku i izvukao taj poseban oblutak i sada ga držim u svojoj ruci. Pogledajte kako je zagonetan, njegova prigušena refleksija svetlosti, krivudave vene koje prolaze kroz njega. Okrećem ga i momentalno se pojavljuje potpuno novi obrazac na mojoj ruci. Kao što bi nemoguće bilo verno opisati ovaj kamenčić, takav je i moj zadatak da pišem o ovim Plesovima. Ali ako ću i probati da to uradim sada, to neću učiniti pretvarajući se da znam; Na kraju krajeva, ja sam još uvek u procesu učenja i želim samo da prenesem dalje, ono što su me drugi naučili. Ono što sam naučio od Kejt i Tinki Bras (Kate, Tinky Brass), čiji  stav ističe primer onoga što bi trebalo da bude prava saradnja, strpljivo pokazujući mi dragocene Plesove iz linije njihovog Rada - originalne Uspenski tradicije.

Takođe želim da opišem moja shvatanja istorijske slike, koju je meni tako elokventno oslikala Duška Hovart. Želim takođe da se prisetim svojih iskustava sa mnogim nezavisnim grupama koje sam upoznao tokom mog perioda intenzivnih putovanja - koja su me vodila širom Evrope, od Skandinavije do Grčke, i do nekih delova Amerike.  Svaka od ovih grupa se na svoj način susrela sa svakodnevnom realnošću Gurđijevljevog Rada, i ja sam naučio mnogo od njih. Vitalnost naših Plesnih grupa, u Amsterdamu i Berlinu, donela bi mi nove uvide svaki put kada se okupimo zajedno, i ja sam neke od tih doživljaja pokušao da prenesem u ovom članku. Najviše sam dužnik gospođici Solanž Klostres (Solange Claustres), koja je bila Gurđijevljev učenik sedam godina. Tokom dugih godina koliko sam svirao klavir na njenim časovima, od nje sam dobijao i duga, intenzivna podučavanja Gurđijevljevih Plesova.  Ovo je bila jedna od velikih privilegija mog života.

SEĆANJE NA ČASOVE GOSPOĐICE SOLANŽ

Negde sredinom šezdesetih, gomila nas hipija zainteresovanih za Gurđijevljeve teorije, ušli smo u plesni studio u tada još postojećoj, staroj jevrejskoj četvrti u Amsterdamu. Dočekani smo dobrodošlicom koju nam je uputila prekrasna francuska dama sa laganim osmehom, koji nas je momentalno opustio. Ne gubivši više vreme, postrojila nas je u linije, kao da smo vojna eskadrila, i pokazala nam odlučne pokrete ruku, nogu i glave koje smo morali da izvodimo istovremeno. Jedna starija žena je sela za klavir i počela udarati po dirkama, naizgled očajnički tražeći pravu dirku za nezaboravnu i čudnu melodiju. 

Kombinacija pokreta mog tela i muzike imala je nenadan uticaj na mene. Bilo je to kao da je jaka svetlost ušla u sve u toj sali, uključujući i mene. Znao sam da sam naleteo na nešto od velikog značaja i snage. Kasnije, tog istog popodneva, dogodio se incident koji je ostavio još dublji utisak na mene. Rečeno nam je da sednemo i opustimo se što više, dok će gospođica Klostres (Claustres) nežno pomerajući naša ramena, proveriti napetost u našim telima. Jedan od nas, jak, visok čovek je očigledno bio veoma napet, jer je ona nakon pokušaja da opusti njegova ramena, izgubivši strpljenje, ljutito rekla: „Ovaj čovek je krući nego komad kamena sa Alpa; nije moguće da neko u ovakvom stanju radi Pokrete.“ Čovek je izgledao nesrećno i bilo mu je neugodno toliko da je jedna od žena iz naše grupe ustala u njegovu odbranu. „Ali Madam,“ ona uzviknu, „vi govorite vođi naše grupe.“ Bez komentara gospođica Klostres se vratila na svoje mesto ispred čitave grupe, okrenula se i suočivši nas sa pogledom čelične odlučnosti rekla svečano kao sudija koji izriče presudu: „On može govoriti o idejama, da; može pričati koliko god poželi, ali njegovo telo nije u Radu!“ „Telo mora da bude u radu... telo mora da bude u radu...“ 

Dok sam se vozio biciklom kući to veče, ove reči poput Budističkog molitvenog bubnja odzvanjale su u mojoj glavi. Odjednom su mi se otvorila vrata i shvatio sam kako je ograničena i jednostrana bila moja intelektualna poza.  Telo koje je sada vešto upravljalo biciklom kroz haotičan saobraćaj u centru starog Amsterdama - moje sopstveno telo – bilo je ono koje sam ignorisao i koje sam isključio iz svojih misli. Moje noge su činile da se bicikl kreće napred - šta bih ja bio bez svojih nogu? Zaronio sam u ovu novu istinu, toliko jednostavnu da je odavno bila zaboravljena. Zašto sam zaboravio? U tihoj vodi kanala odražavalo se tamno večernje nebo. Skrivena u sred koncentričnih krugova, leži duboka zagonetka. 

Bio sam zamoljen da sviram klavir na časovima gospođice Klostres (Claustres), i u narednih 13 godina svirao sam za sve njene klase u Holandiji. Morao sam da radim i Pokrete i muziku, jer pijanista koji nije imao Pokret u svom telu nije joj bio ni od kakve koristi.  Ponekad sam bio toliko iscrpljen od zahtevanog rada da bih između časova zaspao sa glavom na klaviru. Ono što sada razumem o unutrašnjem sadržaju Pokreta, oblikovalo se u meni dugi niz godina, zahvaljujući znanju, primeru i inspiraciji gospođice Klostres. Shvatio sam da u svakom trenutku čovek mora da obnovi svoju pažnju, da iznova proverava kontakt sa svojim telom i osećanjima, i da oseti pokajanje zbog nedostatka sposobnosti. Da budemo jednostavni i iskreni - to je ona zahtevala od nas. Moj lični osećaj nezavisnosti dokaz je valjanosti njenog učenja. Šta je, na kraju krajeva, praktična vrednost podučavanja koje samo stvara „večitog studenta“ koji nikad neće biti u stanju da stoji na svojim vlastitim nogama?

DEFINICIJA POKRETA

Georgije Ivanovič Gurđijev (George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff), ostavio nam je u nasleđe jedinstvenu raznolikost. On je napisao tri knjige i u saradnji sa svojim učenikom Tomasom de Hartman-om, (Thomas de Hartmann) - ruskim kompozitorom veoma poznatim u avangardnim krugovima na početku 20-og veka,  je komponovao  preko 200 muzičkih kompozicija.  Nadalje,  stvorio je očaravajuću osnovu od nekih 250 plesnih igara i fizičkih vežbi pod nazivom Pokreti, bez sumnje udarnu snagu njegovog učenja, jer je želeo da bude zapamćen jednostavno kao „učitelj plesa“.  Za mnoge, prvi utisak Pokreta biće otvoreno predstavljanje nečega što još nije viđeno, ni nalik bilo čemu što im je poznato u svetu plesa. Oni koji su vežbali Pokrete često ih nazivaju „svetim plesovima“, zbog njihovog izuzetnog uticaja na psihičko stanje i širenje svesti. Gospođica Klostres (Claustres) opisala ih je kao „objektivan oblik umetnosti... konstrukciju velike lepote koja je neizmerljiva, ali koja sadrži zakon evolucije ljudske svesnosti. Oni izražavaju kako i u kom pravcu treba da se odvija progres i kao takvi pokreti su škola u pravom smislu te reči.“ (1) Iako je poreklo ovih igara bilo predmet znatnih špekulacije i mistifikacija, ostaje malo sumnje da je Gurđijev  sam stvorio najveći deo njih. Kao što gospođica Klostres (Claustres) navodi: „Veliki broj ovih igara potiče sa Bliskog i Dalekog Istoka gde ih je Gurđijev proučavao tokom svojih putovanja, kada je posećivao verske zajednice ili posebne etničke grupe, ali je većinu Plesova stvorio on sam.“ (1)

Gurđijevljevi Plesovi u kontekstu evropskog plesa i avangarde ranog 20-og veka:

Čitava biblioteka može biti ispunjena sa objavljenim delima Gurđijevljevih filozofskih i psiholoških ideja, ali komparativna studija o njegovim Plesovima nikada nije napravljena. Ipak, ako se zapitamo šta je zapravo novo u tim idejama, ne možemo izbeći razmatranje radova drugih istaknutih umetnika aktivnih u isto vreme. To će nam pomoći da jasnije sagledamo  postignuća ovog revolucionarnog stvaraoca, u poređenju sa datom pozadinskom scenom. Prema jednom od njegovih objašnjenja, cilj njegovih Plesova bio je da potpomogne „harmoničan razvoj čoveka“ metodom koja kombinuje um i osećanja sa pokretima tela, i manifestuje sva tri zajedno. Ovo je razvoj koji se nikada ne može dogoditi mehanički, pukim slučajem ili sam od sebe, već koji stimuliše stvaranje onoga što je nazvao “celovit čovek: um, telo i osećanje“. (2) Podela čoveka na telo, emocije i intelekt nije bilo neuobičajeno u delima ruskih simbolista (34) i još interesantnije podseća na rad Fransoa Delsarte (Francois  Delsarte). Danas smatran jednim od osnivača modernog plesa, Delsarte je sredinom 19-og veka podučavao sistem koji se odnosi na sve ljudske ekspresije, a svodi ih na jedan osnovni zakon, Gurđijevljev „Zakon Trojstva“.  (5) Slikar i koreograf Oskar Šlemer (Oskar Schlemmer) bio je još jedan pionir fasciniran ovom trostrukom prirodom čoveka, kao što je prikazala i njegova „trijada baleta“ za koju je Paul Hindemit (Paul Hindemith) komponovao muziku. Do 1923, kada je radio za Bajhaus u Vajmaru (Weimar), već je u potpunostio razvio svoje geometrijske koncepte ljudskog tela, u dramatičnom kontrastu sa tada aktuelnim slobodnim tokom ekspresije Isidore Dankan (Isadora Duncan). Štaviše, Šlemer je bio u stanju da objasni duboki značaj geometrijskih pozicija tela sa neverovatnom vizionarskom preciznošću. Njegovi crteži figura svakako podsećaju na moćne, apstraktne položaje tela koje je iste godine Gurđijev prikazao na sceni. (6) Još jedna paralela sa Gurđijevljevim Plesovima može se naći u pristupu Emil Žak Delkroze-a (Emile Jacques Dalcroze), posebno u njegovim ritmičkim studijama. A možda ne samo u njima, jer je zabeleženo da su u noći prve demonstracije Gurđijevljevih Plesova u Parizu 1923. godine, Delkroze-ovi studenti protestvovali ispred pozorišta, vičući, Prevarant, Lopov.  (11)

...ALI POSTOJANJE OVIH SLIČNOSTI POKAZUJE DA JE GURĐIJEV BIO DETE SVOG VREMENA I IZLOŽEN TAJANSTVENOJ SILI PUTEM KOJE SU, U BILO KOM KULTUROLOŠKOM PERIODU, ISTI EKSPERIMENTI ISTOVREMENO VRŠENI OD STRANE NEZAVISNIH I GEOGRAFSKI ODVOJENIH LICA. 

