In a world filled with distractions and a relentless pace, it's no wonder that many people still question the true purpose and meaning of existence. For anyone yearning for a more profound and meaningful path that explores a deeper connection to self and the world, the Gurdjieff Society of Kingston is hosting a series of introductory workshops—“Between Two Worlds – In Search of Who I Am: An Introduction to the Gurdjieff Work”—on the work of the influential spiritual teacher and philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff next month at the Cornell Creative Arts Center (CCAC) in Kingston.
Gurdjieff, who was born in Alexandropol, Armenia in 1866, is best known for his development of the "Fourth Way," a philosophical and spiritual system based on teachings he encountered on his extensive journeys through Central Asia and the Near East. Rather than avoiding life or being entrapped in it, his teachings show how to consciously live life through practical methods for working with the body, the emotions, and the mind. Among the many students who have studied Gurdjieff over the years include modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright, film director Peter Brook (who directed the 1979 biographical film of Gurdjieff’s life, Meetings with Remarkable Men), writer Katherine Mansfield, and pianist and composer Keith Jarrett.
The November workshops at the CCAC will explore three fundamental spheres related to the Gurdjieff work: seeing, movements, and listening. The instructors, members of the Gurdjieff Foundation of New York, include a diverse array of renowned Hudson Valley artists and creators.
The first in the series is the Visual Studies Workshop, which will be held on Saturday, November 4 from 2 to 4pm. The workshop will explore different qualities or levels of visual attention through drawing exercises that reveal the difference between the attention of the eye and that of the mind. Instructors include Jeff Greene, founder of Evergreene Architectural Arts and one of the world’s foremost authorities on architectural arts and restoration, and realist artist and author Bill Murphy, whose work can be found in the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Library of Congress.
The Movements/Dance Workshop will take place later in the evening on Saturday, November 4 from 6 to 8pm. Perhaps the most widely known of the Gurdjieff work, the Movements are rhythmic dances or physical stances derived from traditional sources that are designed to liberate the energies of the body. Instructors include Neal Harris, certified Movements instructor; Livia Vanaver, co-founder and artistic director of the renowned world dance and music company Vanaver Caravan; and Brenda Bufalino, dancer, choreographer, and director of the American Tap Dance Orchestra.
The Music Workshop, the last in the series, will take place on Friday, November 17 from 6 to 8pm. The class will explore the boundaries of attention and seek to develop a deeper way of listening through rhythmic and vocal exercises and other forms of attunement. Instructors include John Watts a pianist and composer whose work spans musicals, Brazilian jazz, and the music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann; Carol Wincenc, a flutist, teacher at the Juilliard School of Music, and soloist with the London, Chicago, Houston, Detroit, Symphonies and the Warsaw Philharmonic; Brandon Wilde, a Kingston-based singer-songwriter who has performed at the American Folk Art Museum, and Jim Metzner, Fulbright Specialist in Media and Communication and producer and host of the Pulse of the Planet podcast.
All workshops are $10, with a limited capacity of students per workshop. To learn more or to register for “Between Two Worlds – In Search of Who I Am,” visit ccacny.org/special-events.
