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Moving Meditations: Dances Of Universal Peace
Dance at Home Programs


Testimonials

The videos you and Michael are offering during this pandemic are an absolute godsend ~ thank you so much! - what a joyful experience!
~Stephanie

Thank you for your online offerings, they bring me comfort and connection. ~Lori

Thank you both so much for creating the amazing space and leading us so devotedly! ~Kirsten

Many more thanks to you and Michael for offering your weekly Dance At Home video programs. I just joined you for the one for this week - pure joy. ~Don



While our dances are
on hiatus, we are
offering on this page
Dance-At-Home videos
to help sustain you.


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Testimonials

SUCH a blessing to my heart to dance with you this morning...brought tears of great joy, love, nostalgia...Thank you once again for taking the time to record these dances! ~Suzanne

Many blessings and gratitude for your commitment to the Dances Of Universal Peace! ~Leigh

One Friday I was in a funk and after the dances something shifted and I felt like myself again. ~Benneth

Thank you for sending us the dances ~Susan


Please note: some of the movements of the dances have been adapted to suit the conditions of dancing at home.


Dance At Home Program 41

Posted August 17, 2021

Melodic Ram Nam
Ya Salaam, Ya Salaam
Tara Dance


The Melodic Ram Nam presents an opportunity to deepen into perhaps the most repeated Hindu mantra, the one that sustained Gandhi during his march to the sea. Ya Salaam, Ya Salaam calls upon the divine quality of peace. Tara Dance invokes and praises the great Goddess of Buddhism.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 40

Posted July 20, 2021

The Earth Is Our Mother
Zikr Of Firdousi
Radhe Govinda Devotional


We begin with an honoring of the Earth, move on to a recognition of the One as Love, and conclude with praises for the One appearing as the ideal loving couple.


Dance At Home Program 39

Posted June 1, 2021

Bright, Beauteous Angel
Kwan Zeon Bosai
Take Me As I Am Zikr


     Bright, Beauteous Angel is a dance using words from a folk prayer gathered from the Hebrides in the 1800s by Alexander Carmichael, and published in his Carmina Gaedelica.
     Kwan Zeon Bosai is a Korean devotional prayer to the mother goddess and Boddhisatva of compassion.
     Take Me As I Am zikr dance reminds us that there is nothing but the One, whose purifying essence removes our illusions of unworthiness.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 38

Posted May 7, 2021

Om Namo Baghavate
No Part Left Out
Shavti B'veit Adonai


     Moving from a Hindu song of praise, through a Buddhist poem of enlightenment, to a Jewish Psalm of comfort in the presence of the One.


Dance At Home Program 37

Posted April 13, 2021

Shabbos Kallah
Seen, Unseen
Tara Healing Dance Pt. 3

    
     In this program we honor the Divine Feminine through the lens of three different traditions: Jewish, Goddess and Buddhist.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 36

Posted March 16, 2021

Wise Earth
Shakin' The Tree
Om Nama Shivaya Namaste


     In celebration of the recent International Women's Day, we offer a springtime Celtic dance honoring the awakening of Mother Earth, symbolic of the great awakening of Feminism worldwide. Our second dance, Shakin' The Tree, was written specifically for International Women's Day by Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'Dour. We close paying homage to the Hindu god of transformation, Shiva, as we envision a world transformed for the better.


Dance At Home Program 35

Posted February 23, 2021

Ganesha Sharanam
Eternal Tao
Shanti Prashanti


     We begin with an invocation to the Remover Of Obstacles, that we may succeed in our endeavors. Next, we contemplate that which is beyond our conceptions by emptying ourselves of all concepts of the Divine and becoming receptive. This brings us to our connection with the primordial Source of all things and Supreme Peace.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 34

Posted February 2, 2021

Jamaican Bismillah
Breath Of The One Bismillah
Butter Zikr


While we are not able to meet in person for an actual zikr, we still may gain benefit from practicing zikr dances at home!