Međutim, malo je verovatno da je Gurđijev bio i najmanje zainteresovan za bilo kog evropljanina koji je razvio nešto što se može porediti sa njegovim radom, a kamoli da bi to kopirao; ali postojanje ovih sličnosti pokazuje da je Gurđijev bio dete svog vremena, i izložen tajanstvenoj sili putem koje su, u bilo kom kulturološkom periodu, isti eksperimenti istovremeno vršeni od strane nezavisnih i geografski odvojenih lica. Gurđijev nije bio samo „majstor Plesa“, on je takođe pisao knjige i komponovao muziku, i koristio ove različite vrste umetnosti da ih međusobno održi i unapredi. (12) Ovo nas navodi na traganje za zajedničkim imeniteljem koji povezuje Gurđijeva sa evropskom umetnošću i poreklom Gesamtkunstwerk-a. Ovaj koncept, koji je prvi upotrebio i propagirao Ričard Vagner (Richard Wagner), duboko je uticao na Ruski Simbolizam. Malo je riskantno povezivati Gurđijeva sa ovim kulturološkim trendom iz kasnog 19-og veka, ali svrha njegove umetnosti - radije nego njena forma - podseća na Simbolizam gde spajanje različitih umetnosti zahteva novu viziju i u krajnosti novi oblik bitisanja, kao u verskoj službi. Dalje je važno napomenuti da su i Skrjabin i Kandinski (Scriabin, Kandinsky), koji su razvijali koncept Gesamtkunstwerk-a dalje u oblast sinestezije, bili De Hartmanovi lični prijatelji. 

Ovim poređenjem možemo uočiti primetne razlike, kao što je Gurđijevljevo ekonomično raspolaganje sredstvima. Odjek jednog tona u njegovoj muzici može biti jednako efektan kao ceo orkestar dok svira minut dramatične sekvence. Ako mi, sudeći iz današnje perspektive, shvatimo da je preterivanje neprijatelj umetničkom izražavanju, možemo potvrditi da je u tom pogledu Gurđijev, u njegovim Plesovima i muzici, bio zaista moderan. Dalja razlika je činjenica da izvođenje Vagnerovog, Skrjabinovog, Mahlerovog rada, i njima sličnih, uključuje aktivne izvođače i pasivne posmatrače.  Za razliku od ovog tipično evropskog kulturnog fenomena, moguće je da bilo ko učestvuje u Gurđijevljevim Plesovima - svako ko pronađe učitelja koji se u okviru organizovanih časova bavi tradicionalnim Gurđijevljevim Radom. Sve drevne kulture povezuju ples sa manifestacijom Boga, Kreacije i njenih misterija. U tim kulturama, plesovi uvek prate i potpomažu žene i muškarce u ključnim koracima ka njihovom fizičkom i psihičkom razvoju. Pokreti predstavljaju njegov krajnji napor da u živote ljudi - posebno onih koji žive u zapadnoj kulturi- vrati značaj plesova i fizičkih vežbi u procese ličnog razvoja. On je pokretima predstavio i u našu kulturu ugradio novu zajedničku molitvu, novi ritual da stimuliše i pomogne transformaciju pojedinaca kao i društva u celini. Pokreti mogu i trebaju biti tačka usmerenja i predmet izučavanja svih ozbiljnih ljudi. 

„STARI POKRETI“ I „NOVE VEŽBE“

Gurđijev je stvarao Plesove tokom dve potpuno različite faze svog života, prvo od 1918. do 1924. godine njegove skoro fatalne saobraćajne nesreće, i potom druge od 1939. do njegove smrti 1949. Raniji Plesovi izvođeni su na sceni, 1923. godine u Parizu i 1924. u Americi, i sastojali su se od “Obaveznih vežbi-Obligatory“ (Gurdjijevljevi pokreti su podeljeni u 7 kategorija ), radne plesove, derviške plesove, grupu ženskih plesova, i nekoliko razrađenih molitvenih rituala i ceremonija.  1939-te, nakon perioda od 15 godina, ponovo je preuzeo svoje aktivnosti kao „Gospodar plesa“. Podučavajući verovatno najbolje pripremljeno učenje tokom te poslednje decenije života, Gurđijev je organizovao časove Plesa za različite grupe skoro svaki dan, i davao desetine novih Plesova i vežbi sve do svoje smrti 1949. Nema sumnje da su njegovi Plesovi u ovom periodu njegovog podučavanja bili njegova glavna aktivnost i zanimanje. Tokom ovog perioda stvorio je ono što je postalo poznato kao „39 serija“. Glavna razlika između starih Plesova i novih vežbi ogleda se u tome  da je Gurđijev kao pratnju svojih ranijih Plesova sam komponovao muziku u kooperaciji sa Tomas de Hartman-om, koji je prvobitno pisao za orkestar od 36 instrumenata a kasnije muziku preradio samo za klavir, solo bez drugih instrumenata.  Samo stari Plesovi imaju lično Gurđijevljevu muzičku pratnju, dok je Tomas de Hartman komponovao muziku za „39 serija“ nakon Gurđijevljevee smrti. Ovog puta morao je da komponuje sam, bez Gurđijevljevog vođstva, ali je koristio isti prepoznatljivi stil kao u njegovoj ranijoj muzičkoj saradnji sa njim.

STVARANJE “39 SERIJA“

Poslednja decenija Gurđijevljevog života, druga faza njegovog podučavanja Plesova, bila je faza izvanrednog stvaralaštva. “Naša grupa je imala  časove jednom nedeljno,” prisećala se gospođica Solanž Klostres (Solange Claustres), “i on je svaki put podučavao barem jedan novi Ples. To se nastavilo tokom sedam godina koliko sam ja pohađala njegove časove. Pokazao bi nam šest novih Plesova ali je retko kad objašnjavao mnogo šta o njima. Njegovo prisustvo je bilo toliko jako da bi doslovno ispunilo čitav prostor, tako da ste mogli da upijete novu vežbu na direktan način. Nikakvo dalje objašnjenje nije bilo potrebno. Nikad nam nije bilo dozvoljeno da pravimo beleške o kompoziciji i plesnim pokretima, jer bi ta aktivnost umanjila naš prvi i kompletan utisak do analitičkog i racionalnog stava.”  

Gurđijevljev kreativni tok potvrdila je i još jedna učenica, gospođa Džasmin Hovart (Jessmin Howarth), koreograf u pariskoj operi pre nego što je udružila snage sa Gurđijevom: “Dolazio je svako veče na časove sa tri ili četiri potpuno nova pristupa“ (11) Oni koji su u to vreme pohađali njegove časove, opisali su mi Gurđijevljevu kreativnost kao empirijski eksperiment velikog intenziteta, poslednjih godina.  (12) On je ulagao vrhunski napor da razvije vežbe koje će pomoći ljudima da ojačaju svoju svest, volju i moć prisustva. Ponekad je bio slab ili bolestan i morao je da se pridržava, naslanjajući se na klavir, kako bi ostao na nogama. Ali bi nastavljao da radi. Takođe mi je bilo objašnjeno da je Gurđijev proučavao rezultate svakog novog pokreta koji bi dao učenicima, posmatrajući Stanje ljudi na času. Mnoge od njegovih novih vežbi nisu dostigle cilj koji bi on imao na umu, već samo neke.  

Zapamćeno je i da je ponekad odlazio tokom časova da bi se nakon kratke pauze vratio  sa predlogom male promene u pokretu, recimo, prethodno pravo postavljen zglob sada je bio savijen, a položaj ruke bi promenio umesto horizontalno, dijagonalno napred. Povremeno, čak ni ove nove promene ne bi ostvarile njegovu ideju željenog stanja kod plesača, i tada bi on dao strogu naredbu: „Ne... stani, zaboravi ovaj pokret i nemoj ga izvoditi više.“  To je bio definitivni kraj takvog pokreta. Međutim, ako bi novi pokret doveo do željenog stanja  psihe i emotivne reakcije u licu plesača, on bi rekao: „To je to, ovaj pokret je gotov i spreman. Do kog broja smo stigli?“ To se odnosilo na broj pokreta koje bi označili kao “gotove i spremne“ za izvođenje. Ova polako rastuća lista postala je „serija od 39 pokreta“- grupa Plesova koje je Gurđijev učenicima preporučio da praktikuju. Tako je „serija 39“ predstavljala jezgro njegovih novih vežbi, one koje je prihvatio kao gotove i od velike važnosti. Svi ostali pokušaji, koje su njegovi studenti zapamtili i od tada ih izvode, nisu bili u potpunosti odobreni sa njegove strane, i ma koliko ti Plesovi bili lepi, u tom pogledu su ostali otvoreni za razmatranje. (13)

Rad na „seriji“ je trajao do samog kraja, okončan samo zbog Gurđijevljeve bolesti i smrti. Čak je i tokom poslednjih putovanja u Ameriku dodao sedam novih Plesova na listu. Iz tog razloga se u Americi koristi lista od 46 Plesova u odnosu na 39 Plesova u Evropi. Interesantno je napomenuti da Gurđijev u Americi nije samo dodao nove stavke, već je i unutrašnji poredak - redosled pokreta - značajno promenjen, najverovatnije od strane samog Gurđijeva. (14) Moguće da je tražio da uspostavi poredak za nove pokrete koje je izabrao, sortirajući ih ukopčano jedan Pokret do drugog, kao poglavlja u knjizi.  

TRI KATEGORIJE

Smatramo da je korisno podeliti Plesove u tri kategorije, kao klasifikaciju koju bi svaki student Plesova trebalo da razmotri. 

1.Stariji Plesovi, proistekli iz Gurđijevljeve prve faze podučavanja. Ove Plesove je čitava grupa Gurđijevih učenika uvežbavala po 5-6 sati dnevno, u periodu od 1918. do demonstracija 1923. i 1924. (15) i to su jedini postojeći Plesovi za koje je Gurđijev sam napisao muziku. Do danas je od tih Plesova zapamćeno 27 koji se izvode u autentičnom obliku kako ih je Gurđijev dao. Šest Obaveznih pripadaju ovoj grupi. Za nekoliko drugih Plesova iz tog ranog perioda ostala je samo muzika jer su sami pokreti zaboravljeni ili ih je veoma teško rekonstruisati. 

