We get a lot of questions here at the office about Dances of Universal Peace. What is it? What do you do at the events? What are the other people like? We answer the best we can, but the best way to find out is to experience it for yourself. The next best thing is this firsthand account from Liz Monnier, our Artistic Director.

Liz Monnier

I started doing Dances of Universal Peace about a year ago, April 2009. I jumped right in with a weekend retreat with the famed Nyrayan from Bozeman MT who was leading the dances at Paula Saffire’s lovely home studio in Indianapolis.

I was the only newbie in the group and so there were some awkward moments for me at first, like not knowing the proper way to hold hands in the circle ( left palm up right palm down).  I got a hint from someone that it is “both thumbs to the left.”

Ah. Thank you.

I loved returning to the land of singing which I left long ago in high school.  Some of the songs are in Hebrew and seemed hard to learn but if you said it wrong it was OK. Now a year later, the Hebrew is much easier to learn and seeing it in writing helps, too.

The first thing I noticed at this retreat was the openness of the other dancers; looking you straight in the eye (a stranger, no less) smiling and seeing people transform into cosmic beings. I did this first retreat as an experiment of sorts, but it didn’t take long before I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to do it again, but I wasn’t sure why.

We started weekly circles in Fort Wayne last summer and I looked forward to the each one. Sometimes it seemed like waiting forever for the next circle.

What was it about these circles? I’ve started formulating my own theories. It’s the community of people I look forward to seeing. It’s the singing and the dancing at the same time. It’s the unconditional acceptance I feel from others and enjoy giving to others as well. Last week our leader Jessica said, “vibration, feel the vibration.” I then realized that yes, I feel the vibration, the energy in the room was electric, and warm and inviting and peaceful. It was an energy I want to feel always. So, I try to take this energy into my daily life and wait until the next circle to get the renewal again.

Now in the circles I too can look at other people, strangers, straight in the eye and feel amazed at the energy that comes back to me, fills me. When we do a song/dance that  I’ve done before it’s exciting because I can focus on the energy and not on the steps and the words.

This is why I see myself doing Dances of Universal Peace for the rest of my life.

— Liz Monnier
Artistic Director

Visit our DUP page if you want any additional information about Dances of Universal Peace. We have a monthly circle gathering on the second Saturdays of the month, except in June, where we are holding a special weekend event with special guest Eric Narayan Waldeman.