Cecilia John: An Australian heads the London School of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, 1932-1955

The London School of Dalcroze Eurhythmics (LSDE) was established in 1913, and a significant figure in its history was the remarkable Cecilia John, one of seven Australians to complete the three-year course between 1917 and 1927. Apart from two short visits to Australia, John lived and taught in England for the remainder of her life. Following the death of the Founding Honorary Director of the LSDE in 1930, John became the Warden and then Principal of the School. She held this position until her death twenty-five years later. John was a dynamic figure in the Australian suffrage movement prior to 1920 yet few Dalcroze educators are aware of this part of her life. Conversely, there is lively evidence of her Eurhythmics studies in London from 1920-1923, and involvement in international Dalcroze Eurhythmics matters, which is unknown to many Australians. Few women could match her record as a mature age student who became Principal of the British school from which she had graduated some seven years earlier.