What we’re about
The Dances of Universal Peace are joyous, multi-cultural circle dances that rejuvenate the spirit and awaken the heart, danced to live music and the singing of the participants. These dances get your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. We will sing and dance together to honor the Earth and all her peoples and spiritual traditions. The group is taught the words, meaning, melody and the movements of each Dance in a compassionate, comfortable way. This sharing of sound and movement acts as a cosmic glue or lubricant to create, sustain, and heal the community and the individual.
Join us for a time of peace, reflection, and joy
NO previous experience is required; no partner is needed. It's EASY!
A "Love offering" is requested: $10; and not required
~Asheville circle happens every 2nd Sunday of the month-7p at Center for Art & Spirit at St. George. For more information call 828-252-8866
~Asheville Dances led by Shemsuddin happens every 3rd Saturday of each month at Center for Art & Spirit at St. George at 7:30pm. For more information call 828-577-9090.
~Johnson City, TN circle happens the last Sunday of each month (except for June & July)-7p- at the Dental office of Rebecca Nunley, 108 West 10th Ave., Johnson City, TN; For more information call 423-743-5298.
The Dances of Universal Peace were conceived in the late 1960's by Samuel L. Lewis (1896-1971), a Sufi Murshid (teacher) and Rinzai Zen Master, who also studied deeply in the mystical traditions of Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity. In this creation, Lewis was deeply influenced by his contact and spiritual apprenticeship with two people: Hazrat Inayat Khan, who first brought the message of universal Sufism to the West in 1910, and Ruth St. Denis, a feminist pioneer in the modern dance movement in America and Europe.
The Dances of Universal Peace have evolved and expanded in practical application to meet the deep felt needs today for rediscovering reverence, creativity, and a body-based connection to the natural world. Teachers share the Dances in schools, therapy groups, prisons, hospice houses, drug rehabilitation centers, homes for the developmentally disabled, retirement villages, holistic health centers, and ecumenical worship celebrations. Please join us for some "body prayer" in any of the circles listed. ALL are welcome!
