Is world peace appealing? Want to do something about it? Now there is an opportunity. The best part? All that's required is to get up and dance. No protesting, no marching, no sit-ins: simply dancing.

On April 11 in Salem’s Grand Ballroom, 250 people dance for world peace at this year’s Give Peace a Dance (GPAD). Oregon PeaceWorks, a non-profit organization with a mission to educate and activate people to work for peace, justice and environmental sustainability, sponsors the dance.

Originally, GPAD was a 30-hour dance marathon.

“There was a lot of that sort of thing [marathons] going on,”said Peter Bergel, Peaceworks executive director.

The “marathon” involved competing teams keeping at least one member on the floor at all times while teammates slept around the edges of the dance floor. Successful both as a social event and a fundraiser, some of the money raised at the first dance-a-thon purchased CALS’ first computer and allowed the organization to move from a tiny office at 17th and Chemeketa streets (also known as the Little Gem grocery, which was later moved to the Gilbert House complex at Riverfront Park) into the building downtown where PeaceWorks is still housed today.

These days, GPAD is a more traditional benefit, the money raised through admissions and associated auctions goes to further the work of PeaceWorks.

“Right now, we are working hard on the Guard Home Campaign,” Bergel said.

The Guard Home Campaign is an effort started in May 2008 to keep the Oregon National Guard from being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a federal mobilization in summer 2009.

Honoring tradition, this year’s GPAD will feature a variety of bands, Dr. Atomic’s Medicine Show, food, and both oral and silent auctions. Still, GPAD has definitely changed since the first participants put on their dancing shoes to tirelessly boogie for peace.

“It has always been a community-oriented kind of event, bringing the peace community and progressive community together around something fun to do," Bergel said. "It’s something people want to do (advocate peace) instead of something they think they ought to do. At some point we need to get together as a community and have fun.”

To purchase your tickets before the event, visit OPW’s website at www.oregonpeaceworks.org or call the OPW office (503) 585-2767.