‘One World, One People, One Heart’

As if to prove that a “family-oriented rave” is not an oxymoron, a gathering Saturday of 1,500 ravers, deejays and like-minded souls arrived at Hansen Dam for heavy bass beats and a little family time, all in the name of world peace.

Despite escalating sirens of trance music, the picnic blankets holding napping babies were a sure sign that the fifth-annual Earthdance: A Global Gathering for World Peace wasn’t a standard party-till-you-drop electronic dance scene. Earthdance Los Angeles was one of more than 100 simultaneous parties in 45 countries designed to raise awareness and funds for world peace.

Amid the dancing, the crowd was fed a banquet of sacred words and practices presented by an eclectic lineup of spiritual guides. A Tibetan monk gave a talk and led chants, Chumash members bestowed a blessing, a turbaned yoga teacher provided guided visualization and Aztec dancers performed tribal ceremonies. Most in attendance sampled each offering, dutifully chanting, praying to the four directions and searching for their third eye.

How does all this affect world peace? “[Earthdance] lends a platform to organizations dedicated to positively affecting the world we live in,” said deejay Freddy Be, who coordinated the L.A. event. “With insight comes awareness, and with awareness the responsibility to act, to work peacefully and mindfully to change things for the better.”

An estimated 100,000 people attended the global events. Individual promoters will donate proceeds to select charities, which in L.A. include the Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund, a New York firefighters fund and an orphanage in Tibet.

The global parties were linked by a synchronized “prayer for peace” at midnight Greenwich Mean Time. For Los Angeles, this meant a 4 p.m. climax, about as far as you can get from the techno-beat crowd’s usual witching hour. As the moment approached, dancers were beckoned to sit quietly around a sand mandala in front of the stage. On cue, the “Prayer for Peace” track poured from enormous speaker stacks. Tibetan chanting cut through the silence. From this, a dance beat emerged and the prayer was read.

“We are the rainbow tribe ...” it began. At that moment, Los Angeles joined parties from Auckland to Zagreb in imagining “one world, one people, one heart.” The ambient track finished with an up-tempo crescendo, bringing everyone to their feet, hands raised, hooting at the sky, ready to party. But not everyone sat enthralled by the buildup: When you’re used to dancing to 140 beats per minute, it can be hard to sit still. One young woman in blue fur leg warmers and Day-Glo dreadlocks began videotaping herself chewing gum. Others napped in the near-perfect weather. Adam Latham, a visual and video artist from England, sat out, waiting for the music to start up again. “It’s not my cup of tea,” he said of the chanting and prayers. “I was disappointed. They said there would be a lama and I was expecting a furry South American animal that sweaters are made from.”

The alpaca error aside, Latham says Earthdance is one of his favorite parties of the year. “Nice people, great location, great music. It’s a chance to see people you haven’t seen in a long time and a good alternative for city dwellers,” he said. James Lumb, whose electronic “symphony” Electric Skychurch was one of seven groups and deejays who donated their time to the Earthdance cause, noted a difference in the tone of this year’s gathering. Current events have brought the community together, he said. “People at shows really want to interact with other people. They want to feel safe.” While enjoying the music and company of like-minded souls, he said people come to share information. Chris Dekkar, founder of Earthdance, called it “consciousness through clubbing.”

“Each year, more and more new faces get introduced to this tribal experience, which represents a consciousness and spirit that exists within the electronic dance community,” agreed Freddy Be.

Even His Holiness the Dalai Lama is hip to the groove. “Peace through music, peace through dance ... I think this is a very appropriate method and message; I want to express my genuine appreciation,” he said in a letter endorsing Earthdance. As the party wound down a half a world away in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the sun in L.A. was just easing over the dam and Electric Skychurch was whipping up a sea of ecstatic dancers. It was a dance floor of global proportions.