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The Dances |
Our
Beginnings |
Bequests |
Documents |
Grants & Programs |
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May 2011 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the
Dances of Universal Peace,
Oneness Project is alive and
well. We remain committed in our purpose to support the
Dances
of Universal Peace worldwide through the prudent use of
our remaining financial resources,
developing a strong volunteer base and fundraising.
We continue to put on the
fabulous Wilderness Dance Camp in Montana in July and
our two Lava Retreats in Idaho. We created a Small
Grants Program to support dance leaders, events and
communities world wide. In 2011 we increased our
allocation to this program. Our focus on ensuring the
continuance of the Dances in perpetuity includes
financially supporting the next generations to attend
events to meet other lovers of DUP. In both 2010 and
2011 OP has awarded a grant to the Dances of Universal
Peace International to support the work they are doing.
We invite you to attend our
events, apply for a grant or better yet, join us as a
volunteer to carry on the wonderful work the Oneness
Project has been doing in support of the Dances of
Universal Peace. Don’t hesitate to contact the Executive
Director or one of the other Board members to discuss
opportunities to share your passion and skills.
If you or your dance
circle are interested and able to contribute to Oneness
Project visit
here
or send your check to P.O. Box 813, Langley, WA 98260.
Thank you for your support and interest!
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Our Beginnings
Oneness Project (OP) emerged as a creative force
and resource for the Dances of Universal Peace
from this growing worldwide family who have
found depth in community and transformative
spirituality through the Dances of Universal
Peace. OP began in 1991 as an informal network
of dancers organizing Dances of Universal Peace
events and assisting new Dance circles in the
western United States. As interest and
inspiration grew, OP began to present regional
DUP Camps and Retreats. OP Founder, Narayan Eric
Waldman, established the first
week-long Wilderness Dance Camp in 1993 at
Mimanagish,
and following Wilderness Camps were organized
with the assistance of Nuria Ginger Lee and
Darvesha MacDonald. OP also
began semi-annual retreats first at locations
just outside Bozeman, Montana, then in the small
resort town of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho that
attracted up to 110 dancers on the first weekend
in December and Easter weekend. For more information about Oneness
Project's events today, see Events above.
  Oneness Project became a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation in 1996 with
the original purpose being to establish a
retreat center for the Dances somewhere in the
western U.S. In
1996 a Board Of Directors was formed to guide the
development of Oneness and steward its
resources. A land search committee explored a
variety of possible retreat center properties throughout the west.
Meanwhile, during the mid and late 1990's
through the generosity of
numerous donors, Oneness Project began accumulating cash reserves
toward the purchase of land. Investors in
Dancing $ LLC, an
investment partnership created by Narayan Eric
Waldman, each year donate a portion of their investment earnings to
Oneness Project.
By 2000, numerous attempts to locate suitable
land for a retreat center had not born fruit. In
a planning retreat, the Oneness trustees began
exploring other ways to support the Dances.
Oneness Project's sights went higher and deeper
and led to the creation of new programs. |
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Oneness Project Spreads
Its Wings
Between 2000 and 2009 Oneness Project
awarded nearly $1 million in grants and
donations to further the work of the
Dances of Universal Peace around the world. (See
details above in Grant and Tithe History.)
Our Project Grants
program provided funds for projects which furthered
our goals to continue, deepen and spread the
Dances worldwide. Our Dance Leader Training
(DLT) program offered grants to qualified
individuals to support tuition, travel and lodging
to attend trainings in Dance leadership. In
addition, Oneness tithed 10% of its annual
endowment revenues to support the emerging Dance
network through grants to PeaceWorks
International Network for the Dances of
Universal Peace, the Sufi Ruhaniat
International, and related organizations. This
support amounted to over
$100,000 since 2000.
 Oneness offered support to smaller DUP projects
through MicroGrants, Dance Libraries
with donations of a library of Dance Instruction
Booklets to new Dance communities, and
the Braveheart Fund to support
people with medical disabilities and their
caregivers to participate in the Dances.
Oneness also records and produces compact
disks of Dances of Universal Peace music
recorded live at OP retreats. You can view these
CDs for sale at
Music above.
Oneness Project increasingly became a
partner with the International Network for the
Dances of Universal Peace and and the Mentor
Teachers Guild Guidance Council by providing
funds and leadership to explore ways to
integrate the work of the various formal bodies
which support the Dances. |
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Braveheart Grants
Oneness Project established the Braveheart
Scholarship Fund in memory of Tom Boyington, a
devoted peace dancer who participated widely in
Oneness Project camps and activities in the 1990’s.
The fund has now expanded to honor other dancers
that have passed on.
The Fund’s mission is to offer grant money as heart
gifts to persons with medical disabilities, to their
caregivers and to the recently bereaved to attend
Dances of Universal Peace events. Grant
awards are based on the need of the applicant, the
applicant’s depth of association with the Dances
of Universal Peace, and the likelihood of the
project to fulfill the purpose of the Braveheart
Fund. We will have Braveheart funds available again
in the future.
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Bequests
We occasionally receive inquiries about how to
leave a bequest to Oneness Project. It's easy,
if you include the proper language in your will,
to ensure that your estate will become part of
our endowment to support the Dances of Universal
Peace. For more information, click
here. |
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The Dances of
Universal Peace
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.jpg) The
Dances of Universal Peace
could be called "spiritual practice in motion." These group
Dances, simple and profound, are set to sacred texts and mantras
of the world’s spiritual traditions. A Dance
leader teaches participants a song and
movements, often with live guitar and drum
accompaniment. Movements are inspired from the
sacred texts and embody the essence of the
spiritual message and our relationship to Life.
Soon the circle is singing and moving together,
deepening into the sacred phrase with each
repetition. For many, the Dances become a joyous
way to share heartfelt connection with others.
Deepening in the sacred phrase and the flow of
the movements, dancers often experience an
essential unity and encounter with Life that is
difficult to describe in words. In this
atmosphere of openness, acceptance and trust the
Dances can become a doorway to discover our true
home in Wholeness and the eternal present.
The Dances of Universal Peace are the
crowning life achievement of Sufi visionary,
mystic and teacher Samuel L. Lewis. "Murshid
Sam" a disciple of the great Indian Sufi teacher
Hazrat Inayat Khan, was also a recognized Zen
roshi and a student of Jewish and Christian
mysticism. In the San Francisco Bay
area at the height of the Haight-Ashbury era,
Murshid Sam became the spiritual mentor of many
young people.
Continued |
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