Pomegranate S.E.E.D.s® Testimonials

In SEEDs I found a large family, bigger than my extended family. I found a place where we all accept each other’s differences. How we dance, mess up, say it’s “Ok,” get up and kick ass! My experience in SEEDs has been great and very beautiful. It’s like people who watch you fail in what you like doing but still appreciate you and it gives you more courage and determination. SEEDs was full of girls who do what I do. People who I see and meet in a conclusive environment, I’ve learned a lot with them. I’ve learned that dance is not perfect and never can be but you can take it closer to perfection by celebrating each other’s weaknesses as opposed to freaking out and giving up. I’ve learned that commitment and care are important. Working with people is very helpful for me. I see it as an opportunity to build up yourself by looking at others and picking up their good behaviors and learning from people who are not far from your age range, coming together to make it all work. I enjoy dancing because I like what happens in my body and having knowledge about what’s up with my body. The SEEDs program also taught me about credit, debt, check books and credit unions. It has taught me see the way I feel and how to speak up in the right way. It’s helped me see that I am not bad just because I am different, each human is exceptional in a way. And also that I can do anything with determination and commitment. This program made me re-discover myself even what I thought I had lost it all. It taught me how to be a better person but still be who I really am. Before I did see SEEDs I felt lost and now I feel like I have been prepared and taught a lot. I feel like it is safer to go out and explore but again to be careful and very aware of what is happening around me.

- Andrea Selumun Nduul

The SEEDs program has taught me many things, I would not have learned in school. This SEEDs program has taught me important life skills, and bellydance of course!, building strong friendships and learning about finance and money. Over the nine months of SEEDs, I have made strong friendships. When SEEDs first started, I did not know of any of the girls. But as we danced, performed and participated in the talking circles throughout the nine months, we got closer and got to know each other better. When this program ends, I will still keep in touch with lots of the girls I met here.

Throughout the SEEDs program, my teacher Mollie Kelly has taught me about being part of a community. I feel when we are dancing we are dancing ina community or a tribe. SEEDs has taught me about many important topics which will help and contribute to my daily life to come. The SEEDs program has also taught me a lot about collaboration. I think collaboration is a way to connect and collaborate with your community or friends to work together to achieve a goal. At SEEDs we did this during our dancing time, performances and in the talking circles. The SEEDs program has helped my self-esteem because when we danced it made me happy and I enjoyed it a lot. Every time when we danced I learned something new. SEEDs has also made it easier for me to discuss things important to me such as belly dancing, financial issues and topics, money how to spend it and save it and also learning more about yourself and the people around you.

My relationships have changed since the beginning of SEEDs. All of the girls and I have gotten to know each other better and have gotten a lot closer. My SEEDs teacher Mollie and has been very helpful and encouraging throughout the nine months. I have built a strong friendship with my teacher and I have learned a lot passed these nine months.

I am thankful for the SEEDs program because, they teach you how to bellydance. Before doing the SEEDs program I felt different, I was not sure what it would be like, and if I would like it or not now ending SEEDs I wish it was still going on, not ending, but I hope to dance with the company in the future. I got into the company and I am eager to start.

- Sitara

SEEDs has changed me over these nine months in ways I could never have imagined. I have come to know an invaluable community and felt support on so many levels. This year I have struggled with my health and school and have always felt support here and gratitude for this wonderful dance. I had looked for this type of community in school but couldn’t find it. The school system doesn’t generally cater to personal emotions and home life therefore, doesn’t get to know the students on a personal level as well as the teachers and students here do. This program also offers an opportunity to learn things not taught in schools such as finances and investing. I have gained a deeper perspective on what it will be like to take care of myself after I graduate. In SEEDs I have also learned the importance of body positively and self-worth. Before this program I was quick to judge me flaws and felt alone and insecure about my wants and needs. I realize now that everyone struggles with themselves one way or another and by just spreading posivity in oneself you can inspire others. The people here seem to be real about their struggles and insecurities. They don’t pretend that every thing is wonderful in their lives. I really appreciate that as I have always been surrounded by people who act like their lives are perfect. The dance portion itself has changed my view on life and grace in every day things. It has been a great stress reliever in my life and I have always looked forward to coming to class. I a less stressed in general now and feel much more whole as a person after having done SEEDs.

