The Beyond Initiative is an endeavor to bring together two of Murshid SAM’s visions:

• spreading peace, and
• spreading it in a sustainable world.

The initiative is being done in partnership with the Global Ecovillage Network, so it is

touching youth who are dedicated to global sustainability.  It focuses on regions

that are under-privileged in countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific,

taking the dances to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity

to experience them, and to places where peace is especially needed right now. It is being focused

by our younger generation of mentors and is naturally attracting youth of a similar age.

We have a dedicated, long-term commitment to the training of the new leaders in these regions.  As a result of

the first year of the Initiative, there are now permanent dance circles in Turkey, Israel, and Iran! We are making

a 3 year commitment to the continual training of these new dance leaders. In the meantime, we are beginning

to work with leaders in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

The initial funds for this project came to DUP IN as an endowment (see below), and this seems to be a

most beautiful way to honor this bequest! But now the project has a life of its own, and is growing in many directions.

The young Mentors who are traveling to these non-Western cultures are taking with them caravans of

DUP dancers of all ages who want to be part of the adventure! Last year 50 dancers from 16 countries

traveled to Turkey, Israel and Palestine. Our message of Universality and Embodied Spirituality

was embraced and welcomed.

The model for seeding the dances is not to focus on established Western dance leaders continuously traveling

to that country, but to cultivate local dance leaders who can carry on the tradition themselves. 

This means

• we are creating events (camps, dance leader trainings) in new countries
• we are bringing emergent dance leaders to Sufi and dance events in Western countries

• we are fostering links between emergent dance leaders in these new territories with dance communities in Western countries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1kfH5gwP_E&feature=youtu.be is

a video dated January 2019 which explains more about the Beyond initiative.

How You Can Participate

There are several ways you can be part of the Initiative:

• Sponsor an emerging leader

  You can make your donation here:
  

  

 

• Join a caravan (see below)

For any queries about the Caravan contact Juan Nuraddin at dupmiddleeast@gmail.com.

• Sponsor a participant to come to your event

You or your dance circle or region can sponsor one of these foreign leaders to come to your event.

• Develop a ‘pen pal’

Make contact with one of these foreign leaders or a dancer on one of the caravans.

• Consider a legacy

You may want to follow in Rosina’s footsteps and to DUP International.

You can find details here.                                                                                                                                  

For queries about the project and for donations please contact

Aziz Dixon: director@dancesofuniversalpeace.org.

The Caravans

The caravans visit new areas for at least three consecutive years in order to ensure that what is planted continues to grow.  

The 2019 Caravan will include dance leader training in Turkey, as well as events in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. It will involve international dance mentors from many countries. It continues from the 2018 caravan which included 20 dance events in Turkey, Palestine and Israel with 50 experienced dancers from 16 countries. 

MIDDLE EAST DANCE CARAVAN 2018.

MIDDLE EAST DANCE CARAVAN 2019

Caravan 3, 2020
As at mid April 2020, plans for caravan 3 are paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We will update this page as the situation develops.

 Thank you to those who have so far supported the Beyond initiative:

1. Initial donations from Hal Hilal Brill and Amira Judy Jones fostered the money for a ticket

to Brazil in 2017 to begin the dialogue with our partner, the Global Ecovillage Network (see below).

The major impetus for this project came when we received a generous bequest from

Rosina Horeth.         

This bequest enabled the DUP IN Board to commission a full-scale pilot project.

 2. Arjun Calero

is a Senior Dance Mentor,  Sufi teacher and Director of the

Atlantida Ecovillage in Colombia.

He is a Board member of Dances of Universal Peace International,

and is also the DUP IN contact with Global Ecovillage Network.

3. Collaboration with Global Ecovillage Network:

Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) operates worldwide through 5 regions: North America,

Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia/Oceania. Its mission is to innovate, catalyze,

educate and advocate in global partnership with ecovillages and all those dedicated to

the shift to a regenerative world. GEN and DUP IN are working to develop areas

of mutual interest.

4. A three year grant from Oneness Project:

https://onenessproject.com

5. Various sponsorships from camps and trainings worldwide.