Dances of Universal Peace
For a number of years, friends had mentioned the Dances of Universal Peace to me, but it never seemed like something that would work for me. I just don't know how to dance. It's not that I don't want to dance, but my brain just doesn't seem to memorize stuff, particularly body movement. But, finally, my friend Penny took me to the Dances in Montrose, Colorado.... and there I had some of the most wonderful experiences of my life.
The second thing that I encountered was intimacy. To hold hands with the other dancers, to touch a cheek, to gaze deeply into a dance partner's eyes, to hug your dance partner after the dances... all such simple, yet intimate forms of contact... that intimate contact that so much of our society has shunned. All effortless and natural. But the intimacy of the dances is far beyond mere physical contact. The dances foster an emotional intimacy, an openness, a touching of hearts, a letting go of separation, that is the real core of the dances. The dances, as it turned out, were so easy that even I could enjoy them. And the songs were beautiful, yet easy to learn. The dances are generally done in a circle, with a dance leader in the center. For each dance, the song lyrics are taught to the group, and then the dance movements are taught to the group. It is really easy, and truly wonderful. I have really enjoyed the dances. And I encourage you to dance too. The dances are based on sacred phrases from religions around the world. So, one dance might be based on a native American phrase, the next on a Hindu phrase, and another on a Christian phrase. The dances are, for me, a joyous celebration of God. The name "Dances of Universal Peace" might seem a bit "dorky" or
perhaps a bit grandiose, but the joyous celebration, the happy faces, the clear
eyes, the smiles, the laughter, the touch, the hugs, the mingling of hearts is
very worthwhile, very satisfying, very compelling. Intimate Fellowship: All too often our daily lives are lived at a distance. In the workplace a simple touch can become sexual harassment. In the grocery store a simple touch might be interpreted as assault. On the streets, looking deeply into another persons eyes can result in violence. But in the environment of the dances, such barriers are simply nonexistent. The boundaries fall away so that our simple essence, our essential oneness, is directly experienced.
The dances have a deeply spiritual basis, yet there is no sermon, no dogma, nothing to join, no human leader to submit to. The dances offer each person the freedom to learn and develop their own spiritual values at their own pace, in their own way. The true essence of the dances is the goal of spiritual
unfolding, of letting our hearts mingle and soar. Please come to the dances: Your heart has led you to this page.... so let your heart dance. Come to the Dances of Universal Peace... Soon. Click on this link to Find Dances near you in the USA.
Songs and Dances online.... music for free..... My own music page is on this web site and has my versions of some of my favorite songs. The picture at the right is me leading a dance called "Sura of Love" at the Canyonlands Dance Retreat in May 2000. I have recently added a couple of dance related pages. A brief page with a few of my favorite unpublished dances, an index to most of the published dances and several other pages that you can see listed under the Dances of Universal Peace heading in the index on the left side of this page. Here are a few more web pages on this web site which have DUP music:
Updated: 5-Jan-2012
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The
first thing that I found was that the people at the dances were kind, gracious,
welcoming... loving. I did not feel like a "foreigner", but more like I had just
stumbled into a roomful of long-lost friends. There were no social barriers,
everyone was there to enjoy the company of the other dancers. It was all so
easy. 
I've
now been to dances in Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, Lava Hot Springs,
Hotchkiss, Montrose, Durango, Pagosa Springs, Canyonlands National Park, Puerto
Morelos Mexico and Maui. At every dance, I have found the dancers to be
friendly, kind and open. It has been like finding a whole new society, one where
intimate fellowship is the very core of the gathering.