Dance At Home Program 33

Posted January 19, 2021

Angelic Bismillah
Across The Universe
Benediction Dance


     The soothing "Angelic Bismillah" sets our intention to always be coming from a good place. "Across The Universe" allows us to deepen into the presence of Universal Love. The words of Hazrat Inayat Khan in "Benediction Dance" help us to bless others with the blessing we have found in this practice.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 32

Posted December 8, 2020

Dance Of The Celestial Bodies
Pathway Zikr
Namaste


     This program celebrates the One Being that we are: the light that shines from the eye. With the first dance we proclaim it, with the second dance we delve into it, with the third dance we recognize it in others.


Dance At Home Program 31

Posted November 24, 2020

Ancestors, Sky People
For The Beauty Of The Earth
Ya Shakur


     In this Thanksgiving program we offer reverence to our ancestors and Spirit Guides. We give thanks to God for our beautiful Earth. We call in the Divine Attribute of gratitude and radiate it to and for all.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 30

Posted November 10, 2020

Beauty Way Dance
Ave Maria
Bismillah Round


     We begin with an affirmation of the beauty all around us, and our intention to walk in accord with it. Next we embody the spirit of the Divine Mother, as we, too, are called to give birth to the gifts we have received from Spirit. Our last dance sets the intention to begin this process always from a place of mercy and compassion.


Dance At Home Program 29

Posted October 27, 2020

Ancestors Old
Light Of Water/The Dark Ship
Return Again


     We love this Halloween program of dances honoring our connection with our ancestors through the Celtic Festival of Samhain. The wisdom in our second selection reminds us to be like water - adapt to the conditions we have no control over - and that we depend on each other to see us through the dark times. The Jewish "Return Again" is a call to use this time to reconnect with our innermost selves.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 28

Posted October 20, 2020

Unfolding Zikr
Ashem Vohu
V'ruach Nachon


     We begin with a simple remembrance of our connection with God. Our middle dance is about remembering that the Light of God is Within us, and asking to be guided by that light. We conclude with a prayer to renew within us the Spirit of "Yes!".


Dance At Home Program 27

Posted October 13, 2020

One Love
Waiten Day
Altissimo Corazon


    A joyful, uplifting program to help us drink in the refreshing water of Spirit. The Rastafarian "One Love" affirms us as a family; the Native American "Waiten Day" brings gratitude for life; the Christian "Altissimo Corazon" celebrates the all-embracing love of the Divine.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 26

Posted October 6, 2020

Zikr Of Bliss
Wandering Zikr
Completion Zikr


     While we cannot attend a zikr in person at this time, we can still spiritually benefit from practicing Sufi zikr dances at home. We sincerely hope this practice will help everyone to always "remember".


Dance At Home Program 25

Posted September 29, 2020

Open Our Hearts
Heart Sutra
Heartwalk


     This week's heart-centered program starts with a prayer to open our hearts, which allows us to hear God's healing voice. We follow this with an attunement to the compassionate energy of the Boddhisattva. Finally, we affirm our intention to walk with integrity, being true to our own heart.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 24

Posted September 8, 2020

Thy Light Is In All Forms
Om Ah Hum
Ong Namo Guru Dev


     We begin with a realization of the sacredness of all things. Following this we ask for the blessings of ordinary and supreme realization. We conclude by honoring the true teacher within.


Dance At Home Program 23

Posted September 1, 2020

Ocean Of Love Zikr
Om Buddha Maitreya
Om Nama Shivaya


     We are islands of consciousness in an ocean of consciousness, which is Spirit and Love. Our first dance takes us into this ocean. Next we invoke the teacher, the friend Maitreya, who comes when the world is ready for enlightenment. We close honoring Shiva, the Spirit of Transformation.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 22

Posted August 25, 2020

Om Mata Kali
Shalom Aleichem
New Hope


     First we call on the energy of Kali and Durga, Hindu goddesses, to dispel the darkness. This brings us to a place of peace, which we naturally share with the Jewish salutory, "Peace be with you" (Shalom aleichem). From this place comes the inspiration of new hope, with words from a Sufi prayer of Hazrat Inayat Khan.