2.      „Serija 39“ kao skup od 39 Plesova koje je Gurđijev izabrao iz mnoštva novih vežbi datih u periodu između 1939. i do njegove smrti 1949. godine. On je ove Plesove  preporučio za izvođenje,  smatrajući ih “gotovim i spremnim“. Zapravo, isticanje ovih 39 Plesova od svih drugih njegovih pokušaja, bilo je toliko očigledno da kada je zamolio Tomasa De Hartmana da komponuje muziku za „njegove najnovije vežbe“svi su znali da govori o „seriji 39“.  (16) Nakon Gurđijevljeve smrti, Tomas de Hartman je komponovao muziku za ovaj serijal, tačnije za njih 37,  zato što je za dva od njih 39 zahtevao improvizaciju.

3.      Sve drugo što je ostalo upamćeno od novih vežbi i još uvek se izvodi - između jednog i 200 Plesova, u zavisnosti od kriterijuma koji se primenjuju za brojanje. Oni variraju od najkomplikovanijih vežbi sa posebnim ulogama za svakog plesača, do kratkih fragmenata za proučavanje određenog ritma, ili određene telesne akcije. Gospođa Žan de Salszman (Jeanne de Salzmann), učenica kroz čije su aktivnosti mnogi od tih Plesova sačuvani, jednom prilikom je objasnila da je bilo moguće setiti se samo malog procenta od svih vežbi koje je Gurđijev podučavao, oko 25 odsto. (17) Tomas De Hartman je napisao muziku za 15-tak Plesova iz ove kategorije, od kojih se osam može čuti na našem prethodnom setu od 2 CD-a „Gurđijevljeva muzika za Plesove“- Channel Classics Records, CCS 15298. Postepeno tokom godina, mnogi Plesovi iz ove poslednje grupe stekli su svoju muzičku pratnju, kroz posvećeni rad drugih kompozitora povezanih sa izučavanjem Plesa, poput Alana Kremskog i Edvarda Mičela (Alain Kremski and Edward Michael), kao i mnogih drugih amaterskih kompozitora. 

KARAKTERISTIKE I ZNAČENJE „39“

Ako uporedimo “39“ sa Gurđijevljevim ranijim Plesovima, u osnovi vidimo iste komponente: jake derviš plesove, prelepe i tihe ženske plesove, moćne geometrijske Plesove kao i svete molitvene rituale. Međutim drevne verske i etnološke komponente se značajno manje koriste, dok danas preovlađuju apstraktni gestovi i položaji, izvođeni sa matematičkom preciznošću. Kao da je Gurđijev tokom perioda od 15 godina njegovih prvih napora, apsorbovao svoje najranije utiske kako bi oblikovao još ličniji stil, u kom dominira matematička i geometrijska struktura pokreta. Izgleda da je dramu ljudskog stanja, tako dirljivo prikazanu u velikom broju starih Plesova, zamenila apstraktnija konstrukcija pokreta, koja daje neposrednu i izdašnu priliku za rad na sebi i rad na čitavoj grupi kao celini. Kasniji Plesovi su postali još teži za izvođenje u poređenju sa prvobitnim, i zahtevali su ogroman napor u pogledu preciznosti, brzine, discipline i održavanja pažnje tokom čitavog njihovog trajanja. “39” Plesova prozvani su Gurđijevljevim Remek Delom, i mnogi su osećali da je u ovom serijalu on sažeo celo svoje učenje u njegovoj poslednjoj i najsnažnijoj poruci čovečanstvu.

MUZIKA ZA SVE NOVE VEŽBE JE PRVOBITNO IMPROVIZOVANA

Tokom decenije kada je Gurđijev dao svoje nove vežbe i postepeno uspostavio „39“, ne samo da je eksplicitno zabranjivao vođenje koreografskih beleški, već je još jedno od njegovih izričitih zahteva bilo da pijanista improvizuje muziku. On bi dao ritam pijanisti i sva dalja uputstva su bila ograničena na “sad samo uradi to“. (18) Zapravo, zabeleženo je da je izbor određenog ritma Gurđijevu često služio kao osnova iz koje bi kreirao čitavu strukturu novog Plesa. (19) Tražio je od gospođe Solanž Klostres (Solange Claustres), kao talentovane pijanistkinje koja je već osvojil „Premier Prix“ nagradu za svoje umeće pre nego što je upoznala Gurđijeva, da preuzme njegove časove kada je putovao u Ameriku 1949. „Dao bi mi uputstvo da improvizujem“ rekla mi je „i naravno morala sam jer tada nije postojala zapisana muzika koja bi se mogla koristiti. Nije mi bilo lako da improvizujem, ali me je to iskustvo naučilo mnogo o pravoj svrsi muzike. To nema nikakve veze sa “harmonizacijom” već predstavlja vitalni deo unutrašnjeg rada koji se odvija na časovima.“ (1) Par decenija ranije, kompozitor muzike za gimnastiku Rudolf Bode već je istakao važnost improvizacije: „... u podučavanju gimnastike praćene muzikom, sposobnost makar i najjednostavnije improvizacije, čak i uz sve one smišljene uz najjednostavnija sredstva,  je apsolutno neophodno jer samo spoljašnja simulacija nužno vodi do monotonije...“(21)

Očigledno, Gurđijev je radio na isti način i bio je na oprezu po pitanju prevremenih fiksacija. Plesovi i muzika su morali da budu živi. Istina njegovog rada treba da se predstavi kroz neprekidni kreativni proces, stalno novu i u svakom momentu besprekornu formu. Za one koji takve procese smatraju očiglednim, korisno je napomenuti da je ravnoteža između plesa i muzike retkost. Istorijski gledano, jedno od dvoje je bilo dominantno: ili je muzika pisana da podrži balet, ili je balet morao da se uklopi u postojeću muziku. Mnogi umetnici, poput onih u „Loheland“ plesnoj školi u Nemačkoj na početku prošlog veka, usmerili su svoju energiju ka obnovi ove ravnoteže. U tom pogledu su reči gospođice Solanž Klostres (Solange Claustres) pogodile samu suštinu stvari: “Zvuk koji pijanista proizvodi određuje sve; to je taj zvuk koji mora da upotpuni  unutrašnji proces  pretočen u akciju pokretima plesača . (22) I zaista, tokom Plesa pojedinac može iskusiti zvuk na jedan potpuno nov način, kao da osvetljava njegov unutrašnji život. Jedinstven balans nas nastanjuje; muzika, gestovi i naše unutrašnje aspiracije postaju jedno, a to je kao da smo zakoračili na novo, bezvremeno mesto bez granica. U takvom trenutku doživljavamo život na način koji ne može da se zaboravi. 

PRENOŠENJE PLESOVA

U narednom poglavlju razmatraću prenošenje Plesova. To nas suočava sa pitanjem - Šta su to Plesovi? Jer nam sam odgovor na ovo pitanje objašnjava šta je to što treba se saopšti.  Svaki čovek će dati drugačiji odgovor na ovo pitanje, i to moramo imati na umu dok se upuštamo u ovo kompleksno područje. Za one koji žive u svetu spoljašnjih formi neće biti problema. Ples je pokret, neki oblik gimnastike. Pomalo misteriozan jer nema puno ljudi koji ga znaju, ali mu to ide na ruku kada ga treba ponuditi kao proizvod u današnjem „Supermarketu za lični razvoj“. Oni u potrazi za smislom iza nemilosrdnog zida pojavnosti pokreta, razumeju poteškoće prenošenja i primanja Pokreta. 

 Kada bi me pitali šta Plesovi meni znače, odgovorio bih: „Pomažu mi da se približim Bogu“. Zvuk vetra u krošnji drveta, oduševljenje deteta prekrivenog snegom, lepota usamljene kuće u polju, oči ljubavnika, bleda svetlost novog jutra koje vibrira večnom enigmom života... Plesovi mi pomažu da se približim svemu tome. Oni ili bude moju uspavanu energiju, ili mi pomažu da dođem u dodir sa nečim van mene. Ta nova energija koja počinje da cirkuliše u meni je dragocena. Čini me smirenim, svesnim i odlučnim, i ta energija mi je potrebna kada moram da se suočim sa nečim potpuno nepoznatim. Gospođa Klostres (Claustres) mi je rekla jednom prilikom: “Svi Gurđijevljevi Plesovi su molitve.“ I kada je Gurđijevu rekla koliko je uvek duboko dirnuta njegovim Plesovima, on je samo tiho odgovorio: „Da,.. oni su lek.“ (23)

Unutrašnje značenje koje pridajemo Plesovima izaziva teškoće u često naizgled kontradiktornom procesu njihovog prenosa. Gurđijevljev Rad je područje teško za istraživanje zbog preovlađujuće potrebe za tajnošću, kao i zbog sve veće izolacije i nedostatka kooperacije, ako ne i neprijateljstva, među različitim tradicijama. Moja uloga “lutajućeg muzičara“ koji svira Gurđijevljevu-De Hartman muziku na svim mogućim mestima i okolnostima, pomogla mi je da stupim u kontakt sa mnogim Gurđijevljevim grupama  i organizacijama koje nisam ranije sreo. Svi su bili ljubazni prema meni i pružili mi toplu dobrodošlicu. Poštovao sam ih i izbegavao osuđivanje, s obzirom da sam samo želeo da učim. Palo mi je na pamet kako moja uloga “lutajućeg muzičara“ podseća na posao koji sam imao nekoliko godina ranije, radeći za velike međunarodne kompanije. Naravno za njih nisam svirao klavir, već sam bio izabran da radim kao centralna osoba u eksperimentu pod nadzorom Hardvard Univerziteta, u kom su svi menadžeri iz Evorpe slobodno razmenjivali probleme sa kojim se susreću i predloge kako da se oni reše. Naravno, obavezivala me je stroga poverljivost. Podudarnost i sličnost ove dve aktivnosti, kao da je ova faza mog života imala specifičan obrazac, uverila me je da sve organizacije, bilo da su njihovi ciljevi duhovni ili komercijalni, moraju da se nose sa istim sociološkim problemima. Iz tog razloga je većina velikih komercijalnih preduzeća promenila svoju hijerarhijsku strukturu u organizaciju koja se sastoji od mnogih manjih nezavisnih jedinica koje se mogu bolje prilagoditi složenim zahtevima današnjeg društva. Kada pokušavam da prenesem moja iskustva tokom ovih godina komparativnog istraživanja, moja namera nije da kritikujem upravo organizacije koje su bile od koristi za moj razvoj, već da svoja zapažanja predstavim na način koji omogućava analizu situacije i vodi konstruktivnom načinu rada u budućnosti. Moram da naglasim subjektivnost mojih zapažanja i napomenem da bolje poznajem situaciju u Evropi nego u Americi.

Tradicija Plesova - KADA JE OTPOČELO PODUČAVANJE PLESOVA, KAKO I ZA KOGA?

Plesovi se mogu naučiti jedino u autentičnom okruženju. Njihovo proučavanje zahteva godine odlučnog napora i obuhvata ne samo Gurđijevljeve Plesove već njegova celokupna učenja. Svaki proces učenja ima svoje faze. Zahteva sticanje novih znanja, apsorbciju i varenje ovog materijala, i na kraju praktičnu primenu onoga što je naučeno u teoriji. Pri izučavanju Plesova ove faze traju najmanje deset godina. Jedino ima smisla studirati sa učiteljem koji poznaje Plesove, spreman je da ih podučava u celini a ne samo fragmente, i sposoban je da stimuliše grupu u njihovom unutrašnjem radu. Linija prenosa je autentična kada je grupu osnovao Gurđijevljev učenik. 

