June 2009 schedule
June 5th Monthly Community Celebration
June 12th Dances of Universal Peace
We Now Host Dances of Universal Peace 2nd Friday of each month
(Suggested Donation 5 to $10, no one turned away)
From the beginning of time,
sacred movement, song and story have brought people together - at times of
seasonal ceremony and celebration, as part of everyday life and life passages,
in daily renewal and meditation, etc... The Dances of Universal Peace are part
of this timeless tradition of Sacred Dance.
As in these timeless mystic traditions,
the Dances use simple music, lyrics, and movements to touch the spiritual
essence within ourselves and others. No musical or dance experience of any kind
is required and everyone is welcomed to join in. No special attire is required,
although comfortable, loose-fitting clothing is best. Participants join hands
forming a circle with the Dance leader and other musicians in the center.
Throughout the evening, the leader teaches the group the words, melody, and
movements for the next Dance and often provides some background history about
that particular Dance.
The Dances of Universal Peace
were
brought together 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
Here is the often-quoted passage
written by Murshid Samuel L. Lewis in a paper called "Spiritual Dancing":
"Spiritual Dancing is that which
elevates the consciousness. Dancing may be said to be the movement of the body
or any of its parts to rhythm, and spiritual is that which helps to make one
realize that this body is really the
From his rich life experiences,
Lewis in his early 70's began to envision and create the Dances as a dynamic
method to promote "Peace through the Arts". From the early days and his
original body of about 50 dances, the collection has grown since his passing to
more than 500 dances which celebrate the sacred heart of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Aramaic, Native
American, Native Middle Eastern, Celtic, Native African, and Goddess traditions.
June 19th Mandala Dance event
June 26th Theme Dance - Out of this World
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Dress Up or Down Express your Personal Style & Creativity Bring your friends Get Crazy |
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