Shamsia prefers to be contacted by email sandrasunfire@gmail.com
- receive Zoom links
- details for in person Dances
- booking retreats and weekends
- mentoring and Dance leader's group
Special events in person
ruth st denis
Celebrating Samhain, Calan Gaeaf
Honouring our Ancestors
Friday 31st ~ Sunday 2nd
Derwenlas Community Hall, SY20 8TN
Samhain, Calan Gaeaf, the Celtic New Year, is the end of the harvest season and time to enter the darker part of the year. It is said that at this time the veils between the worlds are thin and traditionally we remember and honour our ancestors and connect with those that have gone before. We do this with love and respect.
Croeso i bawb ~ all are welcome whether you are new to the Dances of Universal Peace or returning for another drink from this particular well!
Join us for the whole weekend or some of it. This is a non-residential weekend mini-retreat, a chance to dive deeper, to benefit from the nourishing support of being together.
Please bring food to share: Feasting is also traditional! We'll share lunch and supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
Please bring cushions and shawls anything that helps you feel comfortable.
Friday 7.30 ~ 9.00pm, Saturday 10.30am ~ 8.30pm, Sunday 10.30 ~ 4.00pm
Cost: £65 for the whole weekend (concessions available)
ruth st denis
Dear friends,
We, Ruth Christine & Shamsia, are really delighted to be offering another time and space to gather to explore the inspiration that "pours forth" from the Grandmother of the Dances of Universal Peace, Miss Ruth (as her students called her). She taught Samuel Lewis "about how to pick dances from the akashic sphere", perhaps one could say, the heart of God, and he began to call Ruth St Denis his "fairy godmother."
"Artist, dancer, poet, mystic and a very human being", is how Kamae A Miller introduces us to Miss Ruth in "Wisdom Comes Dancing". Miss Ruth is a Grandmother to the Dances of Universal Peace. She was a teacher and friend to Samuel Lewis.
We will experientially explore and embody the legacy left us by this pioneering woman and through the inspiration of the Divine Dance, inclusive to all. We will perhaps allow our own creativity and beauty to be reborn anew. Come join the Divine Dance.
We will explore the embodiment of Divine Beauty & Divine Truth.
There will be
~Dances of Universal Peace & Walks
~body prayer and mudra
~Miss Ruth’s poetry and words
~the beautification of space, body and being
~stillness and movement, ribboned rhythm sticks
~heart sharing and more…
We, Ruth Christine & Shamsia, are really delighted to be offering another time and space to gather to explore the inspiration that "pours forth" from the Grandmother of the Dances of Universal Peace, Miss Ruth (as her students called her). She taught Samuel Lewis "about how to pick dances from the akashic sphere", perhaps one could say, the heart of God, and he began to call Ruth St Denis his "fairy godmother."
"Artist, dancer, poet, mystic and a very human being", is how Kamae A Miller introduces us to Miss Ruth in "Wisdom Comes Dancing". Miss Ruth is a Grandmother to the Dances of Universal Peace. She was a teacher and friend to Samuel Lewis.
We will experientially explore and embody the legacy left us by this pioneering woman and through the inspiration of the Divine Dance, inclusive to all. We will perhaps allow our own creativity and beauty to be reborn anew. Come join the Divine Dance.
We will explore the embodiment of Divine Beauty & Divine Truth.
There will be
~Dances of Universal Peace & Walks
~body prayer and mudra
~Miss Ruth’s poetry and words
~the beautification of space, body and being
~stillness and movement, ribboned rhythm sticks
~heart sharing and more…
ruth st denis
Croeso i bawb ~ all are welcome whether you are new to the Dances of Universal Peace or returning for another drink from this particular well!
Join us for the whole weekend or some of it. This is a non-residential weekend mini-retreat, a chance to dive deeper, to benefit from the nourishing support of being together. Please get in touch if you need help with accomodation or if you can offer accomodation.
Please bring food to share: We'll share lunch and supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
Please bring cushions and shawls anything that helps you feel comfortable. Please bring objects and fabrics of beauty to adorn the hall and also ourselves. We'll have a "dressing up" collection of clothes and objects to share throughout our time together.
Friday 7.30 ~ 9.00pm
Saturday 10.30am ~ 8.30pm
Sunday 10.30 ~ 4.00pm
Cost: £65 for the whole weekend (concessions available)
All love and blessings,
Shamsia & Ruth Christine
Join us for the whole weekend or some of it. This is a non-residential weekend mini-retreat, a chance to dive deeper, to benefit from the nourishing support of being together. Please get in touch if you need help with accomodation or if you can offer accomodation.
Please bring food to share: We'll share lunch and supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
Please bring cushions and shawls anything that helps you feel comfortable. Please bring objects and fabrics of beauty to adorn the hall and also ourselves. We'll have a "dressing up" collection of clothes and objects to share throughout our time together.
Friday 7.30 ~ 9.00pm
Saturday 10.30am ~ 8.30pm
Sunday 10.30 ~ 4.00pm
Cost: £65 for the whole weekend (concessions available)
All love and blessings,
Shamsia & Ruth Christine
...The House of Lovers...
Retreat in Wales in 2026, details are coming soon
In the house of lovers the music never stops,
the walls are made of songs, and the floor is divine ecstasy.
-Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (جلالالدین محمّد رومی)
the walls are made of songs, and the floor is divine ecstasy.
-Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (جلالالدین محمّد رومی)
This is where we meet, where we really meet. As Samuel Lewis who gave us the gift of the Dances of Universal Peace said,
"real meetings are mergings: they change the parties involved leaving them more fully themselves."