Ovi učenici su često sarađivali međusobno, barem u godinama neposredno nakon Gurđijevljeve smrti. Gurđijev Institut u Parizu i srodne fondacije ističu se zbog svojih istorijskih povezanosti, sposobnosti i veličine njihovih organizacija, i stoga što je na čelu svih bila njihov osnivač gospođica Žan de Salszman (Jeanne de Salzmann) kojoj je Gurdjijev dao saglasnost  i pravo da bude jedini naslednik i prenosilac njegovog učenja. Nekoliko manjih grupa, nezavisno od pomenute fondacije iz Pariza, mogu se takođe klasifikovati kao autentične jer su ih osnovali Gurđijevljevi učenici koji su učili Plesove na njegovim časovima. Što se tiče komparativnog istraživanja prenosa Plesova, najznačajnije bi bile grupe Uspenskog i Beneta (Ouspensky and Bennett), mada nikako nisu jedine. Sve ove organizacije se veoma razlikuju. Nazvati Benetovu liniju organizacijom je prvenstveno pogrešno, jer se sastoji od različitih grupa učenika Džona Beneta (John Bennett) koji su organizovali najrazličitije aktivnosti, otvorene za sve, zavisno od specifičnih potreba i okolnosti. Uspenski linija je takođe relativno mala, dok Fondacija uključuje hiljade učenika. Terminom Fondacija ukazujem na različite međunarodne fondacije osnovane ili podržane od strane Francuskog Gurđijev Instituta. Uprkos razlici u njihovoj veličini, ono što je zajedničko kod ove dve poslednje grupe je da se obe mogu klasifikovati kao hijerarhijske organizacije.   

Ako, samo kao primer, želimo uporediti ove tri tradicije, potrebni su nam kriterijumi za poređenje. Sledeći kriterijumi za poređenje su bitni:

• Da li je učenje Plesova povezano sa proučavanjem    Gurđijevljevih učenja u celini
• Broj i vrsta Plesova koji se prenose
• Odnos između forme i sadržaja ovih Plesova
• Kome se prenose
• Da li se učenici podučavaju samo fragmentima ili Plesovima u celini

Upotreba ovih kriterijuma brzo na površinu iznosi slabosti i prednosti različitih tradicija. I Fondacija kao i Uspenski linija, podučavaju Plesove samo članovima njihovih organizacija, kao integrisanu komponentu celokupne nastave. Benetova tradicija eksperimentiše sa kratkim seminarima koji su otvoreni za sve, gde je fokus aktivnosti na samim Plesovima. Repertoar Uspenski linije obuhvata svega 27 starijih Plesova koji su očuvani i prenose se u potpunosti, sa celokupnim istorijskim detaljima. Benetova tradicija predstavlja mešavinu nekih starih Plesova i nekoliko novijih vežbi. Oni takođe podučavaju Plesove u celini, međutim ne sa jednakom brigom za detalje kao kod Uspenskog. Fondacija ima pravo bogatstvo novijih vežbi na raspolaganju - bez premca u odnosu na bilo koje druge postojeće tradicije. Međutim, u Evropi se mnogi stariji Plesovi slabo praktikuju i skoro da su zaboravljeni. Jednako kao njihov repertoar novijih vežbi, bez premca je i njihovo znanje i iskustvo u istraživanju unutrašnjeg sadržaja Plesova. Druga strana ove medalje je da oni pokazuju šokantno nepoštovanje za formu Plesova zbog sklonosti da podučavaju samo fragmente. Dalje, zbog veličine njihove organizacije, postoji opasnost od stvaranja „specijalista“ za različite oblasti Gurđijevljevog učenja, među kojima su i sami Plesovi. A postati ’specijalista’ bilo kog dela Gurđijevljevog Rada znači okrnjiti sebe za sveobuhvatan doživljaj njegovih učenja( prim.p. - potpuno iskrivljavanje istine ).

Izvanredno je i dirljivo da tri tradicije koje smo izabrali, do današnjeg dana odražavaju istorijske faze Plesova kao u vreme kada su ih dobili. Intenzivan program treniranja u tradiciji Uspenskog, gde svi znaju sve stare Plesove napamet, nastao je bez sumnje u vreme kada je Gurđijev od svojih učenika zahtevao da vežbe izvode 5-6 sati dnevno, kao pripremu za javno predstavljanje u Parizu i u Americi. Fokus na novije vežbe u Fondaciji, i način na koji ih možemo povezati sa unutrašnjim radom, potiče iz poslednje faze Gurđijevljevih podučavanja Plesova i entuzijazma gospođice Jeanne de Salzmann, koja je očuvala mnoge od ovih vežbi. Karakteristika Džon Benetove linije, spremnost na eksperimentisanje sa novim formama podučavanja Plesova, odražava otvorenost njegovog uma. Iz komparacije ovih tradicija možemo zaključiti da ni jedna nije savršena. Ako želimo ono najbolje iz ova tri sveta, moramo žrtvovati izolaciju i otpočeti saradnju (prim.p – jedini istinski naslednik učenja Gurdjijeva je Fondacija iz Pariza koja je ponudila svim drugi grupama da stanu pod njeno okrilje, što su oni to naravno odbili. Stoga se može naslutiti da se iza njihovih primedbi krije ništa drugo do zavist i neizmerna želja za besplatnim dobijanjem dragocenih material i znanja u koje su uloženi nadljudski napori. Treba uzeti u obzir jednostavnu činjenicu da kada bi se takvo znanje delilo besplatno ubrzo bi izgubilo na svom kvalitetu i značenju ).

To je ono što smo mi učinili u Plesnim grupama u Berlinu i Amsterdamu. Pre dve godine, u Amsterdamu smo organizovali razmenu na temu starih Plesova između naše grupe i grupe originalne Uspenski tradicije. Na naše iznenađenje, pridružila nam se gospođa van Oyen, jedna od dva živa člana londonske Uspenski grupe, i kada smo je upitali zašto je došla s obzirom na njenu izuzetnu starost, odgovorila je: „Pre mnogo godina sam videla kako se Rad podelio na manje frakcije. Sada sam čula da se ulaže napor ujedinjavanja onog što sam gledala kako se razdvaja, i iz tog razloga sam insistirala da budem prisutna ovde sa vama. Samo ako radimo zajedno možemo postići rezultate!“ Nadam se da ćemo nastaviti u tom pravcu.

PLESOVI I ČUVANJE TAJNE

Najvažniji faktor koji je odgovoran za nedostupnost Plesova je “Tajanstvenost’“. Razmotrićemo sada ovu sklonost, jer je nuspojava tajnosti rastuća izolacija mnogih Gurđijevljevih zajednica. S obzirom da za mene Plesovi predstavljaju najintimniju, svetu ekspresiju Rada, zaprepašćen sam kada vidim da se Plesovi nude ljudima koji misle da se tu radi o nekoj vrsti aerobika. Postoji poznati ezoterični princip, „Ne možete dati ono što se ne može uzeti“, ili drugačije rečeno „Ne bacaj bisere pred svinje“. Ali kako izabrati ljude koji mogu? Treba li uključivanje biti ograničeno samo na članove organizacije?

Kada sviram Gurđijevljev recital ljudima koji nikad nisu čuli za Gurđijeva, njihov unutrašnji odgovor, koji mogu da osetim, je ništa manji nego kod članova Gurđijevljeve organizacije. Naprotiv, nekada je još i bolji, i postavlja se pitanje ko može šta da uzme. Naravno, neophodno je zaštititi Plesove od spoljašnjih uticaja i održati ih što je moguće čistijim. Nažalost, promene se javljaju u svakom slučaju, i to se ne može sprečiti. Kurt Saks (Curt Sachs), veliki nemački istraživač muzike i plesa, formulisao je princip koji kaže da ne postoji ni jedna kulturološka pojava koja neće biti podvrgnuta uticaju drugih kulturnih fenomena i sa svoje strane takođe uticati na njih. (24)

Kada je Gurđijev predstavio svoje Plesove u Francuskoj i u Americi, događaji su bili otvoreni za sve zainteresovane, i sa jednim izuzetkom, ulaz je uvek bio slobodan. Kada su ga upitali: „Zašto su ovi događaji otvorenog tipa, za sve ljude?“ odgovorio je ljutito, „Kako možete suditi?.. Moramo dozvoliti svima da čuju. Ishod ne pripada nama.“ (25)

Jasno, njegova je namera bila da Rad ima određen uticaj; i zaista, zar ne bi isto učinio svako ko mora da živi u realnosti našeg društva, sa njegovim van kontrole-nasilnim i destruktivnim tendencijama. Da li je nadrealista Andre Breton bio daleko od istine kada je izjavio da je moderno društvo produžetak pakla na zemlji.  Ako se složimo sa tim, nije li onda ovaj određen uticaj potreban? Opreznost u radu sa Plesovima može se lako pretvoriti u aroganciju, i ovde mislim na stari latinski koren te reči koji znači „zadržati za sebe“. Ezoterija je istorijska činjenica i javlja se u svim religijama. Tajnovitost je ljudski porok. Kako povući granicu između ova dva? Ovo pitanje je formulisao A.L. Staveley na sledeći način: „Šta je gore? Da Plesovi padnu u ruke onima koji ih ne poštuju, koji će ih poremetiti i razblažiti? Ili da se drže tako umotani i ’zaštićeni’ da oni koji bi imali koristi od njih, ljudi za koje je Gurđijev i namerio ove Plesove i dao ih nama da ih prenesemo dalje, ne dobiju priliku da rade na njima?“ To je upravo dilema koju sam i ja imao kad sam osetio obavezu da prenesem dalje ono šta je meni dato! ’Šta’ preneti i ’kome’? Osetio sam da bi Rad jedino bio produktivan ako se izbegne hijerarhijska ili zatvorena struktura. Kao što je prethodno spomenuto, sociološka situacija našeg vremena učinila je istu stvar velikim komercijalnim institucijama kao i Radu organizacija, i stoga je potrebna saradnja pre nego pripajanje. To zahteva rad na istom nivou, u manjim subjedinicama, radije nego strukturu ’s vrha na dole’. Mi smo pokušali da nađemo srednji put. Nismo želeli da bacimo Rad na ulicu pred svakog prolaznika, već radije da ga učinimo dostupnim istinski zainteresovanim ljudima. To je funkcionisalo čudesno dobro - skoro same od sebe oformljene su dve grupe Plesova, sa vrednim i ozbiljnim polaznicima, jedna u Berlinu i druga u Amsterdamu, i veoma brzo se ustoličile. Ove grupe sada postoje već više od tri godine. 