- Toreh

Myra! I was thinking about you and the Seeds program lately. I wanted to reach out and tell you what I never really had the words to say in the past. Your program changed my life. Dance has done so much for me on a lot of different levels. Now that I’m dancing again in Portland, I once again feel this strong sense of self that I remember when I was at Pomegranate. This move to the west coast has been really hard and I found myself floundering, trying to find my place. I had sort of pushed dance in the closet, not knowing when or if I would ever have another chance to perform. These girls embraced me, the same way the tribal girls at Pomegranate did. I’m getting to know a new troupe that definitely has a different style. My muscles seem to know what to do, the foundation is the same. I feel beautiful and strong when I’m dancing. You gave me a beautiful gift, Myra. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I always miss dancing at Pomegranate. We had so many experiences and opportunities that we often took for granted. But all I have are wonderful memories and dance is something I will practice and cherish all my life. Thank you.

With love, Katie

Myra, I just wanted to take a moment to tell that I am forever grateful for the opportunities that were given to me through dance. As we travel along the crazy paths our lives can take us on it is easy to forget things and also to pay attention to the wrong things. Learning from you and being in the Pomegranate family saved my life. If I did not have that I have no idea where I would be today. So again, thank you, even if it was just you being present in a time where I felt completely abandoned or taking the time to have a conversation with me, it means more than you will probably ever understand.

- Leah

In March when I came  to see the show I missed you in the lobby but I meant to write and tell you how moved I was seeing you dance. I found myself unexpectedly in tears. Watching the expressiveness, the power of your movement made me realize what a gift it is that you gave me when I was 15 years old, a gift that keeps on giving as they say. I realized then that I have never thanked you, or never really thanked you and I suppose that makes me guilty of the same thing as so many people who cross your path. We are so blown open by the experience, so thrilled, so excited to continue down the path suddenly open before us that we forget that someone, a person, gave of themselves in a million different ways to make that experience possible. I don’t think words are enough to thank you, but they’re a start. Thank you Myra.

- Teresa Davis, Class of 2010

Seeds is comparable to a full course meal. You have your appetizer, your entrée, and most of all you have your desserts. You appetizers come from the women introduced to you throughout the community. It gives you a start into the world ahead of what you see now. It gives you guidance and a place to start growing. Your entrée is the full art and beauty of belly dance. It is a unique opportunity and a great insight to something different, hopeful, beautiful and worthwhile. And finally, your desserts are the people around you sharing this one of a kind experience and they are the real relationships you build from this program. The Seeds program is sweet, satisfying and delicious, and by the end you are already ready for the next course.

- Maria Heath, Class of 2009

I am unable to really compare my Seeds experience to any material object. But of the objects listed I would have to say Seeds was most like a house, a house already full of people who understand and care about you as much as you understand and care about them. To me, Seeds and entering Pomegranate Studios was like having a loving, close family, one thing I have not had in my life before. The Seeds experience has also introduced me to a life changing dance, one that has given me confidence and a new perspective on my body and myself. For all Seeds has given me, I am eternally grateful.

- Emma Crane, Class of 2007

Seeds gave me every form of “me”niss. It gave me the ability to be the person I wanted to be. I was quite frightened and insecure both physically and mentally. because of Seeds, I am an independent, strong, fearless young woman. Seeds kept me from becoming a frightened young woman. It has influenced me and affected me forever to be the “me” I wanted to be.

- Kate Russell, Class of 2006

Comparing the SEEDs program to any physical possesion is an incredibly difficult task.  Its value exceeds all the stocks Google has to offer or the profits from every i pod 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 is not 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, Class of 2005

SEED is not comparable to an object, except maybe the accumulation of all the objects one might need throughout life, and if in fact these objects include people, support, education, memories and life lessons. The common belief is that SEED will change ones 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. SEED was an emotional and physical journey that was a preparation for certain aspects of life, personally, sexually, financially, etc.

I joined SEED because I wanted to dance, I had no idea it was so much more. Our SEED group became a family, a community of dancers. The program allows girls (who are at a very pivotal point in life) 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; I don’t believe this is comparable to an object. Everyone who comes out of SEED will have that experience of being a part of a dance community that one is about to talk about different aspects of life that one will utilize throughout life.

The feeling, value and gain from SEED is very difficult to explain and even more difficult to pin point, compare 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, Class of 2005

If I had to compare (SEEDs)  to an object it would be impossible. Seeds was the best thing that ever happened in my youth. It was like a scholarship that influences personal expression and self freedom. I was in a place in my life where I needed to focus my energy on creative expression and not self destructive activities. Seeds was like a scholarship to life. I feel that it was also very helpful in the way girls interact. We all learned how to respect each other for our similarities and our differences, because in this culture girls tend to feel like they need to compete with other girls instead of accepting that we are all in the same place in life. Seeds helps young women feel comfortable about themselves, not to mention being comfortable financially, and that is something that money could never buy.

