Yoga from the Heart

Through movement, song, Dances of Universal Peace strives to open the hearts and minds to entire world

By Susan Orr / Courier & Press staff writer 461-0783 or orrs@courierpress.com
Saturday, September 6, 2008

Go Takayama / Courier & Press

Liz Ryan of Evansville, right, hugs Rosanne Parady, left, as a part of spiritual dance during the Dances of Universal Peace, which performs a dance with spiritual traditions from many cultures along with music and singing, at the Body Works Massage Institute on Maxwell Avenue on Sunday evening, Aug. 24, 2008.

When a friend invited Rosanne Parady to participate in something called Dances of Universal Peace, she wasn’t too interested.

"That just didn’t sound like anything that was really going to turn my crank," the Evansville woman recalled.

Go Takayama / Courier & Press

Participants slowly gather in the middle of the circle and raise their hands singing along with Lezlie Ward (not pictured), who leads the spiritual practice at the Body Works Massage Institute on Maxwell Avenue on Sunday evening, Aug. 24, 2008.

Rosanne Parady, left, and Liz Ryan of Evansville, right, bow as a part of spiritual dance during the Dances of Universal Peace, which blends traditions from many cultures with music and singing.

Go Takayama / Courier & Press

Vernon Arnold of Winslow, Ind., left, holds a hand of Gail Mitchell of Evansville during the spiritual dance and singing at the Dances of Universal Peace held in the Body Works Massage Institute on Maxwell Avenue on Sunday evening, Aug. 24, 2008. The Dance of Universal Peace believes in open mind, and participants are expected to dance and sing with strangers.

Go Takayama / Courier & Press

Kay Loewer of Evansville, center, sings and dances with other participants at the Dances of Universal Peace at the Body Works Massage Institute on Maxwell Avenue. Loewer was visting the gathering for the third time, and says that she wants to continue to come back. Participants slowly gather in the center of the circle, singing along with Lezlie Ward, who leads the spiritual practice.

But she agreed to go, and to her surprise she found participating in group dances and songs from various cultures and faith traditions was profoundly moving.

"I felt an intimacy with people I didn’t even know their names. … I was sold," Parady said.

Since then she’s been a regular participant at the gathering.

The group started meeting occasionally about two years ago; recently, it began meeting once a month. Gatherings, which are open to the public, are held at the Body Works Massage Institute just north of Morgan Avenue on Maxwell Aveneu.

The Dances of Universal Peace movement was started in the late 1960s by Samuel Lewis (1896-1971), a Sufi teacher and Zen master who also studied Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity. The dances borrow from various religious traditions, and they use simple dance steps, phrases and songs that are repeated many times.

Each member of the group participates in singing and dancing.

According to the movement’s Web site, www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org, Lewis created about 50 dances during his lifetime, and today there are more than 500, each intended "to touch the spiritual essence within ourselves and recognize it in others."

The Web site says that about 200 dance groups meet regularly throughout North America, in addition to gatherings in schools and prisons, at peace events and other settings.

At the August gathering in Evansville, group leader Lezlie Ward began with a few minutes’ worth of warm-up activities.

As a guitarist played in the background, the group walked slowly in a circle in the near-empty room.

Ward invited each of the dozen or so people to focus on the present, breathe deliberately and put aside the day’s worries.

"Instead of all that, be aware of what you’re experiencing right now," Ward said.

Ward then led the group through a series of dances and accompanying songs.

She demonstrated dance steps, explained the words of the songs and encouraged each dancer to become immersed in the meaning of it all.

When teaching the Christian-influenced piece "Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison" ("Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy") Ward explained that the piece was about not only receiving mercy, but also showing it to others.

For some parts of this dance, participants danced with a partner. Ward encouraged the dancers to look into their partners’ eyes and connect with their souls.

This can be very scary for some, Ward acknowledged, as she demonstrated the steps with a partner of her own.

"This is a big job. I want to love her like God loves her. I don’t even know her that well!" Ward said with a laugh.

"Do what you can. Do what you’re comfortable doing."

Each of the dances and songs was repeated multiple times, with the intent that participants would move beyond the details of steps and songs and enter a deeper psychic space.

This meant the pace for the evening was slow and deliberate. During the two-hour session, the group moved through only five dances and songs.

If you go

• What: Dances of Universal Peace, an international movement that uses dances and songs from various faith traditions to promote peace and understanding.
  
• Where: Evansville group meets at Body Works Massage Institute at 2112 Maxwell Ave., just north of Morgan Avenue.
  
• When: The last Sunday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. Gatherings planned Sept. 28 and Oct. 26; none in November and December.
  
• Cost: Free, but donations are accepted for facility rental fees.
  
• Details: Contact Lezlie Ward at 868-0176, or visit www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org
  

Dances involved hugs and hand-holding, and at the conclusion of each piece participants stood for a few seconds of meditative silence.

Ward, a yoga teacher who also holds a master’s degree in counseling, first learned about Dances of Universal Peace two years ago, when she saw a flier advertising a local gathering.

"I came, and I loved it. I was very moved by the experience…. It was very effective at shifting me into a more prayerful and peaceful place," Ward recalled.

At that time, the Evansville dances were held only occasionally, led by an Evansville native named Lance Sandleben. Sandleben now lives in Arizona, and he led Evansville dance gatherings when he was
in town visiting family.

Ward later decided to pursue the training required to become a Dances of Universal Peace leader. Sandleben became her mentor, and she’s participated in retreats in Indianapolis and New Harmony, Ind.

"I thought it was a valuable service to have here in Evansville, and if I didn’t do it myself no one else would," she said.

Over the past two years, Ward said, the core group of participants has slowly grown.

Among the regular participants is Donna Heinlin of Evansville, who has participated in Dances of Universal Peace in numerous states since she first became involved with the movement in California in
the early 1970s.

"I’ve really loved it over the years," Heinlin said.

"It’s a place where I can walk in and just have instant friends."

The recent Evansville gathering concluded with a piece based on a Buddhist prayer. During the song ("May all beings be well and happy; May all beings be free from strife; May all beings return to love; Peace be with you forever more), participants moved in a circle, hugging each other. Some had beatific smiles on their faces, while other looked meditative. Some looked around the room while others appeared to focus inward.

By the end of the session, several women had tears in their eyes.

Parady, the woman who was initially skeptical, said the dance gatherings have helped change her world view. Before, she said, her attitude was more adversarial.

The dances help her see, she said, that in order to be spiritually mature one must open one’s heart to the entire world not just to the people like yourself.

"Nobody becomes outside that circle of wishing well," she said.

That’s the beauty of the dances, Ward said. They provide a rare chance for people to let down their guards and truly connect with each other.

"It’s just a worthy thing — for people to feel peace."