OSVRT NA ČASOVE GOSPOĐICE KLAUSTRES

Primetio sam kako promene utiču na izvođenje Plesova, čak i u najzaštićenijim i izolovanim situacijama, kada sam učestvovao na nekim skorašnjim časovima. Za početak, nije bilo vitalnosti kakva je postojala na časovima g-đice Klaustres. Učitelj je pripremio mali program sačinjen od sekvenci Plesova; pijanista je kruto sedeo za klavirom čekajući na komandu da otpočne sa reprodukcijom muzike sa listova pred njegovim nosom, od kojih nije smeo da odstupi. Kod g-đice Klaustres uvek je postojala živa sinergija između instruktora i muzičara. Učitelji su morali da znaju, makar samo malo, da odsviraju ritam, harmoniju i ton potreban za pratnju Plesova koji su podučavali. Čuvajte se pijaniste koji bi na njenim časovima nastavio da izvodi muziku bez promene. Pijanista je morao da improvizuje, da pronađe sopstveni put ali zajedno sa grupom. „Oseti“ ona bi ga uputila „slušaj grupu, slušaj svoj zvuk... napravi varijacije... rad.“ 

Kada sam jednom prokomentarisao: „Ali ja samo sviram za Plesove, ne izvodim ih“, ona bi rekla: „Ako i ne radiš celim telom, tvoji prsti moraju da izvode ples na klavijaturi.“ Ovaj savet, isprva tako čudnovat, bio mi je od velike pomoći. Za svakog učitelja Plesova izuzetno je važno da razume da na časovima g-đice Klaustres nikada nismo radili u obliku određenog programa. Ona bi izabrala Ples tako što je u tom trenutku grupi bila potrebna neka njegova karakteristika. Na taj način je maestralno tragala za ’intervalima’ i vodila nas ka novim oktavama razumevanja, dok pijanista istražuje nove predele, dajući sve od sebe da podrži tu potragu! Svaki čas je predstavljao aktivno traženje odgovarajuće oktave! Iako nikada nismo razgovarali o tome. Nimalo ne sumnjam da je ovakav pristup potekao direktno od Gurđijeva. Da biste mogli voditi grupu na takav način potrebno je najmanje tri kvaliteta koja je ona mogla da pokaže bez ijedne reči.

Možda je demonstrirala i više od toga, ali su ova tri kvaliteta duboko urezana u mom sećanju. To su: nikad ne reaguj lično ali posmatraj grupu u celini, kao sa neke distance. Ovo ne treba pomešati sa nekom vrstom cenzure; naprotiv, drugi kvalitet jeste biti u stanju da se prihvate nečija osećanja, biti otvoren za njih i svestan neobičnih trenutaka kada se jedno osećanje pretače u neko drugo. Treći, koji je najteže razumeti, je sposobnost da se u svakom trenutku oseti telo, u neprekidnom i aktivnom naporu integracije određenog zračenja, života i celokupnog prisustva fizičkog tela i nikada, ni na trenutak ne dopustiti da ovaj proces naruše ili uznemire mentalne aktivnosti ili emotivne reakcije. Poslednja reč: ’Osećaj’. Budimo iskreni u vezi Osećaja. U Četvrtom Putu svi koriste termin „osećaj tela“. Ako bi neko samo mogao da razume šta to znači! Uvek, uvek moram da obnovim prvi korak u procesu osećanja tela; shvatanjem da ne razumem šta to znači. To je samo iluzija da sam sposoban da uspostavim kontakt sa svojim telom po volji, jer to zahteva mnogo vremena i odlučan napor. Tek sa tim će doći trenutak kada će telo konačno odgovoriti. Tek tada, kada ova nova senzacija procirkuliše čitavim mojim telom, od vrha glave do nožnih prstiju, tek onda sam pronašao istinsko značenje „osećaja“, što znači da sam pronašao jednu komponentu životnog eliksira, za koji se čovek priprema od početka vremena. 

BELEŠKE

(1)               Vim van Dulmen (Wim van Dullemen), Madam Klostres (Claustres) „Razgovori o Gurđijevljevim Plesovima“, intervju obavljen u Bresu, Amsterdam, oktobar 1997. Članak odobrila g-đica Klostres. Citat ljubazno dozvolio Bres.

(2)              POGLEDI IZ STVARNOG SVETA, RANI GURĐIJEVLJEVI GOVORI, sakupljeni od strane njegovih učenika, 1973 izdanje Triangle,Inc. Toronto Vankuver, videti stranu 183.

(3)              Džejms Veb (James Webb) (istoričar specijalizovan za ruski ezoterizam) Harmoničan krug, Thames i Hudson, London 1980, strana 535.

(4)              Simbolizam je bio kulturološki trend nastao u zapadnoevropskim razvijenim zemljama u poslednjoj deceniji 19 veka. Mogao bi se okarakterisati kao traganje za duhovnim vrednostima nasuprot dominaciji nauke i industrijalizma.

Najjači je bio u katoličkim i veoma industrijalizovanim zemljama, poput Belgije. Ruski Simbolizam, iako se pojavio dve decenije kasnije nego u zapadnoj Evropi, prožeo je celokupan ruski kulturni život na početku 20 veka, i imao dubok uticaj na P.D.Uspenskog.

(5)              Pija Vitzman (Pia Witzmann) opisuje Delsarte-ov sistem zasnovan na njegovom Zakonu Troslojnosti i Devetoslojnosti u: „Uticaj okultnog na ples“ (Der Einfluss des Okkulten auf den Tanz.) 1995 „Okultizam u Avangardi“, Izdanje Tertium, Frankfurt

(6)              E. Roters „MALER AM BAUHAUS“, Rembrant Verlag (Rembrandt Verlag), Berlin, 1965. Stranica 73. Oskar Šlemer (Oskar Schlemmer) zasniva svoj pristup na starijem eseju Henriha von Klejsta „Nad Lutkarskim Pozorištem“ (Heinrich von Kleist (17771811) 'Ober das Marionetten Theater') Ukratko, njegova je teorija da je čovečanstvo, kao posledica Prvobitnog Greha, sposobno samo za subjektivne gestove i položaje tela. Samo kroz strogo poštovanje čistih geometrijskih izraza možemo pristupiti božanskom, i obnoviti nevinost koju smo jednom izgubili.

(7)              Duška Hovart (Dushka Howarth) citira svoju majku Džasmin Hovart (Jessmin Howarth) tokom petosatnog intervjua koji je snimio Gert Jan Blom. Njujork, Maj 1622, 2000

(8)             Ovde je od posebnog značaja Gurđijevljeva izjava da se „određene ideje jedino mogu shvatiti kroz muziku posredstvom emocija“ Pogledaj: J.G.Benetovo stvaranje novog sveta, Harper &. Row. Njujork, 1973. Stranica 167. Ovo je rečeno da se razjasni uloga muzike koja je svirala pred čitanje odlomaka iz njegovih knjiga, i stoga je ubedljiv primer unapređivanja jedne umetničke forme kroz drugu, ideja koja je osnova koncepta Gesamtkunstwerk-a.

(9)              Zapisano sa snimaka predavanja gospođe Hovart

(10)          Telefonski razgovori sa Duškom Hovart i autorom, 14/7,18/7,04/8, 5/8,7/8 i 14/8 /1999. Devet dodatnih telefonskih razgovora odigrali su se od oktobra do decembra 1999. Ovi razgovori su mi pomogli da razumem istorijsku sliku, kao i konkretne događaje i moguću kategorizaciju Gurđijevlevih Plesova. Veoma sam joj zahvalan na savetima i pomoći.

(11)           Ovo je izjava gospođice De Salzmann kada je primila grupu holandskih studenata, koju je autor parafrazirao, u Parizu, februara 1970.godine

(12)          Rudolf Bode. Musik und Bewegung, Kassel. 1930, Barenreiter Verfag

(13)          Tomas i Olga de Hartman (Thomas and Olga de Hartmann) NAŠ ŽIVOT SA G-DINOM GURĐIJEVOM Arkana. 1992, stranica 218





English:

The History of Gurdjieff Movements
by Wim van Dullemen ©2002

INTRODUCTION

Each person carries in him or herself - like a child that has hidden some

beautiful pebbles, a feather or some pieces of colored glass in a secret drawer -

some small number of primary experiences that shaped his or her life.

Experiencing Gurdjieff's Movements is one of those for me. Honoring the request

to write about the Movements for Stopinder, I open the drawer and take that

particular pebble and hold it now in my hand. Look how enigmatic it is, its dim

reflection of light, the curving veins that run through it. I turn it around and

immediately a whole new pattern unfolds in my hand. As impossible as it would

be to describe this pebble, is my task in writing about these Movements. But if I

am going to try now, it will not be by pretending to know; after all, I am still in a

learning process and want only to pass on what others have taught me. What I

learned from Kate and Tinky Brass, whose attitude stands out as an example of

what cooperation should be, patiently demonstrating for me the treasured

Movements from their line of Work - the original Ouspensky line. I wish also to

describe what I understand of the historical picture, painted so eloquently for me

by Dushka Howarth. I want also to recall my experiences with the many

independent groups I met during my period of intensive travels. that took me

throughout Europe, from Scandinavia to Greece, and also to parts of America.

Each of the groups faced the present-day reality of the Gurdjieff Work in their

own way and I learned much from them. The vitality of our own Movements

groups, in Amsterdam and Berlin, brought me new insights each time we came

together, and I have tried to incorporate some of these experiences as well in this

article. I am indebted most of all to Mme. Solange Claustres, herself a pupil of

Gurdjieff for seven years. During the long years I played the piano in her classes

she provided me with prolonged and intensive instruction on Gurdjteffs

Movements. This has been one of the great privileges of my life.

REMEMBERING MME. SOLANGE CLAUSTRES' CLASSES

Somewhere in the mid-sixties a bunch of us hippies interested in the

theories of Gurdjieff, entered a dance-studio in the then still existing old Jewish

Quarter of Amsterdam. We were welcomed by a beautiful French lady, whose

relaxed smile put us directly at our ease. Without losing any time, she ranked us

into lines, as if we were an Army squadron, and demonstrated a vigorous

movement of arms, legs and head, that we had to perform simultaneously. An

elderly woman sat at the piano and began pounding the keyboard, seemingly

searching desperately for the right keys, to a haunting and strange melody.

The combination of the movements of my body with the music had a sudden

impact on me. It was as if a strong light had penetrated everything in that hall,

as well as myself. I knew that I had hit upon something of an enormous magnitude

and power. Later that same afternoon an incident occurred that made an

even deeper impression on me. We were told to sit and relax, while Mme.

Claustres checked the tension in our bodies by gently moving our shoulders. One

of us, a strong, tall man was obviously very tense, because after try-ing to relax

his shoulders, she lost her patience and said angrily. "This man is stiffer than a

piece of stone from the Alps; it is impossible for anyone to work on the Movements

in this condition." The man looked so unhappy and uncomfortable that it caused

a brave young woman from among us, to stand up for him. "But Madame," she

exclaimed, "you are talking to our Group Leader." Without comment Mme.