- Runa Mullen, Class of 2005

Seeds was comparable to summer rain. That sensation of relief when nothing seems desirable and all you need is that downpour to rejuvenate the spirit. Seed is far more valuable than something tangible. But if I had to, I’d say it’s comparable to a full scholarship because that would be amazing right now.

- Daisy Geoffrey, Class of 2004

As a child, I was teased for being smart, blonde, overweight, having zits, and any other minute imperfection my classmates could pick out. This, understandably, left me feeling small and worthless. My senior year of high school, I joined SEEDs. In SEEDs, I was forced to stare at myself and my bare stomach for three hours a week. Rather than reinforcing my negative self-image, I found myself beginning to accept the way I look and, by effect, who I was. Now, at 22, I can do what very few women my age can. I can stand naked in front of a mirror and honestly say I love the way my body looks. I know appearances aren’t everything but not having that extra burden of thinking about my body has freed me to learn more about who I am and what I want to be and love that as well. I feel like I have the self image and esteem of a much older woman and I feel very lucky to have that confidence. Being in SEEDs has done what only years of therapy could do, if not done it even better, saving me and my parents that cost. That is the only price I could possibly think to put on this program.

- Melissa Gibbons, Class of 2003

Teacher Training Testimonials

I left the SEEDS Training program in June, 2012 with lots of information and insights, not only on how to run a SEEDS program, but fantastic advice on everything from fundraising to business and valueing our time and talent as artists. The group of nine women from around the country bonded quickly and shared lots of creative ideas. I came away with a lot of inspiration and plans for my version of the SEEDS program. It is great to be part of a national alliance of people who love dance and want to help their communities through dance.

- Tamalyn Dallal, Lynnwood, WA, TT 2012

Before I came to the training I was afraid that I was going to be way out of my league. Myra helped me to rid myself of that fear by explaining that I was not alone in my fears of teaching this program. Once I was at the training, I realized that not only was I learning how to help through the tools of dance and talking circles, I was actually finding myself once again. Being in a career that is a very masculine role (law enforcement) it is really easy to lose one’s femininity. After a week of dancing and learning with Myra and the other beautiful ladies of our class, I was able to find what it meant to be a strong, confident woman once again. And let’s face it, we can’t help teenage girls become strong women if we lose that ourselves. This training was enlightening, spiritual and uplifting throughout the whole week. Thank you Myra, for granting us the opportunity to share everything that you can teach us. You are and will ever remain an inspiration to us all.

- Sabrina Rhoads, Portales, NM, TT 2012

 

The SEEDs Certification Program is the most thorough dance certification program I have ever participated in. Not only did we learn how the SEEDs Program works and how to initiate it. We also learned some very specific technique geared for ATS® Belly Dance. Myra Krien should be acknowledged for her version of ATS® Belly Dance. She has developed her own style that is heavily influenced by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance®  The SEEDs program is a great addition for all ATS® Belly Dance certified instructors and those who study other styles of dance. All of Myra’s Basic Steps are true to the FCBD format with the exception of the steps she has created herself and dancing with the lead on the left. However, all of her steps honor the true ATS® aesthetic. Aside from all the great dancing in the workshop, we gained the knowledge of a lifetime of dedicated work by a true master. Plus, it doesn’t end here. She has been available to support me after the program as well. SEEDs needs to exist in everywhere in the world. Teens need us to share this with them. After seeing the girls from the Summer SEEDs program perform after only 2 weeks, I was very impressed. I could already see gained confidence. I also had the honor of meeting some SEEDs graduates. They were very confident, graceful and well spoken. I would not hesitate to encourage anyone who is considering to take this training to go for it. It is worth more than I could every imagine.

- Katrina McCoy, LMP, Artistic Director Skin Deep Dance, Seattle, WA, TT 2012

Myra Krien is da bomb, she is a wealth of information and a true Renaissance woman. I’m in awe of her mastery of multiple styles and have renewed inspiration for bellydance and its transformative powers.

- Kaeshi Chai, Woodside, NY, TT 2012

I highly recommend this course for several reasons. Myra sets you up for success.  She provides in the course a wealth of information and materials to get you going in your own community.  I was completely dumbfounded by the amount of information that she was so willing to share with us and let us take home to use for our programs.  She gives you every tool you could imagine including a voice.

