International Circle Dancing with Stefan and Bethan Freedman

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Dance, Song and Peace
by Stefan Freedman

     Modern industrial societies see dancing and singing as a sort of champagne, a superficial feelgood thing. Whereas almost all older cultures find in dance and song an expression of their vital essence: a superglue which binds all people of all ages as a community, a two-way radio with which human's attune to the voice of spirit, and to their own deepest wisdom. Everyone sings and dances regardless of natural ability.

     Those of us who care about the future are aching to discover ways to penetrate prejudices, to resolve conflicts, promote understanding and foster respect for diversity, but we're overlooking some very valuable answers hidden in our less visible societies. Their science is not machinery but emotional technology. Many indigenous peoples know the art of losing and regaining balance, know about conflict and how to restore harmony.

     For over 20 years, my passion has been to learn dances and songs that can support peace processes. In seeing the qualities that work most powerfully I've found myself also creating new participatory dances, travelling the world with my wife Bethan, leading groups together with participants from many origins and faiths. *note

     Sometimes the quality of a dance or song is playfulness and laughter. Or sometimes a serene, timeless journey that transmits wellbeing to those who take part, melting barriers of language and belief.

     So now you may be thinking; surely what's needed for peace is not all this nebulous niceness but hard talk ?

     Yet sadly, history shows us time and time again that it's only too easy for talking to be endless and fruitless because people are negotiating without building trust and understanding. How can you reach a lasting agreement with someone you don't understand and can't trust ?

     I'd like to share two examples of many times I've seen a rapid metamorphosis when dance and song have been consciously used to support bridge building.

     When Bethan and I first went to teach dance in Southern Belgium, Catherine Ronse, the teacher who invited and hosted us let us into her dream: For French and Flemish speaking Belgians to dance together harmoniously and in friendship. Historically the two cultures were at loggerheads, as still now we find a nation with two languages and a split capital with much animosity between the geographically and socially distinct peoples.

     Catherine had done her promotion well and we found ourselves with a sizeable group consisting of almost equal numbers of Flemish and French speakers. There was a distinct clinging together of the two "clans", each speaking their own first language, and the noticeable absence of laughter and easy interchange that we sometimes find when people gather to celebrate.

     In fact, the group seemed tense and sullen ! But later, looking around the circle mid-afternoon, we noticed people from both groups intermingling, talking animatedly and laughing together. It seemed we were all forgetting "ourselves" ; starting to feel an open-heartedness and dissolution of barriers. What happened ? As you reading this have may have experienced, warmth and human affinity tends to emerge, seemingly without effort, simply as a result of sharing something pleasurable together. But how come the old barriers didn't get in the way ?

     My experience is that a particular dance or song introduced at a particular moment can act as a very powerful catalyst to move through and beyond barriers and towards openness. It's vital to honour where people are starting from and not to anticipate a joy or ease that isn't yet there. Feelings of suffering and searching for solace - such as those that arise when groups experience war or loss - have a strong expression in certain dances, and this can evoke a sense of being seen and supported in a way that is validating.

     And then, for so many, some music is experienced as "opening" or spiritual, leaving a sense of alignment and contentment, an impulse of solidarity with all life. Movement and singing of this kind goes deeper than entertainment and can be regarded as therapeutic, transformative, perhaps even Shamanic. It seems that we have uncovered forgotten tools for bringing together people who are locked in animosity.

     What can aid this to happen ? I've noticed that a strong catalyst is not only in the sensitive choice of music and dance but also the ethos. A circle of people lends itself to equality, while sharing a common pulse affirms our "interbeing" **note.

     Furthermore the release of barriers can go much deeper if the circle is felt as a place of total safety. For this the group atmosphere needs to be inclusive and supportive, which begins with the leader(s). There is not only acceptance when someone loses the steps or notes ( we think of these as variations ) but a parallel permission for people to be "real", so if an individual feels sad, fragile or needing to be quiet they don't have to put on an act for anyone else.

     I was able to see the power of dance and song working "little wonders" in Israel last Autumn where I taught on Kibbutz Tzora near Jerusalem. Firstly I had two days to lead a group of 25 Israelis who were new to my approach. Bearing in mind the very hardworking, stressful and driven nature of Israeli society and the fast relentless quality of recent Israel dances I was wondering how people would feel about finding not only excitement but relaxation and stillness in our activities. Would they be embarrassed by this or perhaps find the slow dances boring ?