Yelena Swarana from Latvia, Silje Devi from Estonia & Shamsia meet "in the house of lovers" again and again, in Latvia and the UK. Together and alone, these 3 sisters are learning more of love and friendship on this Path of Heart. You may find the fragrance of the Baltics, of India, of Cymru mingling in love, beauty and harmony. There will be Dances of Universal Peace, Zikr, a practice of Remembrance, the Healing Service of Hazrat Inayat Khan, poetry, moments of stillness, of reflection, of breath...
Yelena Swarana encountered the Dances in 2006. Since then, she has been compelled to serve as an organizer for Dancing Heart camps and events, a role she has continued for the past 18 years. Her passion lies in traveling and sharing the Dances in various locations, including the Baltics, Poland, the UK, New Zealand, Turkey, Israel and Sri Lanka. In collaboration with Vasudeva from Russia, they initiated the first Indian annual camp, attracting both international leaders and local dancers.
For a decade, Yelena has spent several months in India, visiting the holy mountain Arunachala, which she considers her home. She serves on the board of directors of DUP International.
Our Beloved Friend Silje Devi has been leading Dances of Universal Peace since 1998. Besides Estonia, she has led DUP and Sufi events in Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and UK. She has been co-organizer of the Dance camps and Sufi retreats in Estonia over the last 27 years. Murshid Saadi is her inspiring Sufi guide, but she has learnt a lot from many other great teachers, including Murshid Saul Barodofsky from Dervish Healing Order. Silje likes to share the joy, peace, harmony and feeling of Unity through the Dances and Sufi practices and we especially all melt into wonderful zikrs.
"real meetings are mergings: they change the parties involved leaving them more fully themselves."
Yelena Swarana from Latvia, Silje Devi from Estonia & Shamsia meet "in the house of lovers" again and again, in Latvia and the UK. Together and alone, these 3 sisters are learning more of love and friendship on this Path of Heart. You may find the fragrance of the Baltics, of India, of Cymru mingling in love, beauty and harmony. There will be Dances of Universal Peace, Zikr, a practice of Remembrance, the Healing Service of Hazrat Inayat Khan, poetry, moments of stillness, of reflection, of breath...
Yelena Swarana encountered the Dances in 2006. Since then, she has been compelled to serve as an organizer for Dancing Heart camps and events, a role she has continued for the past 18 years. Her passion lies in traveling and sharing the Dances in various locations, including the Baltics, Poland, the UK, New Zealand, Turkey, Israel and Sri Lanka. In collaboration with Vasudeva from Russia, they initiated the first Indian annual camp, attracting both international leaders and local dancers.
For a decade, Yelena has spent several months in India, visiting the holy mountain Arunachala, which she considers her home. She serves on the board of directors of DUP International.
Our Beloved Friend Silje Devi has been leading Dances of Universal Peace since 1998. Besides Estonia, she has led DUP and Sufi events in Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and UK. She has been co-organizer of the Dance camps and Sufi retreats in Estonia over the last 27 years. Murshid Saadi is her inspiring Sufi guide, but she has learnt a lot from many other great teachers, including Murshid Saul Barodofsky from Dervish Healing Order. Silje likes to share the joy, peace, harmony and feeling of Unity through the Dances and Sufi practices and we especially all melt into wonderful zikrs.
Shamsia lives, Dances and Walks in Wales and has done for over 30 years. She follows the Path of the Heart, the Path of Love. Shamsia is a leader and mentor of Dances of Universal Peace. She loves the retreat process that draws on the rich tapestry of wisdom teachings and practices, the rhythms of nature
which empower us to be more of who we truly are. She both leads and attends retreats. Just like her 2 sisters, Shamsia is a conductor in the Dervish Healing Order and is dedicated to service on the healing path and the path of peace.
Croeso i bawb ~ all are welcome whether you are new to the Dances of Universal Peace or returning for another drink from this particular well!
Join us for the whole weekend or some of it. Stay on a bit longer in the beautiful Dyfi Valley, near sea and mountains. This is a non-residential weekend mini-retreat, a chance to dive deeper, to benefit from the nourishing support of being together. Please get in touch if you need help with accomodation or if you can offer accomodation.
Please bring food to share:
we'll share lunch and supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
Please bring cushions and shawls anything that helps you feel comfortable. Bring something you love.
Friday 7.00 ~ 8.30pm
Saturday 10.30am ~ 8.30pm
Sunday 10.30 ~ 4.00pm
Cost: £65 for the whole weekend
(concessions available)
All love and blessings,
Shamsia, Yelena Swarana and Silje Devi
which empower us to be more of who we truly are. She both leads and attends retreats. Just like her 2 sisters, Shamsia is a conductor in the Dervish Healing Order and is dedicated to service on the healing path and the path of peace.
Croeso i bawb ~ all are welcome whether you are new to the Dances of Universal Peace or returning for another drink from this particular well!
Join us for the whole weekend or some of it. Stay on a bit longer in the beautiful Dyfi Valley, near sea and mountains. This is a non-residential weekend mini-retreat, a chance to dive deeper, to benefit from the nourishing support of being together. Please get in touch if you need help with accomodation or if you can offer accomodation.
Please bring food to share:
we'll share lunch and supper on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
Please bring cushions and shawls anything that helps you feel comfortable. Bring something you love.
Friday 7.00 ~ 8.30pm
Saturday 10.30am ~ 8.30pm
Sunday 10.30 ~ 4.00pm
Cost: £65 for the whole weekend
(concessions available)
All love and blessings,
Shamsia, Yelena Swarana and Silje Devi