Bothmer Gymnastics and Projective Geometry
This project seeks to find a deep relationship between Bothmer Gymnastics and Projective Geometry, as "two areas that meet and work together"
In 2017, I began my studies in Bothmer gymnastics in Córdoba, Argentina. That same year, I participated in the Ibero-American Movement Congress in Colombia, where I met Georg Glöckler (23-09-1933 – 1-03-2019, professor of physics and mathematics, Waldorf teacher, and director of the Mathematics and Astronomy Section at the Goetheanum) for the first time.
At this congress, he was responsible for the anthroposophical lectures and also for a workshop on projective geometry. There, teachers informed us about the opening of a new Bothmer gymnastics training group in Brazil, along with Georg Glöckler and Michael Neu, a Bothmer gymnastics teacher from Stuttgart, Germany.
It was also my first encounter with Astrid Wrede, a physical education and Bothmer gymnastics teacher from Brazil. She was responsible for bringing Bothmer gymnastics to South America, she was a teacher since 1979 at the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School in São Paulo, Brazil. She studied Bothmer gymnastics in Germany in 1982 and years later began promoting movement congresses in South America with other colleagues, which later evolved into congresses of movement, music, and eurythmy.
In January 2018, I began my training in São Paulo, Brazil. There, the contact with Glöckler was even closer since there were only 30 students. He was in charge of the anthroposophical study in the mornings and projective geometry in the afternoons, while Michael Neu was responsible for the Bothmer classes and the physical education curriculum throughout the training.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. In the first class with Glöckler, he had us draw a rhombic dodecahedron. It was my first time enjoying a mathematics and geometry class so much. Over six days, we covered various elements of mathematics and geometry, such as Platonic solids, projections in space, and polar bodies.
Since then, my interest in geometry has grown more and more. Over the years, the link between each exercise offered by Bothmer gymnastics and the various aspects of geometry has become stronger: the connections, the similarities, the mutual aids, etc.
In July 2018, Professor Glöckler visited us for the first time in Córdoba, Argentina, to share an intensive week of Bothmer gymnastics and geometry. In the mornings, he gave lectures on the twelve senses, in the afternoons, projective geometry, and in the evenings, as a gift, the path of life post-mortem. It was the last time we saw him as he crossed the threshold on February 1, 2019. This was very impactful as he was a great mentor to me. In 2021, I completed my Bothmer gymnastics studies, where we gave a final presentation in honor of our dear teacher Georg Glöckler.
During these years, my connection with geometry continued to develop internally. Upon arriving here at the Goetheanum, where Glöckler spent so many years, I feel it has gained even more strength. At this time, I believe there is a great need to perceive ourselves in the space we inhabit each day and the need for meaningful movement in children, adolescents, and adults.
This research project is entirely inspired by Mr. Glöckler's work on the relationship between movement and projective geometry and by Astrid Wrede's immense dedication to bringing Bothmer gymnastics to South America.
María Irupé Ivancich, Córdoba, Argentina - Anthroposophy Studies on Campus, 2024