by Barb

In Zimbabwe it is said, "If you can walk, you can dance--if you can talk, you can sing." It’s the same here; so easy to fall in step. If you miss a beat, somebody will help you out. This is about peace, not performance. It’s non-threatening exercise with ideals, what could be better?

Natural fibers, flowing skirts, jeans well-broken in, and tee shirts with religious symbols adorn the dancers in this intergenerational circle. We aren’t raising funds to teach people to get along with each other. (Would that such a generic commodity as money might have such a noble effect.) The Dances of Universal Peace are simple, low-impact folk-style dances that offer a unique exercise in co-operation and community building for persons of sufficient aplomb, optimism, and good humor to participate.

My curiosity was piqued when someone I knew, in describing the dances, dropped the famous name of Ruth St. Denis, who was my Mom’s teacher at Denishawn New York, an influential school of "barefoot" world-cultural and religious interpretive dance back in the ‘30s. Anything that was associated with Miss Ruth just had to be cool. But at that time, I had never heard of her great fan Sam Lewis, the California Sufi master who hatched the current notion of bringing about peace (inner and interpersonal) through circle dancing. It was Lewis who said, "The watcher is the prayerful devotee, but the dancer becomes divine." I learned that Sam had started this in 1967, and there’s a sort of "yeah, man" retro feel to the dances now. The idea behind them, though, is timeless and brings a sense of connectedness--not only with the other dancers in the room, but with all the trailblazers of spiritual exploration who cherished, as we do, the hope that someday, peace will come.

Peace dancers chant, and there is usually at least one musician present. I’ve heard such diverse instruments as hand drums, guitars, and a harmonium. The words to the chants, which can be described as mantras for movement, are in English sometimes, at other times in Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, and other languages. Each is a phrase from one of the world’s great faiths, sung here as a prayer for peace.

The music is an integral part of each dance, and in the U.K. where choral singing has long been a favorite activity, the chants receive much attention and are honored for their salutary effect on the singers, as much as an accompaniment to the dance.

The evening usually begins with a greeting dance, chanting "A salaam aleikum, shalom aleichem, peace be with you." Varying degrees of physical contact occur, mostly hand holding or placing one hand on the next dancer’s shoulder. (Infrequent bathers and persons standing less than 5’3" tall may wish to sit out the Sardine Dance, which is more huddly/cuddly.)

Each dance has its own mood, whether reverently celebrating the virtue of compassion, like the Kwan Yin dance, or playfully evoking a legendary character, like "Radhe Bolo." Many express respect for the Creator, by various names (Allah, Kyrie, The One). A cycle of dances using the Aramaic phrases of the Lord’s Prayer is performed annually at Easter. A whole category of dances is known as the Ram Nam, using the mantra "Om sri Ram jai Ram jai jai Ram"--sung to various melodies, sometimes in a major key, sometimes minor, sometimes slow and meditative, sometimes quick and joyous. There are also dances praising our planet Earth and our connection with nature, with phrases like "I circle around ... the green hills of the Earth."

Where to find them? Worldwide, the dances are done in whatever location is available and amicable to their purpose. Churches have been known to host them. Here in Western New York, I’ve danced in a high school gym, in a community meeting room, in the upstairs parlor of a historic Victorian house, and most recently in a chapel at a renovated healing spa.

It’s not necessary to "join" anything or pay a fee to dance, although contributions are accepted. The feeling of peace and harmony that lingers among the dancers at the end of the evening is priceless, anyway. As one dancer puts it, "Unknowns are within us but we can count on people on either side holding our hands without getting the step right or falling out of the dance while wondering about the words… When there’s movement, there’s no spotlight, and a feeling of tolerance is generated." An experience not to be missed.

Barbara Mater is a musician, author, and Craftygal foremother.

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