Dance At Home Program 21

Posted August 18, 2020

I Must Make My Way
I Am Alive
Meditation Zikr


     Our first dance, from 10th century Japan, takes us on a symbolic journey of enlightenment. Next we celebrate the life-energy that courses through and animates our bodies. We conclude with a deep remembrance of the One.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 20

Posted August 11, 2020

Kyrie Eleison
Neesa, Neesa
Midnight Bismillah


     This joyous Kyrie Eleison includes an "Alleluia" of gratitude for the mercy we've received. With Neesa, Neesa we honor the Divine Feminine. The Midnight Bismillah takes us into the interior world of Universal Spirit, the One.


Dance At Home Program 19

Posted August 4, 2020

Tara Healing Dance Pt. 1
Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet
Guru Ram Das


     This program of healing dances begins with an invocation of the Mother Goddess of Buddhism, Tara. We continue on with a Jewish prayer of solace for troubled times, and conclude by bringing in the healing energies of the Sikh Guru Ram Das.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 18

Posted July 28, 2020

Fill Your Cup
Ek Ong Kar Wah
May The Road


     Our first dance invites us to drink in the love and life of God, in whom we move and have our being. Next, we remember our unity with the One. Finally, we identify with the Divine by sending out Divine Love and blessings to all.


Dance At Home Program 17

Posted July 21, 2020

Allah Hu Ahad
Breath Of Creation Zikr
Purification Zikr


     While zikr can only be experienced in person, one can practice zikr at home with satisfying results. This week's practice reaffirms the unity of religions with the statement, "God Is One" (Allah Hu Ahad); connects us to the divine breath through which all things were created (Breath Of Creation Zikr); asks for God to help us in our intentional efforts to be always come from a good place (Purification Zikr).

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 16

Posted July 14, 2020

Om Gam Ganapataye
Only The Mountain Remains
Mir Miru Mir


     Ganapataye is another name for Ganesha, the Hindu remover of obstacles. After paying homage, we take our prayer up the holy mountain. Finally, we send our prayer of peace to the entire world.


Dance At Home Program 15

Posted July 7, 2020

Haida
Hu Allah
All Of My Relations


     With Haida we are reminded of the joy that comes from feeling connected to God. Hu Allah is an opportunity to feel the blessing of the Life that flows through us. We send that blessing of peace out to all beings in All Of My Relations.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 14

Posted June 30, 2020

Om Hum
Child Of The Universe
Metta Karuna

   
     Our first dance, Om Hum, conveys an experience of Self-realization: the realization by the individual consciousness that it is a part of, and at one with, the universal consciousness.
     We extend this realization about ourselves to include others: that every sentient being is a Child Of The Universe, deserving to be alive and to thrive.
     How do we express this universal consciousness as individuals? In the Buddhist Metta Karuna dance we embody the Brahmavaharas (The Four Immeasurables): Lovingkindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity.


Dance At Home Program 13

Posted June 21, 2020

All My Relations
Surya Ram
Roll, Mabon, Roll


     Celebrate Summer Solstice with the beautiful intentions in All My Relations, the radiance of Surya Ram and the resolution of grievances offered in Roll, Mabon, Roll.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 12

Posted June 14, 2020

Om Nama Shiva
Shema Yisrael
Prayer For Peace


     Asking for divine help through current changes, affirming that there is only one God, although with many names, and that we are all one family.


Dance At Home Program 11

Posted May 31, 2020

Ya Karim, Ya Karima


     This week we offer a zikr practice you can sink into at home, a spiritual refuge, an avenue of connection to the One. Karim and Karima are the masculine and feminine forms of the Arabic word for divine generosity.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 10

Posted May 25, 2020

Ek Ong Kar
Siyahamba
Kyrie Eleison


     Sometimes we may forget that God is unbelievably happy. One translation of the Ek Ong Kar dance is, "There is one God, whose name is Truth. Magnificent and beyond words is the ecstasy of Infinity."
     In the Zulu language, Siyahamba reminds us that wherever we go, we are always in the light of God.
     Kyrie Eleison brings our focus to the infinite mercy of the One.


