DUP - An Introduction
The Dances really need to be experienced personally to appreciate fully their unique appeal but we offer the following information in the hope that you may be sufficiently interested to try them for yourself.
"The Dances of Universal Peace change lives. And the world changes life by life. All over the earth people long for an alternative to the numbing effects of consumerism, to the fear of diversity that drives human beings apart. They long for an actual experience of reverence for the earth and life in all its forms. The Dances show how." Neil Douglas-Klotz
The Dances were originally created in America about 40 years ago by Samuel Lewis (1896 - 1971) and were first danced in the late 1960's. Jewish by birth, he became both a Sufi teacher and a Rinzai Zen Master as well as studying in depth the traditions of Christianity and Hinduism.
His Sufi teacher (from whom he drew his main inspiration for the Dances) was Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882 - 1927) who was the first to bring to the West the message of universal Sufism - that the truth at the heart of all religions is the same truth.
Lewis was further inspired by the American contemporary dance pioneer, poet and mystic, Ruth St. Denis (1880 - 1968) and it was these two sources of inspiration, which combined to lead him to his vision of a dance form embodying this 'one truth' and allowing people their own experience of it.
"The experience of the Dances goes out of the realms of language and into the realms of the heart." Samuel Lewis
Since time immemorial and throughout the world, people have joined together in song, story and dance, whether for uncomplicated daily celebration or more complex rituals and ceremonies. The Dances of Universal Peace - using simple words and music, easy steps and devotional gestures - are a continuation of this timeless expression. Danced mainly in a circle (a universal symbol of unity) using sacred phrases and other spiritually inspired songs, they aim to guide us peacefully toward the heart of our being, while also teaching something of the essence of the particular tradition from which each of them stems, e.g. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, Sikh or one of the many Native Wisdom traditions.
Dancers celebrate the underlying unity of all spiritual traditions and may focus on specific themes, such as Healing (the Earth, individuals and the global family) or Peace and Harmony (both inner and outer). The Dances evoke many different feelings and it is through the experience of these that a greater appreciation and understanding of other faiths and traditions can be gained.
In 1982, Neil Douglas-Klotz set up a centre to further the work begun by Samuel Lewis and to help make the Dances accessible to all. The 'International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace' (INDUP) is a registered non-profit making organisation based in the U.S.A. INDUP has global membership and has a Teachers' Guild providing training and supervision for people who lead these Dances. It also supports outreach work, where trained Leaders help to develop the Dances in new countries. Within INDUP, there is an affiliated U.K. Network and membership is available to everyone.
The information on this page has been compiled with material modified from the publicity literature of INDUP.