BRIEF PANEURHYTHMY HISTORY
 
     
 
Original Paneurhythmy books from the Master Peter Deunov
published when the Master was alive
   
1. Beinsa Douno, Paneurhythmy; Sofia, 1938, Bulgarian
  This book, given by the Master, contains:  Principles of Paneurhythmy, the spiritual meaning of the 28 Paneurhythmy exercises, the music, and a short description of the 28 Paneurhythmy exercises and the Pentagram, as recorded by Milka Periklieva and Boyan Boev.
  Milka Periklieva describes this in her book Reminiscences of the Master, republished as Peter Deunov as Remembered by Milka Periklieva, a Disciple; published in 2013, available on Amazon.com.
 
2. The Master, Paneurhythmy, The Songs of the Harmonious Movements; Sofia, 1941, Bulgarian
  This book contains:  Foundation of Paneurhythmy, Paneurhythmy music and lyrics of 28 exercises and Pentagram.  The Music is from the Master, lyrics of 28 exercises are from Olga Slavcheva and the lyrics of Pentagram are from Peter Pamporov.
 
3. The Master, The Sunbeams, Music and Movements from the Master; Sofia, 1942, Bulgarian
  This book contains:  Principles of Sunbeams, description of Sunbeams movements and the music.  The Music is from the Master and the lyrics are from Vessela Nestorova.
 
 
 
  Paneurhythmy books compiled from disciples of the Master and his followers
     
1.    Maria Todorova, Elena Andreeva, Katia Griva and Iarmila Mentzlova, a manuscript of 28 Paneurhythmy exercises; Sofia, 1947, Bulgarian.  This manuscript was published by Bialo Bratstvo, 2004, Bulgarian
2.    Viola Bowman, Paneurhythmy; 1979, U.S.A., English
3.    Viola Bowman, Paneurhythmy, volume II, The Rays of the Sun and Pentagram; 1996, U.S.A., English
4.    Beinsa Douno, Paneurythmie, Le Grain De Ble (Anina Bertoli); Paris, no year, French
5.    Iarmila Mentzlova, La Paneurythmie; 1984, I'IMPRIMERIE WEIBEL, STRASBOURG, French.
6.    The Master, Paneurhythmy, compiled by Krum Vazharov and Maria Mitovska; Vsemir (Universe), 1993, Sofia, Bulgarian.  Short presentation of this book was publish in English in 1997 by Vsemir, Sofia.
7.    Ernestina Staleva and Toni Krushevska, Paneurhythmy; Bialo Bratstvo, 2004, English
8.    The Circle of Sacred Dance, Peter Deunov's Paneurhythmy; 1991, edited by David Lorimer, Element, England, English
9.    Ardella Nathanael, Dance of the Soul; 2012, Infinity publishing, U.S.A., English
10.  Muriel Urech, Peter Deunov's Paneurhythmy; Editions Prosvet a S.A., 2009, French; 2017, English
 
Boyan Boev (disciple of the Master from 1912), Milka Periklieva (disciple of the Master from 1923), Maria Todorova (disciple of the Master from 1916), Elena Andreeva (disciple of the Master from 1920), Katia Griva (disciple of the Master from 1932), Krum Vazharov (disciple of the Master from 1927), and Anina Bertoli are witnesses of the Master giving Paneurhythmy.
 
Viola Bowman, Iarmila Mentzlova, and Ernestina Staleva were dancing Paneurhythmy when the Master was alive.
 
 
Brief Paneurhythmy History
 
The Master began to give Paneurhythmy and the Pentagram toward the end of 1920's and continued to do so into the early 1930's.  The Sunbeams was given about 1941.  He said:  "We are performing these exercises in the way they are performed in the other world.  The movements are not invented; they are brought down from above.  In these exercises the physical, spiritual, and Divine worlds are connected.  There is an integration with another world.  Learn to perform them correctly."
 
After the book Paneurhythmy 1938 was published, the Master continued to refine some details of the Paneurhythmy movements.  For example, in the first exercise, "Awakening," in the beginning he gave the movements with the palms facing up as described in 1938.  But later, he himself began to dance with palms facing down.  When his disciples asked about this, he said that from then on, they should dance with the palms facing down.  This was told to me by Boris Nicolov, disciple of the Master from 1920.  There are other changes, which are not recorded.  The Master continued to refine the details of the movements until the end of his life.
 
The changes made by the Master unfortunately are not recorded and are preserved by his disciples in the living traditional way of dancing.  Bearing in mind the difficult circumstances caused by the world war at the time and its aftermath, the unification of the variations performed in different regions and countries was unfortunately not possible.  After 1944, the spreading of this teaching in Bulgaria was forbidden for 45 years.  The precise movements after all these changes were recorded in 1944 were preserved in the memory of the disciples who were around him in Sofia at that time.
 
It is noteworthy that when Krum Vazharov introduced his future wife Yarmila Mentzlova to the Master and said that she was a professional dancer and graduate of the Isadora Duncan school in Paris, the Master asked the musicians to begin to play the Paneurhythmy music.  She began to dance, making the same movements that had been given by the Master, having never before witnessed them.  The Master then said:  "Look at what correspondence exists between the music and the movements!"  Yarmila was a very gifted dancer and was able to instinctively feel and express the embodiment of the music with the exact corresponding movements.  Probably this is why the Master, before his passing in December, 1944, asked Yarmila to present the movements correctly.  She did this in her book Paneurhythmy, 1984, in which she presented her beautiful style of dancing.
 
Maria Todorova and Elena Andreeva described in 1947 the traditional way of dancing and they invited Yarmila to record the descriptions in a professional way.
 
Viola Bowman"s Paneurhythmy book is based on the original book in 1938; her descriptions of the Sunbeams are based on the book 'Sunbeams', 1942.
 
In all these books given by the disciples, there are small differences in the recorded details of the descriptions of the Paneurhythmy movements.  But for correct Paneurhythmy performance the following things are also very important.
 
When we study the Master's teachings and practice its methods we develop some spiritual qualities which help us to make a real connection with the angelic world.  The Master Beinsa Douno said:  "The advanced beings up above also dance Paneurhythmy, and if our movements correspond with their movements, we will make a connection with these advanced beings and we will receive their blessing.  In order to make this connection, not only should our Paneurhythmy movements be correct and rhythmical, but it is necessary to have harmony among our mind, heart, and will, i.e., for us to have love, purity, and a luminous state of our spirit."
 
This spiritual connection is passed on from the Master to his disciples, from older disciples to younger, from soul to soul.  That is why it is good to learn this sacred dance from a teacher who can pass it on to you.
 
It is most important, however, to keep the correct rhythm and to focus consciously on the spiritual meaning, symbolism, and power of the movements.
 
"When you are dancing Paneurhythmy, the main thought that needs to occupy your consciousness has to be the idea of God, of living Nature, of the rising sun, and the awakening of the soul."  -- the Master Peter Deunov
 
"When we are good, righteous, and spiritually wise, and when love is flowing through us, we are in harmony with the Whole.  When we are in harmony, then the rhythm of the cosmic Paneurhythmy pours through us and expresses itself through us."  -- the Master Peter Deunov
 
Maria Mitovska                          
 

 

"Remember only this:
You are a living soul who loves God!"

--  Beinsa Douno   # 46   


 
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