Dances of Universal Peace

The Dances of Universal Peace are a form of spiritual meditative dance conducted in the company of a number of other dancers in a circle. The dances draw on all the world’s spiritual traditions and are led by a teacher who plays guitar or drum accompaniment. Each dance usually has a chant which is sung as the dance is performed.

The emphasis is on participation; the dances are almost never performed before an audience. Dancers of all levels of ability dance together and each dance it usually taught afresh at each performance.

The practise of the dance is claimed to develop the participants' spiritual awareness, awareness of their own body and awareness of the presence of others.

They were originally performed at camps and meetings. After that they appeared in schools, colleges, prisons, hospices, residential homes for those with special needs, and health centres . The Dances of Universal Peace were first formulated in the late 1960's by Samuel L. Lewis, they were first performed in California but have developed into a global movement.

The original dances were strongly influenced by the Sufi and Zen traditions but dances drawing on teachings of all main religious and spiritual traditions have been added since then. Dances drawing on the traditions of native peoples have also been included. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance)

Discussion

1. What functions does dance serve in society?

2. How can you explain the popularity of belly dancing?

3. Comment on “Dance Quotes”. Agree or disagree with the authors.

Project Topics

1. Social functions of dance.

2. Belly dancing and Western culture.

3. History of dance.

Lesson 2. Categories of dance Quiz

1. Name some categories of dance that you know.

2. What do you know about breakdancing?

3. What is the difference between concert and performance dance?

Categories

Dance can be divided into two main categories; each has several subcategories into which most dance styles can be placed. They are:

Concert dance / Performance dance

20th century concert dance

Competitive dance

Erotic dance

Social dance / Participation dance

Ballroom dance

Ceremonial dance

Traditional dance

These categories are often interconnected and context-dependent; a particular dance style may belong to several categories.

Concert Dance

Concert dance (also known as performance dance), is a category of dances in which an audience is watching but does not participate. By contrast, in Social dance (also known as Participation dance) there is no audience (as such) as all participants perform and watch at the same time.

Some Ceremonial dances, Baroque dances and Erotic dances are examples of dance forms that are a blend of Social and Concert dance. In this third category participants take on the roles of performer or audience at different times.