During the closing ceremony of ICUUW’s 4th convocation 2024 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, we endorsed a Peace Declaration and committed ourselves to personal and institutional actions towards peace. Sally is a Universalist Sufi minister and Dances of Universal Peace leader. She explains how Dances of Universal Peace contribute to peacebuilding.
There is something almost impossible to explain about the Dances of Universal Peace until you have experienced them. They are not performances, and there is no audience. We stand in a circle, move together, sing sacred phrases from different spiritual traditions, and allow the music and movement to connect us. The simplicity is part of the magic.
I have been bringing this experience to people around the world for many years. Wherever I lead the dances, people who may speak different languages, come from different cultures, or follow different religious traditions discover that they can create something beautiful together. It’s not about teaching people to dance perfectly; it is about creating a space in which people feel welcomed, safe, curious, and connected.
So, what is the magic?
Perhaps it is the moment when the individual disappears, just a little, into the circle. We listen to one another. We breathe together. We sing the same words and take the same steps. We become one. There is no competition and no hierarchy. For a few minutes, we are simply human beings sharing a common experience. The dance reminds us that connection does not require sameness.
Why do it? Because our world desperately needs experiences that bring people together rather than divide them. We live in a time when religious, cultural, political, and national differences can easily become barriers. The Dances of Universal Peace offer another possibility: we can honor differences while discovering what we share. Singing Shalom, Salaam, Peace together creates a connection. We enter into the present. Through song, movement, and presence, the dances make peace something we experience in our bodies, not merely something we talk about. That moving in a circle with other human beings—meeting their gaze, blending our voices with theirs—is one of the most ancient and essential acts we can perform.
This is also where the dances connect beautifully with Unitarian Universalism. UU communities affirm the worth and dignity of every person and draw wisdom from many religious and spiritual traditions. We do not have to surrender our own beliefs in order to appreciate the spiritual wisdom of others. Instead, we can listen, learn, and find common ground.
The Dances of Universal Peace embody that spirit. They invite us to move beyond tolerance toward genuine encounter. They create a living experience of interfaith understanding, where Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, and other traditions can be honored without requiring us to choose one over another.
Perhaps that is the greatest gift: wherever we dance together, we are reminded that peace begins not somewhere far away, but right here—in the circle, between us, and within us.
Curious?
Come to Taupo and join us in a dance. Here’s a video giving you a taste:
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