Claustres walked back to her place in front of the class, then wheeled around and

faced us all with a look of stem determination, and said, as solemnly as a judge

passing sentence, "He may talk about ideas, yes; talk as long as he likes, but his

body is not in the Work!" "The body has to be in the work ... the body has to be in

the work...." - While biking home that evening, these words, like a Buddhist

prayer drum, kept resounding in my head. A door had been opened and I

understood how one-sided my intellectual pose had been. The body, that was now

skillfully managing the bike through chaotic traffic in the center of old

Amsterdam - my own body - was the body I had ignored, and that I had excluded

from my thought. My legs propelled the bike forward - what would I be without

my legs? I drank in this new truth, so simple that it had been long forgotten.

Why had I forgotten? The silent water of the canals mirrored a dark evening sky.

Hidden in the midst of their concentric circles was a deep enigma. I had been

asked to play the piano in Mme. Claustres' classes and for the next thirteen years

I played for all the classes in Holland. I had to do both the Movements and the

music, because a pianist who did not have the Movements in his body was of no

use to her. Sometimes I was so exhausted from the required work, I would fall

asleep between the classes with my head on the piano. What I understand now of

the Movements inner content, took shape in me during these years, because of

Mme. Claustre's knowledge, example and inspiration. I saw that in each moment

one had to renew the atten-tion, to check again and again the contact with the

body and the feelings, and to feel remorse for one's incompetence. To be honest

and simple - this is what she demanded of us. My own sense of independence is

proof of the validity of her teaching. What, after all, is the practical value of a

teaching that only produces an "eternal student," one who will never be able to

stand on his or her own feet?

A DEFINITION OF MOVEMENTS

George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff left a legacy of unique diversity He wrote

three books and, in collaboration with his pupil Thomas de Hartmann - a Russian

composer well established in the ranks of the avantgarde in the beginning of the

twentieth century - composed over 200 musical compositions. Further he

created an intriguing body of some 250 dances and physical exercises called

Movements, no doubt the spearhead of his teaching, for he had wanted to be

known simply as "a teacher of dancing." For many, the first impression of the

Movements will be a revelatory opening to the never be foreseen, unlike

anything they have been familiar with in the world of dance. Those who have

practiced the Movements often refer to them as "sacred dance." because of their

extraordinary impact on their psychological state and expanding awareness.

Mme. Claustres described them as "an objective form of art... a construction of

great beauty that we cannot fathom. but which contains the law of the evolution

of human consciousness. They express how and in which direction that

progression has to go and as such they are a school in the real sense of that word."

(1) Although the origins of these dances have been the subject of considerable

speculation and mystification there remains little doubt that Gurdjieff created

the major part of them himself. As Mme. Solange Claustres stated, "A number of

these dances stem from the Middle and Far East where Gurdjieff studied them

during his travels, visiting religious communities or special ethnic groups, but

the majority he created himself." (1)

Gurdjieff’s Movements within the context of early 20th century european dance

and the avantgarde

A whole library can be filled with the published writings of Gurdjieff s

philosophical and psychological ideas, but a comparative study regarding his

Movements has never been made. Yet, if we ask ourselves what is really new

about them, we cannot avoid considering the works of other prominent artists

active at the same time. This will help us to see the accomplishments of this

revolutionary creator more clearly, in profile against this background.

According to one of his own explanations, the aim of his Movements was to assist

the "harmonious development of man" by a method combining mind and feeling

with the movements of the body, and manifesting all three of them together.

This is a development that can never happen mechanically, by accident or by

itself, but which stimulates the formation of what he called "the whole man:

mind, body and feeling." (2) The division of man into body, emotions, and

intellect was not uncommon in the writings of the Russian Symbolists (34) and.

even more interesting, brings to mind the work of Francois Delsarte. Now

regarded as one of the founders of modem dance. Delsarte taught, in the midnineteenth

century, a system relating all human expres-sions to one basic law,

his "Law of Three." (5) Painter and choreographer. Oskar Schlemmer was

another pioneer fascinated by the threefoldness of man. as shown by his "Triadic

Ballet" for which Paul Hindemith composed the music. By 1923, when he worked

for the Bauhaus in Weimar, he had already fully developed his geometrical

concepts of the human body, which were in dramatic contrast with the then

prevailing free flowing expressions of Isadora Duncan. Schlemmer, moreover,

was able to explain the deep significance of geometric body positions with an

astonishing and visionary precision. His figure drawings are certainly evocative

of the powerful abstract body positions employed by Gurdjieff in his stage

presentations the very same year. (6) Another parallel with Gurdjieff’s

Movements is to be found in Emile Jacques Dalcroze's approach, especially in his

rhythmic studies. And perhaps not only in these, because it is reported that at

the night of the first demon-stration of Gurdjieffs Movements in Paris in 1923

Dalcroze's students protested in front of the theater, shout-ing, Tricheur...

Voleur. (11)

...BUT THE EXISTENCE OF THESE SIMILARITIES DEMONSTRATES THAT

GURDJIEFF WAS A CHILD OF HIS TIME AND SUBMITTED TO THE MYSTERIOUS

FORCE BY WHICH, IN ANY GIVEN CULTURAL PERIOD, THE SAME

EXPERIMENTS ARE PERFORMED SIMULTANEOUSLY BY INDEPENDENT AND

GEOGRAPHICALLY SEPARATED PERSONS.

It is, however, highly unlikely that Gurdjieff would have been in the least

interested in any European who had developed something comparable to his own

work, let alone copy it, but the existence of these similarities demonstrates that

Gurdjieff was a child of his time and submitted to the mysterious force by which,

in any given cultural period, the same experi-ments are performed

simultaneously by independent and geographically separated persons. Gurdjieff

was not only a "master of dance" but he wrote books and composed music as well

and used these different art forms to mutually sustain and enhance one another.

(12) This leads us looking for a common denominator linking Gurdjieff to

European art, to the origin of the Gesamtkunstwerk. This concept, first used and

propagated by Richard Wagner, deeply influenced Russian Symbolism. Relating

Gurdjieff to this late nineteenth century cultural trend is treading on thin ice,

but it is the purpose of his art rather than its form that is reminiscent of

Symbolism, where the merging of different arts had to call forth a new vision

and ultimately a new form of being, as in a religious service. Further it is

noteworthy that both Scriabin and Kandinsky, who were to develop the concept

of Gesamtkunstwerk fur-her into the area of synaesthesia. were personal friends

of De Hartmann. This comparison shows us a noticeable difference as well, which

is Gurdjieff s economy of means. The reverber-ation of one tone in his music can

be as effective as a whole orchestra playing a minute long dramatic sequence. If

we, judging from hindsight, realize that exaggeration is the enemy of artistic

expression, we can confirm that in this respect Gurdjieff, in his Movements and

music, was truly modern. A further difference is the fact that performances of

the works of Wagner. Scriabin, Mahler, and the like, will be subject to the

division of active performers and passive spectators. In contrast with this typical

European cultural phenomen, it is possible for anyone to participate in Gurdjieff

s Movements who can find a teacher in the tradition of Gurdjieff s Work and with

an organized class. All ancient cultures relate dance to manifestations of God,

Creation and its Mysteries. In those cultures, dances invariably accompany and

assist men and women in their crucial steps towards physical and psychological

growth. Movements represent the result of an ultimate effort by Gurdjieff to

reinstall in the life of people - especially those living in Western cultures - the

importance of dances and physical exercises in the processes of self-development.

He introduced and implanted in our culture a new liturgy, a new ritual to

stimulate and assist transformation of individual people and of society as a

whole. The Movements can and should be a point of reference and study for all

serious people.

"OLD MOVEMENTS" AND "NEW EXERCISES"

Gurdjieff created Movements in two completely different stages of his life,

the first from 1918 until 1924. the year of his almost fatal car accident, and the

second from 1939 until his death in 1949. The earlier Movements were

performed on stage in 1923 in Paris, and in 1924 in America, and consisted of

"obliga-tory exercises." work dances, dervish dances, a group of women's dances,

and several elaborate prayer rituals and ceremonies. In 1939, after a period of

fifteen years, he again took up his activities as a "master of dance." In what was

probably the most structured teaching practice during the last decade of his life.

Gurdjieff organized Movements classes for different groups almost every day and

gave scores of new Movements and exercises until his death in 1949. There

cannot be any doubt that his Movements in this period of his teaching were

among his most primary activities and concerns. In this period he created what

became known as the "39 series." An important difference between the old

Movements and the new exercises is that for the accompaniment of his early

Movements Gurdjieff himself composed the music in cooperation with Thomas de

Hartmann. who wrote it originally for a 36 piece orchestra and reworked it later

for piano solo. Only the old Movements have Gurdjieff s own musical

accompaniment, whereas. Thomas de Hartmann composed the music for the "39

series" after Gurdjieff s death. This time he had to compose alone, without

Gurdjieff s guidance, but he used the same signature style as in his earlier

musical cooperation with Gurdjieff.

THE CREATION OF THE "39 SERIES"

This last decade of Gurdjieff s life, the second stage of his Movements

teaching, was one of extraordinary creativity. "Our group had a class once a

week," remembered Mme. Solange Claustres. "and he taught at least one new

Movement in each one of them. This continued for the seven years I was in his

classes! He demonstrated the new 6 Movements, but rarely explained much

about them. His presence was so strong - it literally filled the whole place - that

you could absorb the new exercise in a direct way. No further explanation was

needed. We were never allowed to make choreographies notes, because this

activity would reduce our first and complete impression to an analytical or

rational attitude."

Gurdjieff’s stream of creativity was confirmed by another pupil, Mrs.

Jessmin Howarth, a choreographer at the Paris Opera before she joined forces

with Gurdjieff: "He used to come every evening with three or four absolutely new

attempts." (11) Those who were in his classes at that time described Gurdjieff s

creativity to me as an empirical experiment of great intensity, lasting years.

(12) He made a supreme effort to develop exercises that would help people

strengthen their awareness, will and power of attention. Sometimes he was weak

or sick and had to support himself, leaning against the piano to keep standing.

But he kept on working. It was also explained to me that Gurdjieff studied the

results of each new Movement he gave by observing the state of the people in the

class. Many of his new exercises did not reach the goal he had in mind, only some

did. It is reported that he sometimes left during the classes, to come back after a

while to propose a small change in a Movement, for instance a wrist that had

been straight was now bent, an arm that was horizontally forward was now

diagonally forward. Occasionally even these new changes did not fulfill his goal

of the desired state in the dancers, and he then would give a strict order, "No...

stop... forget this one, don't perform it again ever." That was the definite end of

such a Movement. However, if a Movement did create the desired state in the

psyche and bodily expressions of the performers, he would say, 'That's it, this one

is set and ready now. What number are we?" This referred to the numbers they

gave to the new "set and ready" move-ments. These numbers represented the

slowly growing list of what became the "39 series," the group of Movements

Gurdjieff advised his pupils to practice. The "39 series" were thus the kernel of his

new exercises, the ones he had accepted as finished and relevant. All his other

attempts, many of which have been remembered and are since being performed

by his students, had not his full approval and remain in this respect, open to

question, however beautiful they may be. (13)

Work on the series went on until the end, coming to a finish only because of

Gurdjieff s sickness and death. Even on his last trips to America he added seven

new Movements to the list. For that reason a list of 46 Movements is used in

America versus 39 Movements in Europe. It is interesting to note that not only

were new items added by Gurdjieff in America, but the internal order, the

sequence of Movements, was changed considerably, as well, most probably by

Gurdjieff himself. (14) It is possible that he was looking for an internal order for

the new Movements he had selected, a sequence that coupled one Movement to

the next, like chapters in a book.

