 
| He was deeply influenced in this work by his spiritual contact with the Sufi mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan, who first brought a message of universal Sufism to the West, and Ruth St Denis, the American contemporary dance pioneer, poet and mystic.
From the spiritual teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, that the truth at the heart of all religions is the same truth, Samuel Lewis envisioned a dance form which would embody this ideal and allow people their own experience of it. He saw the Dances as a dynamic method to promote "peace through the arts".
From around 50 original dances created by Samuel Lewis, the collection has grown to more than 500, which is gradually spreading around the world, through an international network of trained Dance leaders.
They continue to be, as Samuel Lewis envisioned them, a way to make life-energy and the peace which passes understanding a reality for all who come in contact with them. There is extensive training in Dance leadership through the Mentor Teachers Guild. Under this scheme all teachers abide by ethical guidelines.
A centre for the Dances of Universal Peace was organised in 1983 to further the work begun by Samuel Lewis and to help make the Dances available to all people. Now called the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, it has a growing membership in 22 different countries. In this country The UK Network for the Dances of Universal Peace was established in 1990, and is affiliated to the International Network. |
