What are the Dances of Universal Peace?
The Dances of Universal Peace provide a joyful, multi-cultural way to touch the spiritual essence within ourselves and others. Being inspired by the wisdom and sacred phrases of the many spiritual traditions of humankind, they are essentially a form of celebration and meditation in sound and movement. There are no performers or audience, new arrivals and old hands form the circle together.
The Dances are easy to learn, and everything you need to know for each Dance is taught first. Even though you might feel unable to sing ‘in tune’, or feel you have ‘two left feet’, these Dances are welcoming to all.
They can be great fun as well as most profound.
The Dances of Universal Peace offer a safe way to be open to other people, creating trust and healing on a deep level. Through this dancing we come to know more of our true selves, so bringing peace, joy and unity to ourselves and to others.
The Dances are offered in a variety of ways, such as ongoing evening sessions, day workshops, longer residential retreats and dance camps. They are used in schools, colleges, prisons, hospices, residential homes for those with special needs, and holistic health centres etc. The Dances can also be part of life celebrations such as weddings and burials, peace gatherings, healing rituals, earth caring and ecumenical worship.
What does Dance Do?
“What does dance do for us? First and foremost, it inculcates the sense of rhythm and enhances our response to rhythm. This is really a response to life. It makes us more living, which is to say, more spiritual. It brings out beauty of form and movement, and envelopes our personalities in the enjoyment of them. It takes us beyond ourselves, bringing an initial taste of the state of non-being, which is really a balm for the soul.” SAM
Walking Meditations
Murshid Samuel Lewis also taught Walking Meditations using an attunement to various centers, elements, planets, sacred phrases and masters, saints and prophets. These Walks are an indispensable foundation to carrying the energy of a Dance appropriately and with maximum attunement. A study of the Walks includes learning to focus on the specific quality by using attunement to breath and sacred sounds to deepen the bodily experience. Each person’s experience of a body-centered walk will vary.