Readable Quarterly Newsletter from Pomegranate SEEDs

We are very excited for this session!! We have participants from all over the country, Vermont, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii and Roswell NM. The past years have been such a success,ther are now Seeds programs in Oregon, California, Texas, Arizona and even Mexixo! We wanted to share a story from one of last years graduates, Holly Luky.

SEEDS Teacher Training with Myra Krien of Pomegranate Studios
Review
By Holly Luky

Teaching belly dance has become a truly inspirational part of my day-to-day activities in Sedona, AZ. I enjoy getting to know other women that have that inner desire to learn this beautiful art form and I know that we instantly have something strangely in common, because belly dance is not for everyone. As dancers, we discover a lot about ourselves in class or performances, and sometimes we work through some deep core issues we didn't know were there. It is for this exact reason that I knew as a dancer/teacher it was time to take my teaching to the next level and give something even more back to the community.

When I first heard about Myra Krien and her new program through Pomegranate Studios, I immediately resonated with it. S.E.E.D.S stands for self-esteem, empowerment and education through dance and the core principles of the program are for each girl to:
� To find her own voice and be able to listen to it.
� To have better self-esteem and confidence.
� To be able to plan and achieve goals, generate choices, create options,
resources and support.
� To be ready to face financial independence.
� To have respect, appreciation and be able to care for her own body.
� To respect, appreciate and be able to care for others in community.
� To respect and appreciate diversity and culture.

By incorporating American Tribal Style format into the program the girls are encouraged to work together as a group with a dance style that celebrates all the natural shapes and sizes of the female body. The mentoring aspects of the program include talking circles, journaling and guest speakers who have successful careers in areas that interest the girls in the program. The more I learned about S.E.E.D.S, the more I wished I had attended this type of program when I was younger.... And I got inspired.

This June I attended Myra Krien's second annual Teacher-Training program in Santa Fe, NM and it was six fun-filled days of learning, growing, dancing and bonding with other women who share that desire.
Our group was made up of six women of all ages and a few who had previously attended the S.E.E.D.S program themselves. We learned a lot about each other as we discussed topics that we'd bring up in a talking circle, such as what makes a good role model and what does it mean to be financially independent, as well as delving into what drives us to become teachers of this program? Those six days proved to be more soul searching for myself than if I were to be on a silent retreat. I took our training manual home at night and sat with some tea, thinking about all the girls that would come into this program. They are at such a crucial time in their lives and I remembered exactly what it felt like to be a teenager in High School again. I thought about myself, and how I would have benefited from thinking about my financial independence more at that time instead of what the gossip of the day was, or climbing the "social ladder." The teenage years come with a lot of pressure and insecurity, but it can also be a beautiful time of coming into one's own... finding their inner voice and power. Its programs like S.E.E.D.S that will provide them with a healthy outlet to move through this growth in and allow them to express themselves through dance, which can be extremely healing.

The teacher-training program wasn't all work though, we had a lot of fun together aside from learning. Myra and her lovely Mosaic Dance Company performed one evening at a local restaurant and we enjoyed a fabulous meal as we watched, which was the perfect way to start the program. On the fourth night we met for a BBQ at Myra's home and continued our in-depth discussions over homemade food, a beautiful sunset and great company. We also took time each day to simply dance... where our minds could take a little break and our bodies could just move. We danced through ATS beginning and intermediate formats with a touch of improvisation together at the end. As we danced throughout the week we got more familiar with both ourselves and with each other, and as we danced into our final improvisational formation I saw each of us come together in perfect time with the music and smiles on our faces. I imagine that is what happens to the girls that attend the S.E.E.D.S program.... They arrive uncertain about what they will be experiencing, have an amazing time learning about themselves, and at the end they have the tools to improvise their own dance- the dance of life.

Thank you Myra for being the creative genius behind this program and sharing it with us. I will let everyone know how my first program goes, I'm already getting it started!