THREE CATEGORIES

We find it useful to divide the Movements into three categories, a

classification to be considered by every student of the Movements.

1 . The older Movements, stemming from Gurdjieff’s first stage of teaching.

These were practiced for five to six hours a day by the entire group of Gurdjieff s

pupils from 1918 until the demonstrations in 1923 and 1924 (15) and are the

only Movements existing for which Gurdjieff himself wrote the music. Of those

Movements, 27, are remembered and practiced to this day in authentic

transmission lines stemming from Gurdjieff. The six Obligatories belong to this

group. For several other Movements used in the early demonstrations, only the

music remains because the dances themselves have been forgotten or were too

difficult to reconstruct.

2 . The "39 series." being the set of 39 Movements selected by Gurdjieff out of

the multitude of his new exercises given from 1939 until his death in 1949. He

recommended these for further practice and he considered them "set and ready."

In fact the prominence of these 39 Movements among his other attempts was so

obvious that when Gurdjieff asked Thomas de Hartmann to compose music for

"his newer exercises" everybody understood he was talking about his "39." (16)

After Gurdjieff’s death Thomas de Hartmann composed the music for this series,

i. e., for 37 of them, because for two of the Movements the pianist is required to

improvise.

3. The remainder of the new exercises - that have been remembered and are still

practiced - amount to between one and two hundred Movements, depending on

the criteria applied for counting. These vary from the most complicated exercises

with separate roles for every dancer in the class, to short fragments for the study

of a certain rhythm, or of a certain bodily action. Mme. Jeanne de Salzmann, a

pupil through whose activities many of those newer exercises have been

preserved, explained once that it had only been possible to remember a minority,

some 25 percent, of all the exercises Gurdjieff taught, (17) Thomas de Hartmann

wrote music for fifteen Movements in this group, eight of these can be heard on

our previous 2 CD set "Gurdjieff's Music for the Movements"- Channel Classics

Records. CCS 15298. Gradually over the years, many of those from this last

group acquired their own musical accompaniment through the dedicated

activity of other composers associated with Movement classes, like Alain Kremski

and Edward Michael, as well as many amateur composers.

CHARACTERISTICS AND MEANING OF THE "39"

If we compare the "39" with Gurdjieff’s earlier Movements, we basically see

the same components: strong dervish dances, beautiful and quiet women's

dances, powerful geometrical patterned Movements, as well as sacred prayer

rituals. However the ancient religious and ethnological com-ponents are

markedly reduced while abstract gestures and positions, performed in

mathematical displacements, now prevail. It is as if during the fifteen year time

span since his first efforts. Gurdjieff had digested his earlier impressions and

reflected upon them to reappear with an even more personal style, in which

mathematical and geometrical crystalizations were now dominant. The drama

of the human condition, so poignantly captured in a number of the old

Movements, seems to have given way to a more abstract construction, but one

that gives immediate and plentiful opportunity for work on oneself and work for

the class as a whole. The later Movements were even more difficult to perform

than the earlier ones and demanded a huge effort from a class in their demands

on precision, quickness, discipline and sustained attention for their entire

duration. The "39" Movements have been called Gurdjieff’s Magnum Opus and

many have felt that in this series he summarized his whole teaching in his final

and most powerful message to humankind.

THE MUSIC FOR ALL THE NEW EXERCISES WAS ORIGINALLY IMPROVISED

During the decade that Gurdjieff gave his new exercises and gradually

established the "39," not only was the making of choreographic notes explicitly

forbidden by him, but another of his strict orders was that the music should be

improvised by the pianist. He would give a rhythm to the pianist and his

instructions were generally limited to "now just do it." (18) In fact, it is reported

that the choice of a particular rhythm often provided Gurdjieff with the

fundamentals out of which he created the whole structure of the new Movement.

(19) Mme. Solange Claustres, as a talented pianist who had already won a

"Premier Prix" for her playing before she met Gurdjieff, was asked by him to take

over his classes when he travelled to America in 1949. "He instructed me to

improvise," she told me, "and of course I had to, because no written music existed

at that time that could be used. Improvising was not easy for me, but it taught

me a great deal about the true function of music. It has absolutely nothing to do

with "accompaniment" but is a living part of the inner work that takes place in

the classes." (1) A couple of decades earlier a specialist in composing music for

gymnastics, Rudolf Bode, had already stressed the importance of improvisation:

"... for the teaching of gymnastics as far as it is accompanied by music, the

ability to employ some improvisation, even though it be pro-duced by the most

simple means, is absolutely essential every kind of merely outer simulation must

necessarily lead to monotony...." (21)

Obviously, Gurdjieff worked along the same lines and was on his guard for

any premature fixations. Movements and music had to be alive. The truth of his

work should present itself in an ongoing creative process, an ever new and

immaculate form in every moment. For those who regard such processes as selfevident

it will be useful to add that a balance between music and dance is rare.

Historically, one of the two was dominant: either the music was written to

sustain the ballet, or the ballet had to fit into the existing music. Many artists,

like those of the "Loheland" dance school in Germany in the beginning of the last

century, have directed their energy towards restoring this balance. About this

question Mme. Solange Claustres following words touch the very heart of the

matter. "It is the sound produced by the pianist that determines everything, it is

this sound that has to complete the inner process brought into action by the

movements of the dancers. (22) Indeed, in doing Movements one can experience

sound in a totally new way, as if if illuminates one's inner life. A unique balance

comes about in us; the music, the gestures and our inner aspirations become one

and it is as if we have entered a new place, one without walls and outside of time.

At such a moment we experience life in a way that will become difficult to forget.

THE TRANSMISSION OF MOVEMENTS

In the following chapters I will discuss the transmission of Movements.

This confronts us again with the question, What are Movements? Because the

answer to this question alone tells us what exactly has to be be transmitted. Each

man's answer will be different, and this will be something to remember as we

venture into this complex realm. For those living in a world of outer forms there

will be no problem. Movements are movements, a form of gymnastics. a bit

mysterious because not many people know them, but therefore all the more

suited to offer as a product in today's "Supermarket for Self-development." Those

searching for a meaning behind the ruthless wall of appearances understand the

difficulties in transmitting and receiving Movements. if I were to be asked what

the Movements mean to me, I would answer: "they help me to come closer to

God." The sound of the wind in a tree, the amazement of a child that wakes up

and finds the world covered with snow, the beauty of a lonesome house in the

fields with smoke coming out of its chimney, the eyes of the beloved, the pale

light of the new morning vibrating with the eternal enigma of life.... Movements

help me to come closer to all that. They either awaken an energy that was

dormant, or they put me in touch with something from the outside. This new

energy that starts circulating in me is precious. It makes me calm, aware and

determined, and it will be this energy that I will need when I have to face the

utterly unknown. Mme. Claustres once said to me. "All Gurdjieff’s Movements

are prayers." And when she herself once went to Gurdjieff to tell him how deeply

she was always touched by his Movements, he only said quietly, "Yes... they are

medicine." (23)

The inner meaning we attach to the Movements causes the difficulties in

the often seemingly contradictory process of their transmission. The Gurdjieff

Work is a difficult area to investigate because of the prevailing sense of secrecy,

as well as the increasing isolation and lack of cooperation, if not hostility,

between the lineages. My role of "wandering minstrel," playing the Gurdjieff De

Hartmann music in all sorts of places and circum-stances, helped me to come

into contact with many Gurdjieff groups and organizations that I had never met

before. They all were kind to me and welcomed me warmly. I respected them and

I refused judgment, as I only wanted to learn. In that period it struck me how my

work as a "wandering minstrel" resembled the job I had, several years before,

working for a large international company. Of course I did not play piano for

them, but I was selected to function as a central person, in an experiment

supervised by specialists from Harvard University, to which all managers in

Europe could talk completely freely about their problems and how they proposed

to solve them. Of course I was under an obligation of strict confidentiality. The

coincidence and the resemblances of these two activities, as if this stage of my life

had a specific pattern, convinced me that all organizations, whether their goals

are spiritual or commercial, have to cope with the same sociological problems.

For this reason, most large commercial enterprises have changed their

hierarchical structure into a flat leveled organization, consisting of many

independent smaller units, who can better adjust themselves to the complexities

and demands of present day society. When I try to convey my experiences

during these years of comparative research it is not my intention to criticize the

very organizations that have been beneficial to my own development, but to

present those findings in such a way that an analysis of the situation is possible

and will lead to a constructive way to work in the future. I have to make clear

the subjective nature of my findings. and add further that I know the situation

in Europe much better than I do the situation in America.

Movements Traditions WHERE ARE MOVEMENTS BEING TAUGHT. HOW, AND

TO WHOM?

Movements can only be learned in an authentic transmission line. Study

of them will take years of determined effort and should encompass not only

Gurdjieff s Movements, but his teaching as a whole. Any learning process has

stages. It requires the acquisition of new knowledge, the absorption and digestion

of this material, and finally the application in practice of what has been learned

in theory. In learning Movements these stages add up to a minimum of ten

years. It only makes sense to study with a teacher who knows the Movements, is

willing to give the whole Movement and not just in fragments, and is able to

stimulate the class in its inner work. A transmission line is authentic when

founded by a personal pupil of Gurdjieff. These pupils often cooperated with one

another, at least in the years immediately after Gurdjieff s death, and amidst

the labyrinth formed by these lines the Institut Gurdjieff in Paris and the related

Foundations stand out because of their historical bonds, their competence and

the size of their organization, and because all were led by their founder, Mme.

Jeanne de Salzmann. Several other lines, independent from the above mentioned

organization, and smaller in size, can also be qualified as authentic because they

too were founded or guided by direct pupils of Gurdjieff who themselves stood in

his Movements classes. From this last group the original Ouspensky and Bennett

lines seem the most important, in so far as comparative study of Movements

transmission is concerned, but these are by no means the only ones. All these

organizations differ widely. To call the Bennett line an organization is a

misnomer in the first place, because it consists of a varying group of pupils of

John Bennett who have organized different sorts of activities, open to everybody,

according to specific needs or circumstances. The Ouspensky line is a relatively

small one, while the Foundation, by which term I indicate the different

international Foundations founded or supported by the French Institut Gurdjieff

and the Foundations, which incorporate thousands of students. Despite their

different sizes these last two have in common that they could be qualified as

hierarchic.