Dance At Home Program 9

Posted May 18, 2020

Gate, Gate
Alleluia
In the Presence Of The Lord


     "Gate, Gate" takes us to a place beyond the mind, a place where the recognition that we are all One brings enlightenment.
     "Alleluia" is an opportunity to raise our vibrations. The Bible recommends that when times are hardest we should lift our spirits by singing and dancing with joy.
     Finally, a reminder that, since God is everywhere, we are always "in the presence of the Lord."

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 8

Posted May 11, 2020

Quiet Faith Zikr


     We know that many miss being able to attend zikr in person, so we hope this offering of a zikr practice you can do with us in your home will afford an avenue into the rich devotional stream that feeds our souls so profoundly.


Dance At Home Program 7

Posted May 4, 2020

The Beltane Brand
Narayana
Om Namo Amitabhaya

   
 Our dance-at-home video this week grounds us in community with a dance honoring the Celtic festival of Beltane, then connects us to the cosmic power through the Hindu Narayana and Buddhist Amitabhaya.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 6

Posted May 4, 2020

Estaferallah
Od Yavo Shalom
Medicine Buddha


     Our dance video this week features three approaches to healing. The first dance reminds us to take our minds, temporarily, off our troubles - and rest in the purifying essence of the Divine. Next we affirm that peace will come upon us. Finally, we ask the Great Healer to heal all conditions both physical and spiritual.


Dance At Home Program 5

Posted April 20, 2020

E Malama
Kadosh Shemayim
For The Beauty Of The Earth

   
 This Wednesday, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. This specific celebration was created because it is so easy to get caught up in other concerns and forget about our precious environment.
     In this week's Dance-At-Home video program, we honor the Earth, renew our commitment to nurture Nature, and offer up our gratitude for the precious and spectacularly beautiful world we live in.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 4

Posted April 15, 2020

Soli Deo
Sat Narayan Wahe Guru
Celtic Blessing


Remembering that all good things come from the One, that we all are that One, and sending out a heartfelt blessing.


Dance At Home Program 3

Posted April 6, 2020

Peace Of Spirit
The Lord Is My Shepherd
Return To Love


     The Source of all things is, and radiates, peace at all times. When we ask the Divine, as we do in our first dance, to "Send us the peace of Thy Spirit", we are actually asking for help in releasing our own resistance to God's ever-flowing peace.

      "The Lord Is My Shepherd" is an affirmation, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, that God cares for us and watches over us.

We conclude with "Return To Love", a message of goodwill to all!


To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.


Dance At Home Program 2

Posted April 15, 2020

Ancestors, Sky People
Freedom Zikr
Ra Ma Da Sa


     We begin with "Ancestors, Sky People", a dance that honors our ancestors, who endured various hardships in their own time. We recognize how many blessings we've enjoyed in our lives because of their efforts.
      Our second dance, a variation of the "Freedom Zikr" gives undivided attention to the Divine,(remembrance of God) which always brings a joyful feeling. It is important in the darkest of times to periodically turn our attention to that which is good and uplifting.
      We conclude with "Ra Ma Da Sa", a healing dance, inviting healing energy to flow through us to all others.


Dance At Home Program 1

Posted March 23, 2020

Paisley Zikr

   
 Our dear friend Kemal sent us a beautifully written card which included these words, "Ya Hafiz, Ya Hafiz, La illaha illa 'llah".
     His energy and devotion seemed to come through to us through these words and inspired us immediately with a melody and movements.
     While zikr can only be experienced in person, one can practice zikr at home with satisfying results.

To view in fullscreen mode please click YouTube icon and watch on YouTube.

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