Bothmer News

On Friday 10th July Kevin Davidson gave a talk on "The Story of Hands: A dialogue between biomechanics and consciousness". 
During the talk Kevin invited us into a co-creative poetry writing activity. Everyone looked at this image of "The Creation of Adam" a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo. We all generated a word or short phrase from this image, which we put together in a spontaneous burst of serendipity to create this poem. Kevin has been provisionally invited to give a version of this talk at The Embodiment Conference in October 2020. He will update us with details as they become available.
You can view a recording of the talk here. 
Kevin's performance of 'Grandma's Hands' by Bill Withers which he shared at the beginning
Kevin also referred to the project of Christine Holle, who has created two beautiful photography books on the hands

Some of the participants brought their family. The children could participate in the afternoon activities. Playing together with the children created a fantastic playful summer atmosphere. They were "gold nuggets".
In the evenings we played games, where the children were in the centre.

On Thursday afternoon we sailed with a tourist boat to Himmelbjerget (sky mountain), to Denmark's highest point, which is 147 meters. Yes, we know! But, yes but we are nevertheless proud of it.
Then we visited Rosenholm Castle where we saw Arild Rosenkranz's paintings. We were shown around by Sys Ehlers, an older, very lively Danish artist. Arild Rosenkranz has painted together with Rudolf Steiner. This was a very exciting experience.

We thank the foreign participants for taking the long trip to us.
It meant a lot to us, and helped us to remember that we are part of Bothmer  Movement International.
Hope to see you all next year!

Dear colleagues and students,
 
In this very special year of 2020, the Spanish Bothmer Groups was able to meet for their summer intensive week, thanks to the opening of the European borders, to the confidence and trust of the Steiner School of Madrid and of course, thanks to all the participants.
It was very important for me and for our association to be able to meet physically and practice together. What an immense relief and a joy it was to meet again after these months of confinement and the uncertainty of the meeting! This was felt in the depth of the experience but also in the social availability of each participant.
 The value and beauty of Bothmer gymnastics appeared in its entire splendor in certain moments, in the choreographies and in the exercises done in canon.

The meeting took place, as always, in the Steiner School in Madrid, which is an enclosed and is a non-public space. The dates had to be changed, because the uncertainty of the situation and the prevailing regulations did not allow us to meet as planned, at the beginning of July. Unfortunately, this also meant, that not everybody could be present; some were working, others had already planned to spend time with their families. But the group was opened to the postgrads, so we were eighteen participants;  “old” and “new” ones working closely together, in close collaboration for the mutual benefit of each other.

We practiced a lot in spite of the intense heat (more than 40° in the afternoon). We started the day with the Rhythm every day, doing it outside for a long time in the relative coolness of the morning, to open the day in silence. The main session followed in the big gymnasium of the school. The day ended with the practice in "el salon de actos" (theatre), a smaller space, but with air conditioning. During the hottest hours, we were able to take advantage of the school's classrooms for the anatomy course.  This time the theme was about the skeleton: I had brought feet and vertebrae (real bones) and we observed, drew and modelled, with great interest in order to grasp the forms and the role of bones in the human constitution.

On Wednesday we went to the Natural Science Museum in Madrid, which has many animal skeletons and practiced comparative anatomy.
 
The Spanish Bothmer association held its annual meeting during the week as well.
 
I am very grateful for these touching moments of working together, where each of us felt the forces of the I growing in him and in the others. Thanks to the school for its trust and to all the gymnasts and future gymnasts for their helping presence and for all their the support, which made this meeting possible.
 
With friendships to all of us, and “un gran Spanish abrazo” to the Bothmer Gymnastics community.