If we, just as an example, want to compare these three lineages we need

criteria for comparison. The following criteria seem relevant. criteria for

comparison

- whether or not Movements are related to the study of Gurdjieff’s teaching as a

whole -

- the number and type of Movements that are being transmitted

- the relation between form and content of these Movements

- to whom they are taught

-whether or not whole Movements are given, or only fragments of Movements.

Application of these criteria will quickly bring the strengths and

weaknesses of the different lines of transmission to the surface. Both the

Foundation and the Ouspensky line teach Movements only to members of their

organizations, as an integrated component of the whole teaching they are

supplying. The Bennett line experiments with short seminars, open to

everybody, where the Movements dominate all other activities. The repertoire of

the Ouspensky line consists only of the 27 older Movements that have been

preserved, but not only do they know them in full historical detail, they also

transmit them in their totality. The Bennett line has a mix of some old

Movements and several newer exercises. They too teach the whole Movement,

however not with the same painstaking care for detail as demonstrated by the

Ouspensky line. The Foundations have a true wealth of newer exercises at their

disposal, unequaled by any other existing lineage. However, in Europe many of

the older Movements are hardly practiced, at all and are almost forgotten.

Equally unparalleled their repertoire of newer exercises is their knowledge and

experience in exploring the inner content of them. The other side of this coin is

that they show a shocking disrespect for the form of Movements by their

inclination to teach fragments only. Further, because of their size, they are in

danger of creating "specialists" for different areas of Gurdjieff's teaching,

Movements being one of them. To become a "specialist." in whatever part of the

Gurdjieff Work, means to suicide oneself for the whole of it.

It is remarkable, and touching as well, to realize that the three entities we

selected all reflect, to this day, the historical stage of the Movements at the time

when they received them. The intensive training programs in the Ouspensky

line, where everybody knows all the old Movements by heart, originated no

doubt from the time that Gurdjieff demanded his pupils to exercise them, five to

six hours a day, as preparation for the public demonstrations in Paris and in

America. The focus on the newer exercises in the Foundation, and the way to

connect them to inner work, stems from the last stage of Gurdjieff's Movements

teaching and the enthusiasm of Mme. Jeanne de Salzmann, who preserved

many of these exercises. The readiness to experiment with new forms of

Movements education, characteristic of the Bennett line, mirrors the openmindedness

of John Bennett himself. The key supplied by this comparative

effort, and the basic lesson to be learned is that no line is perfect. When you want

the best of these three worlds you have to sacrifice your isolation and start

working together. That means to cooperate without being incorporated. This is

what we in the Berlin and Amsterdam Movement groups have done. Two years

ago we organized in Amsterdam an exchange on the subject of the "old"

Movements between our group and a group of the original "Ouspensky" line. To

our surprise, Mrs. van Oyen, one of the two living members of Ouspensky's

London group, turned up to join us and when asked why, given her extreme old

age, she replied. "I saw many years ago how the Work had split itself into small

fractions. Now I heard that an effort is being made to unite what I had seen drift

apart, and for this reason I insisted on being present. Only if we work together

will there be results!" This is a direction I hope will continue.

MOVEMENTS AND SECRECY

The one single factor responsible for the inaccessibility of the Movements is

"secrecy." Let us review two reasons for this inclination, because a side effect of

this is responsible for the the growing isola-tion of many Gurdjieff communities.

For one to whom the Movements represents the most intimate and sacred

expression of the "Work." I am dismayed when I witness the Movements being

offered to people who think they are dealing with another variety of aerobics.

There is the well known esoteric principle, "You can't give what cannot be taken,"

or, "Do not cast pearls before swine." But how to select those that can take them?

Should inclusion be restricted to members of an organization? When I play a

Gurdjieff recital for a group of people who have never even heard of Gurdjieff,

the inner response, as I can sense and feel it, is no less than that of members of

Gurdjieff organizations. On the contrary, it is sometimes even better, and the

question arises as to who can take what. Of course it is necessary to protect the

Movements against outside influences and to keep them as pure as possible.

Unfortunately changes occur anyhow, and this can never be stopped. Curt

Sachs, the great German researcher on music and dance, formulated the

principle that no single cultural phenomena exists that will not be influenced by

other cultural phenomena and in its turn not influence other cultural

phenomena. (24)

When Gurdjieff presented his Movements in France and in America, these

events were open to anyone interested and with a single exception, admission

was always free. When he was asked. "Why do you open this to all these people?"

he answered angrily, "How can you judge?... We have to let everyone hear. The

results do not belong to us." (25) Clearly, he intended his work to have a definite

influ-ence; and indeed, would not anybody who has to live in the reality of our

society with its out of control violent and destructive tendencies. Was the

surrealist Andre Breton so far from the truth when he stated that modern society

is the extension of Hell on earth. If we agree, are these definite influences not

needed? Prudence in dealing with Movements can change into arrogance, and

here I refer to the old Latin root of that word, which means "To keep for oneself."

Esotericism is an historical fact and occurs in all religions. Secrecy is a human

vice. How to draw the line between the two? This question was formulated by

A.L. Staveley as follows, 'Which is worse? That Movements fall into the hands of

those who do not respect them, distort and dilute them? Or that they are kept so

wrapped up and "protected" that those who could benefit by them and who must

be those for whom Gurdjieff intended them and gave them to us to pass on, never

get the opportunity to work on them?" That was exactly the problem I faced

when I felt the obligation to pass on what was given to me! "What" to pass on and

to "whom?" The only way I felt that the Work could be be productive was to avoid

an hierarchical, or closed structure. As formulated above, the new sociological

situation of our time had done the same thing to large commercial institutions as

to the Work organizations, and therefore it required cooperation rather than

incorporation. It requires working on the same level, in smaller subunits, rather

than in a "topdown" structure. We tried to find a middle way. we didn't want to

throw the Work out onto the street at the feet of every passer by, but rather, to

open it to those with a real interest That has worked marvelously well - almost

by itself two Movements groups were born, consisting of hard working and

serious minded people, one in Berlin and one in Amsterdam, and they have

stabilized themselves rather quickly. These groups have been in existence for

over three years.

MME. CLAUSTRES' CLASSES REVISITED

How changes affect the practice of Movements, even in the most protected

and isolated situations, was brought home to me when I participated in some

recent classes. To begin with there was none of the vitality of one of Mme.

Claustres' classes. A solemn teacher had prepared a little program of Movements

sequences; the pianist was sitting stiffly behind the piano waiting for the

command to start playing the sheet music in front of his nose, from which he

dared not deviate. With Mme. Claustres there was always a living synergy

between instructor and musician. The teacher had to know how to play, if only a

little, the rhythms, the harmonies and the tone quality needed for the

accompaniment of any Movement she or he was teaching. Beware the pianist

that in her classes would continue to play the music straight through! One

needed to improvise, to finds one's own way, and together with the class. "Feel"

she would call out. "listen to the class, listen to your sound... make variations...

work." When I once commented. "But I am playing for the Movements, not doing

them." She would say, "If not with the body, then your fingers must do the

movement on the keyboard." This advice, at first sight so strange, was a great

help to me! It is extremely important for anyone teaching classes to understand

that we never worked in a program form in Mme. Claustres' classes. A Movement

was selected by her because at that particular moment the class needed some

characteristic of it. In that way she masterfully sought the "intervals" and

guided us towards a new octave of understanding, the pianist exploring the new

area, sustaining the search as best he could! Each class was an active search for

an octave! Although we never discussed it. I have no doubt that this

methodology was derived directly from Gurdjieff. To be able to guide a class in

such a way needs at least three qualities that she was able to demonstrate

without words.

Perhaps even more than these were shown, but only these three imprinted

themselves deeply on my memory. These are: Never to react on a personal level,

but always to observe the whole class, as if from a distance. This is not be

confused with any kind of censorship; on the contrary, the second quality is to be

able to accept one's feelings, be open to them and to be aware of the peculiar

moments when the transition from one feeling to another takes place. The third

one, and the one most difficult to understand, is the ability to sense the body all

the time, in an ever ongoing and active effort to integrate the specific radiation,

life and being of the physical body in one's total presence, and never, not for one

moment, to allow this process to be disturbed or destroyed by mental activities or

emotional reactions. The last word: "sensation" Let us be honest about sensation.

In the Fourth Way everybody uses the term "sensation of the body." If one only

could understand what that means! Always, always I have to renew the first step

in the process of sensing the body; by realizing that I do not know what it means.

It is but an illusion that I am able to establish contact with my body at will, it

requires a very long time and one of determined effort. With this. the moment

will come when the body finally responds. Only then, when this new sensation

circulate through my entire body, from the top of my head down to my toes,

only then have I found the true meaning of "sensation," which means I have

found one of the components of the elixir of life that man has been trying to

prepare for himself from the beginning of time.

NOTES

(I) Wim van Dullemen, Madame Claustres' Talks about Gurdjieffs

Movements, interview published in Bres, Amsterdam, October 1997. Article

authorized by Mme. Claustres. Quotation kindly permitted by Bres.

(2)VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD, EARLY TALKS OF GURDJIEFF, as

recollected by his pupils, 1973 Triangle Editions, Inc. Toronto. Vancouver, see

page 183.

(3) James Webb (an historian specialist in Russian Esotericism) the

harmonious circle. Thames and Hudson, London .1980. Page 535.

(4) Symbolism was a cultural trend which originated in the West European

industrialized countries in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It could be

characterized as a search for spiritual values against the domination of science

and industrialization. It was strongest in Catholic and heavily industrialized

countries, like Belgium. Russian Symbolism, although it expressed itself some

two decades later than in Western Europe, permeated all of Russian cultural life

in the beginning of the twentieth century and had a deep influence on

P.D.Ouspensky.

(5) Pia Witzmann describes Delsarte's system based upon his Law of

Threefoldness and Ninefoldness in: Der Einfluss des Okkulten auf den Tanz. 1995

"Okkultismus und Avantgarde" Edition Tertium, Frankfurt

(6) E. Roters "MALER AM BAUHAUS," Rembrandt Verlag, Berlin, 1965. Page

73. Oskar Schlemmer based his approach on an older essay from Heinrich von

Kleist (17771811) 'Ober das Marionetten Theater'. His theory, in a nutshell, is

that mankind as a consequence of the Original Sin is only capable of subjective

gestures and body postures. Only through strict adherence to pure geometric

expressions can we approach the divine and recreate the innocence we once lost.

(7) Dushka Howarth. quoting her mother. Jessmin Howarth, during a five

hour videotaped interview by Gert Jan Blom. New York, May 1622, 2000

(8) Of particular importance here is Gurdjieff’s statement that "certain ideas

can only be grasped when the emotions are tuned into them by means of music."

See: J.G.Bennett's making a new world, Harper &. Row. New York, 1973. page

167. This was said to clarify the role of music played before readings from his