IN THIS ISSUE
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From Myra
Seeds of Euphoria
Testimonials
GoodSearch
Invaders of the Heart
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| Upcoming Events |
Body Inc.
Monday
January 7
$5 suggested donation
7pm
Fusion
Friday
January 4 & 18
No cover charge
7pm
call 955.0400 for
reservations
Student Salon
Sunday
February 9
$5 suggested donation
Railyard Performance
Center
7pm
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OUR SPONSORS
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SEEDs Board of Directors:
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Joel Brink
President
Catherine Clemens Vice President
Marisa del Rio
Secretary
Jason Voss
Treasurer
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SEEDs
Fundraising Guild
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Jodi Balsamo
Oakley Blasdel
Bill Peterson
Jennifer Ferraro
Jeff Nelson
Trish Padilla
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Invaders of the Heart
Dates & Times:
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Shows:
Friday & Saturday
April 25 & 26 - 8pm
James A. Little Theater
Santa Fe, NM
$25
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2007 has been a year of change, growth and recognition. My assistant of seven years, Lita Ovalle, gracefully eased out of the studio this year. It was time for her to spread her wings and leave Santa Fe for new adventures. I am so grateful to her for all her many gifts to this organization through her dedication and artistry. We all miss and love her dearly and wish her all the best! This transition for the studio has gone more smoothly than I could have imagined. I have been blessed with Christine Siegrist and Majdah al-Quhtani, both fantastic at their positions! These powerhouses have brought a whole new level of organization and artistry that is allowing the studio to grow even further. We worked very hard this year on a new website, www.mosaicdance.net. I hope you'll visit it! We took SEEDS national with a teacher certification and manual and the first programs have been started.
This was also the year of awards. I was saluted by the national magazine the Santa Fean as one of seven people in Santa Fe "who make a difference." We received the 2007 Business of Excellence Award from the Chamber of Commerce, and a very prestigious award from the International Belly Dance Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada for my contributions in the field of Middle Eastern Arts.
As we begin 2008 I am so excited about our preparations for Invaders of the Heart, our annual large-scale stage production at the James A. Little Theatre. There is nothing I love more than creating a dance experience. From the costuming to the choreography and rehearsals, it is my great love. We hope that you will show us your love and support again this year by attending this magnificent extravaganza. In addition to our three dance companies onstage, we will be joined by four fantastic artists: Aziza (Egyptian) of Canada, Carolena Nericcio and Megha Gavin (Tribal) of San Francisco, CA and Arul Ramiah (Classical Indian) of Singapore. Workshops by these extraordinary world-class instructors will take place throughout the weekend. Please come join us! And remember, our shows and workshops always sell out so sign up and get tickets early!
SEEDs is in full swing and I'm delighted to report that Christine Siegrist is doing a magnificent job leading this year's group. I recently met with all the girls regarding their goals. They expressed how much they love the program and it is truly exciting to see how much they are coming into their own. I also want to thank all the fabulous guest speakers and mentors who donate their time to help these girls gain greater knowledge of themselves and the world around them.
I want to express a very heartfelt thank you to the out-going President of our Board of Directors, Gene Shapiro. Gene has served as President since the Board's inception and has done a fantastic job. Gene is originally from New Orleans and has decided that her family and her community there need her to return. We wish her and her husband, Bill all the best! We are so excited to welcome Joel Brink as our new President. Joel is a retired professor of art history who taught in Italy and British Colombia. We are so excited to have him as the leader of our team!
Thank you for all your support this year and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!
Love from all of us at Pomegranate Studios!!
Myra Krien, Director
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SEEDs of Euphoria is underway!
Sofia Onstead begins our first sister program in Portland Oregon |
Planting SEEDs in Portland
Hello from Portland! The first year of my SEEDs program is underway! It has been quite a challenge, but a very rewarding and deserving one. I attended the SEEDs Teacher Training Workshop at Pomegranate Studios in June, which was a very empowering and inspiring event in itself. It taught me how to direct this program, and also helped me to see my personal evolution since I finished the program in 2004. Not only did I understand the extent of the tools and techniques which make this program beautiful, but I also realized how extremely effective they were in my own life. Now that my program is up and running I wanted to share my experience as well as some tips for starting your own SEEDs program so that you may learn from my trials and errors.
Firstly, start early! Finding girls for the program was my greatest challenge. The brochure took much longer than expected, and it's hard to advertise without material to distribute. If possible start before school ends, because locating teen girls in the summer can be challenging. My plan of action was to go to festivals, recreation centers, malls and other places I thought teens might hang out, and try to talk to as many girls as possible. Never underestimate the power of being real and personal. Actually connecting and telling one girl about the program was much more effective than passing out 100 brochures. Do as many performances possible! I was able to do a few performances in schools, which proved to be extremely helpful. There are so many misconceptions about what belly dance is, that girls really need to see it to understand it and to fall in love with it! Once those girls see the movements, fringe, coins and glitter and hear the exotic music they are hooked! Leaving stacks of materials in schools didn't bring me any girls, so I wouldn't bother wasting your materials in this way. If you do use schools to distribute, it is best to find someone that can act as a spokesperson for you. Find the right person that is excited about the program and they will be a great help. Gym teachers and counselors are good places to start. You never know when you will run into a group of girls, so always be prepared and have materials on you.
