Second Life has a major festival, EarthDance, a global day of peace and environmentalism celebrated at 200 sites worldwide and globally in SL. In Second Life (SL) EarthDance is an important annual festival day, in it's 3rd year, because many of the movers and shakers in SL activism got their start at this event. One of the EarthDance SL founders, Carolhyn Wijaya explains, "I think there really is a lot of power in people coming together with strong intent. To take a day, and especially those few minutes of the prayer, and join our energies around the world...is really extraordinarily powerful."

The peak experience at EarthDance is a synchronized global prayer, celebrated at all 200 real world (RL) sites and simultaneously in Second Life. Information on the RL EarthDance is at: http://www.earthdance.org/

EarthDance took place 1 day after Earth Overshoot Day this year, a related event. From January 1st through Friday, September 25, 2009, the Earth and humankind consumed more than the entire year's worth of renewable resources, including agriculture, water, plants, and animals. Every year Earth OverShoot Day is earlier and earlier; we are now depleting about 140% of the Earth's renewables every year. More on Earth Overshoot Day:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/earth_overshoot_day/

At this year's EarthDance we were entertained by awesome talent, live music by Cypress Rosewood (Picture 1) was accompanied by a special show dance (Picture 3), including dancers Lisa Ra (Picture 4), Yman Juran (Picture 5), and ClaudiaMarja Magic (Picture 6). Their dance troupe,  the ChangHigh Trinity Sister, performed with Cypress running round on stage balanced on a Earth globe, very entertaining.

A terrific DJ entertainer, Miles Eleventhaur {Picture 2), rocked our world with a great mix at EarthDance. Miles explains: "It was certainly an honor to participate at this years Earthdance. There are so many notable & talented DJ's and Musician's in SecondLife, Carolyn could have asked any one of them to provide their skills for the event and she wouldn't have any problem. So, I don't take it lightly that I was asked. When it comes to important causes, I've seen SL come through big time with support. I teach music in RL so orphans struggling to get an education hits home for me. It's something we easily take for granted here, and I let the kids I teach know, If they don't take advantage of the opportunities we take for granted, like a good education... There's some one on the other side of the world who'll be happy to take their place."

This year, EarthDance was dedicated to an important social benefit organization, Tariro (Picture 10). EarthDance SL founder Mico Singh tells us about Tariro in Zimbabwe, Africa, "Located in the high-density, low-income neighborhood of Glen Norah, Tariro provides a comprehensive range of services for orphaned girls, enabling them to complete a secondary school education. We currently sponsor over 50 orphaned girls, paying each student’s school fees, purchasing uniforms and supplies, and making textbooks available through our textbook lending library. Tariro also offers extra-curricular activities including academic tutoring, workshops in music, poetry, and art, and 'Building Girls, Building Dreams,' an annual conference focused around empowering young women to achieve their full potential." More information on Tariro is at: http://tariro.org/

Second Life is an amazing platform for bringing  the world together. People at SL EarthDance come from all corners of the globe, as they shouted out in SL public chat: Carolhyn Wijaya (Picture 7): Colorado USA; Belethil Ishtari: Gent Belgium; Kavi Harcourt: California USA; Medora Chevalier: London UK; Farout Skytower: Califoria USA; Gelgisith Kivioq: Utrecht, Netherlands; Skyspinner Soulstar: North Carolina USA; Nurana Karu: Florida, USA; Castro DeSantis: UK; Lisa Ra (Picture 4): Arrábida, Portugal; Badnoble Vita: Vancouver, Canada; Una Milena: British Columbia, Canada; Mico Singh: Denver USA; Starheart Erdhein: Kaua'i Hawaii; Chantalle Dollinger: Germany;Littledove Erin (Picture 9): West Virginia ,USA; Cypress Rosewood: Nashville, Tennessee; FoxyChris Blackheart: Austria; Charity Qinan: NYC, USA; Anja Tigerfish: Berlin, Germany; and Fan Madrigal: Paris, France.

The EarthDance revelers had many thoughts to share with CNN iReports...

Castro DeSantis enjoys EarthDance SL, she says, "I have been to the events for the last three years. It's a great way of coming together as an international community.  And some acts great on! Always such a good vibe at this event! And hopefully we managed to raise a few dollars for a very worthy cause."

Luci Yokosuka said about EarthDance, "I come from Japan, and in Japan it is early morning... I am always learning how music contributes in the Second Life, because I'm a musician in First Life also."

Delphina Audina shared about SL and EarthDance, "Well  its  a great  3D environment - See how they had set it out, all near the water -  which is inspiring  and  soothing, and  International  Peace Day is also this  week... How better to connect world wide than  in  SL  with nations from all over the world... sharing  thoughts about  peace  -  dance  to the music  and  listen to some  outstanding live SL musican... plus it's parallel to the RL  EarthDance  so  it;'s even more connecting  - via mixed reality."

EarthDance entertainer and show dancer, Lisa Ra (Picture 4) said "We do need to give peace a chance... and we do, I'm sure we all here do... we just need to bring more people to it...and all is with value for that, so that Earth can dance..."

When asked why she comes to EarthDance, LaBelle Rossini responded, "Communication...  Being here as a human being... That's why!"

Siddhartha Fonda explains why EarthDance is for all people, "Other people should come out mainly to take part in the global peace prayer at 4PM SL time, to be a part of something on a global scale :)  i took part last year and if one opens themselves up to the experience they really can feel the connection!"

EarthDance technical guru Sean Cinquetti was busy posting SL EarthDance pictures on the Internet during the show including on FaceBook and on the EarthDance.org open social site. Sean appears on the left side of Picture 8, which also shows EarthDancers Edwound Wisant (center) and  Bailarin Franciosa (right). He explains that, "We also have live video now from Mal Burns of London" an RL EarthDance event which was streamed live into Second Life. More of Sean's EarthDance postings at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Earthdance-Mystical-Mastery-Island/73164378250

In Picture 9, Littledove Erin shared some wonderful thoughts, "When we dance we dance for hope, we dance our prayers, we dance for peace... our prayer go up to the Father when we dance... song and dance is a universal way to unite all tribes and nations in peace and love!"

Choreographer and Dancer, Yman Juran (Picture 5), shares a powerful vision for Peace on Earth:"Peace will not come to Earth until every so-called sovereign nation surrenders its power to make war into the hands of a representative government of all mankind. Political sovereignty is innate with the peoples of the world. When all the peoples of Earth create a world government, they have the right and the power to make such a government SOVEREIGN; and when such a representative or democratic world power controls the world's land, air, and naval forces, Peace on Earth and Good Will among men can prevail... "

The following prayer was recited world round at exactly 4pm SL time. In SL, we heard the prayer recited on a live stream from RL EarthDance.

The Prayer for Peace

We are one global family
All colors, all races
One world united.
We dance for peace and the
Healing of our planet earth,
Peace for all nations.
Peace for our communities.
And peace within ourselves.

As we join together
Across the world,
Let us connect heart to heart.
Through our diversity
We recognize Unity.
Through our compassion
We recognize Peace.
Our love is the power
to transform our world.
Let us send it out
NOW...

Special Thanks to EdDereDdE Laval and  Artemisia Mathy who shared their research of EarthDance related Internet resources which were used to prepare this story.

-- Any Gynoid reporting for CNN iReports. Please contact me in-world at any1 Gynoid or email to any1gynoid (at) gmail.com