     One of the participants was an Arab woman, Rohana, tall and dignified wearing a headscarf but no veil. She in particular - understandably - looked very self contained. We began with a dance where hands were unjoined but later I noticed her hesitate looking stiff and apprehensive when we came to hold hands. We embarked on a series of dances touching on different human qualities such as strength and boundaries ( assertive posture, stamping ) and sensitivity ( fluid movement, accommodation ). The group gradually got swept into the atmosphere and seemed also to be finding meaning in the silences at the end of each dance. I was building up to a home-crafted dance I call Magic Doors.

     Each approaches a partner, taking alternate hands in a ceremonial way, bows and moves on. I invite the group to let go of any preconception they may have about the person they are about to approach and to discover their uniqueness. By some mysterious alchemy I find that the exquisite oriental music helps me to "see" the person I touch as a miracle, like holding a newborn child - my mind is soothed so it forgets to jump in with everyday conditions or judgements. Would they feel it too ? At the end of the dance there was a rather long silence. Then Rohana spoke:

     "This is the first time in my life I have been with a group of Israeli Jewish people and have been able to look unflinchingly into each person's eyes and understand we are the same. I am surprised to find myself liking and respecting you, and feeling that respect coming from you towards me."

     The next day the visiting group were going to arrive. Many were coming from the U.K. including Heike, originally from Germany, and also participants from Belgium, Spain and Austria. We encompassed several faiths and a diverse patchwork of strong views about causes and solutions to the Palestine / Israel dilemma.

     Those who choose to live on a kibbutz are frugal, and their workdays are long and hard, while the future of the whole movement is uncertain, leaving the older members with concerns about where and how they're to spend their old age. We may expect a holiday or more every year whereas they can save enough for a trip abroad perhaps once a decade. Understandably in this climate the persona of some of the long term kibbutz "inmates" can be gruff . Refreshing but sometimes a touch bitter or barbed.

     A buzz went around that our evening sessions were open throughout the week, so people of all ages ( including teens ) started to turn up out of curiosity. Many came from the kibbutz, while a number of people arrived from Jerusalem and further away. And some kept coming back.

     We put seats all around and many - including watchers - made comments like "There's something unusual going on here, isn't there". Hard looking expressions softened and later broke into smiles or in more than one case, tears. A gentle, sensitive energy which allowed people to feel unguarded around one another was very palpable to kibbutz people and some were strongly drawn to it, apparently surprised and deeply moved.

     The epitome of this was Anat, the energetic manager of the guest house where our group stayed. ***note She began like a squat, sadistic scout leader! Though tired after a long day's journey with flight delays our group were barked at as if we were stupid, disobedient children. House rules and times were strict and there were no questions allowed. Breakfast is served at 8 a.m PROMPT!

     On the first bleary-eyed morning, dulcet breakfast conversations were interrupted by an explosive squawking, and I was just getting ready to dive under a table when I realised it was Anat holding a tray and screaming "Eggs, eggs, EGGGZZ !!! Hurry up. If you won't eat them now they're not going to stay hot!" Yet Anat was one of those who came to check out the singing and dancing. She seemed mesmerised, then slowly her appearance transfigured - suddenly beautiful and dignified. When she stepped into the circle of dancers her eyes brightened, then glazed over with a kind of wistful yearning look -and from that time on treated the group with a new kind of respect and perhaps even awe.

     I later learned that both of Anat's parents had been concentration camp survivors and suddenly got it. That's why she has such a prickly veneer of "toughness" protecting her softness. It seems that the accepting, embracing, qualities I sometimes take for granted in the circles we dance or sing in, are like water to parched lips for many people. They yearn to unveil their open hearts if they can only feel safe.

* A great ongoing source of inspiration and learning for me is the worldwide Sacred /Circle Dance network

** "Interbeing" A term which suggests interdependence not only socially but at the very core of self. Coined by Buddhist peace facilitator, Thich Nhat Hanh

*** "Anat". I've changed her name

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Copyright Stefan Freedman ©2007