September 30, 2009 – Our Town – OWU

Dancing for Peace
Exercise of cultural awareness

Image courtesy of Earthdance International

Earthdance included a series of simple dances led by “Atoon” Nina Massey. “Atoon” means “teacher of the inner divine,” and she takes her responsibility seriously. Certified leaders need training in at least six different religions as well as knowing a wide variety of dances. She became interested in Dances of Universal Peace when a leader came to her Alaskan town in the late 80s. Massey came once and returned at every opportunity. The songs she learned are simple, but powerful. “It’s a body prayer,” says Massey. “We’re breathing together because we’re singing together. People slough off doubt, fear, and insecurity. When a group of people praise together, it changes the atmosphere.”

Dances of Universal Peace events usually serve as a fundraiser for a local organization as well an exercise in cultural awareness. Family Promise, a very new service in Delaware County, benefited from this year’s Earthdance. Family Promise serves homeless families in Delaware County, offering them shelter and collaborating with other nonprofits to assist them in taking control of their situation. “It used to be that if there was a homeless family in Delaware, authorities would have to take them to Franklin County and tell them, ‘good luck,’ because there weren’t any operations like this,” says Irene Baird, executive director of Family Promise. The young organization is working to fill a variety of community needs. “The sad thing is that there is a three-year waiting list for low-income housing,” she adds. Family Promise works with local churches to provide places to stay for families with children. However, the group is in dire need of volunteers and interns. Earthdance offered them visibility in the community.

The program of the evening included songs and dances from several different cultures around the world, and participants learned phrases from several languages. There was a sweet and haunting Jewish melody, an African tune, and a dance of the Lakota people of North America as well as a traditional gospel song. Samuel L. Lewis, who studied spirituality all over the world in the 1960s, gathered a nucleus of traditional melodies and created simple dances to teach people. Dances for Universal Peace has since followed his example and upheld his approach to the promotion of peace. Although the dances are inspired by many different cultures and faiths, each is aimed at “helping people get in touch with divinity,” says Massey. This is the basis of the program and their celebration at OWU: breaking down barriers by recognizing that all religions of the world pray for the same things.

– Abby Dockter ’12