The other most important factor to getting started is planning your costs. Everything costs money, and usually more than you think it will. I am blessed to be sponsored by Euphoria Studios. Having the use of their space has been a lifesaver. See if you can make a deal with a studio owner due to the nature of the program, or search for other creative spaces to use such as your local co-op or recreation center. Brochures and flyers can be expensive too. Ask friends to donate graphic design and/or editing, and always check and see if people offer discounts for non-profit organizations or for students. Eventually you will probably need to find other ways to raise funds for the program. I am hosting a monthly benefit Belly Dance show, which has been very successful. It is a good way to get the community involved, and also a place for local dancers to perform in a casual environment.
Most of the hard work will come before you ever meet your students. But once that's done, you get to do what you love and DANCE! It is very rewarding to spend time with your girls, to share this beautiful art form, and to watch them blossom. I had this program up and running in less than 4 months. It took a little blood, sweat and tears but it was worth every moment. There are so many girls out there in need of the strength and positive energy that SEEDs offers. I encourage everyone to get involved with this mentorship in whatever way possible and I promise many benefits will await you! Good luck!
Namaste, Sofia Onstad
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Testimonials from SEED graduates
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The value of the SEEDs program is far beyond any physical possession. Its value exceeds all the stocks Google has to offer or the profits from every iPod ever sold. Stocks can't give a scared little girl
confidence or turn her into a beautiful young woman, and iPod profits are hardly capable of making friend-for-life relationships. The closest I can come to a material possession that is on the same plane as SEEDs would have
to be some exquisite, antique quilt, probably from the Orient, with beautiful patterns hand-embroidered into it in gold and silver thread. This quilt would be an heirloom, priceless and one of a kind, but one that you and your mother and father curled up in on those nights when the electricity went out and the rain was pounding outside and the only light was those of the dusty candles that your parents had lit. It is impossibly warm for its light weight, and its touch and smell bring calmness and joy to even the most turbulent corners of your soul. Your grandmother had it appraised thirty years ago, and the appraiser said that its extraordinary condition, total uniqueness, and devastating beauty made it impossible to price. And that was thirty years ago. ;-)
The beauty of SEEDs is that it carries far beyond the physical, but it has all of the qualities of the aforementioned fictional quilt, including the astronomical value. It is an extraordinary program capable of changing lives and improving the world.
Casey Casias
SEEDs 2005
SEEDs is not comparable to any object, except maybe the
accumulation of all the objects one might need throughout life -- if in fact these objects include people, support, education, memories and life lessons. The common belief is that SEED will change one's life, and there is no doubt that it does. Everything about and learned in SEED applies to real life situations or to the program itself. One of the discussions in particular reflected on the idea of community, which directly ties into the dance form of Tribal, as well as the SEED program itself. SEEDs was an emotional and physical journey that was a preparation for important aspects of life: personally, sexually, financially, etc.
I joined SEEDs because I wanted to dance. I had no idea it was so much more. Our SEEDs group became a family, a community of dancers. The program allows girls who are at a very pivotal point in life to speak and possibly figure out certain necessities in life. i.e. leaning to dance while simultaneously improving people skills. Luckily our group was diverse enough to make talking circles very interesting and lively. Everyone had and voiced their opinions and memories while learning even more from her peers. Everyone who comes out of SEEDs will have that experience of being a part of a dance community, and a listening and learning community that tackles ideas that you will utilize throughout life.
The feeling, value and gain from SEEDs is very difficult to explain and even more difficult to pinpoint. It's hard to compare it to an object or write a couple paragraphs about. It is an experience that only the few girls who went on the journey will ever fully understand.
Kyrie von Erffa
SEEDs 2005
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GOODSEARCH
PUT IN YOUR 2 CENTS - for free!
You can raise money for SEEDS every time you search the internet!
Go to www.goodsearch.com,
choose Pomegranate Seeds as your recipient, and money from Yahoo
advertisers will go to the Seeds program without you spending a dime!
GoodSearch.com
is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising
revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users
designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality
search results from Yahoo, and help the SEEDs program with every click.
GoodShop.com
is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each
purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you˘ll be supporting the Seeds program.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com
and be sure to enter Pomegranate Seeds as the charity you want to
support. Please tell your friends and family as well so we can get
everyone involved! Thanks!! |
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Invaders of the Heart: Chiaroscuro
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 Coming in April 2008, we will host three artists for this very special weekend. These amazing teachers embody the technique and passion of dance.
Aziza, Egyptian Style Belly Dance),
Tribal Pura (American Tribal Style),
Arul Ramiah (Classical Indian).
These artists are at the very top in their respective fields. For all the dancers out there, workshops will be held throughout the weekend in conjunction with the performances. For those who would rather enjoy this special weekend as an audience member, there are two shows scheduled: Friday 4/25 and Saturday 4/26.
Come celebrate with us the beauty of dance in these diverse and enigmatic forms!
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