Through the training you find your voice in the program.  I learned to trust my voice and believe in what I can contribute by starting a SEEDs program, instead of just hoping that I would have somethig to offer these teens. 
I also recommend this course to anyone who isn’t sure about a SEEDs program or maybe doesn’t even want to start one.  If you are looking to truly connect with your soul and and start believing that your experiences are vital to learn from and share with others… if you want to connect with other women in a trusting safe enviroment… if you want to build a relationship with a dance and life mentor, then this course is for you.  I didn’t just get to learn how to run a SEEDs program.  I learned how to listen.  I learned how to ask questions.  I learned how to share dark parts of my past.  I learned how to put the self aside and just admire my peers, take in who they are, and hear their stories.  All of these things are essential to running a SEEDs program, but more immediately and just as importantly they are essential to the growth of the soul. 

We love you Myra!!!!

- Carrie T. Moore – Gypsy Horizon Belly Dance, Anchorage, AK, TT 2012

 

The anatomy of a good teacher is expansive and more than a bit daunting.

As our circle of teachers at the 2012 SEEDs Certification Training defined these qualities, some features stood out among the rest. A great dance teacher must have an enlarged heart, even bigger ears, a compassionate spirit, and inexhaustible wonder for her craft. Myra Krien embodies these lofty traits and so much more. As Myra “unzipped” herself to share her experience and her passion for the SEEDs program to her eager students, she planted her faith in us to sow SEEDs into our communities. With the tools and support Myra  is providing after long years of developing this program, each of us now has the potential to grow SEEDs of our own.

I came to the SEEDs workshop with sincere personal intentions and was never disappointed. The in-depth training, artistic collaboration, and Myra ’s ability to push me gently, but, firmly out of my comfort zone all exceeded my expectations.

As any artist will attest, spending time with others that share our passion is an unforgettable inspiration. This teacher’s training attracted a gathering of dedicated, talented, and accomplished dancers. These women flew in from near and far, graceful birds testing yet another pair of wings. Each of us brought our love for bellydance, the desire to reach out to young girls, and the hope that the gifts of SEEDs will make the world more beautiful one dance at a time. It was an experience I will cherish forever.

- Salyna Gracie – Twisp, Washington, TT 2012

SEEDs teacher training was a profoundly eye-opening experience.  I don’t know that every instructor realizes it, but no matter what is being taught (from new dance moves to history or tips on preventing costume malfunctions) we are creating this open forum for amazing life changes to take place.   That classroom becomes a place where people can find emotional support, genuine caring, acceptance, among several other possibilities… the most life-changing being the simplest: PERMISSION.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how many PhDs you have received, or how many awards you have won, or how big our paycheck is… sometimes the one thing that really helps us to become the person we desire to be is the encouragement from a teacher or peer who believes in us.  Someone to remind us that we each have one unique and beautiful dance inside of us & if we don’t dance it- no one else will and it will be lost.

Myra is a teacher who sees the unique greatness in each of her students that only they possess and knows exactly what to say or do to help them overcome the obstacles that keep them from owning that greatness.  She realizes that each individual in front of her is unlike anyone she has previously met and honors them with that knowledge, approaching their hopes & fears with that respect.  She understands there is not one cure-all approach to teaching… it must be a case by case experience.  She gives you this kind of personal attention and sincerely cares about seeing you succeed.

One thing that was a huge relief to me during the training was that I don’t need to have all the answers to be a good teacher and mentor, I just need to help guide my students toward uncovering the truth that they probably already know how to find.  As teachers, we are creating a safe space for people to let down their guard, make mistakes, and recover now knowing more than did before; and it is much more beneficial for us to let them discover than decide for them what the best answer is.  This may sound easy but it is a skill that most need to learn, especially as instructors we can get too used to feeling like we are expected to tell everybody what to do: learning to really teach people so that they learn how to learn is a skill I feel Myra has helped me understand.

I could have created my own program based on the model that I already understood of SEEDs without going to the training- physically it might have been just as good- but I know that I would not have been able to be the teacher to those teenagers that I now can be after having been through training with Myra.  It is priceless to me that I now have this fantastic support system of living legends, psychologist, fitness specialist, master couturists, SEEDs graduates, filmmakers,… and network of countless other people to go to for advice, keeping me from making mistakes that they made, and giving me tips from their successes.  I am eternally grateful for this web of loving hands I now feel lifting me up.  I would have had to learn the hard way, through encountering huge financial disasters some of the things I can now gingerly avoid thanks to generous information that Myra shared regarding her past & stories from others.  I feel like despite masses of land and vast oceans between us, I can still step into that classroom with Myra and my fellow SEEDs teachers and we can learn from each other whenever any one of us has a need.

All of the work on our materials (videos, manual, marketing templates)… it would have taken years for me to have perfected this AMAZING curriculum but now I can start with the quality of excellence already outlined for me… and put my own special spin on it.  It was beautiful to see how each instructor, even though the program is already far superior than any after school program the world has seen, was able to infuse their own unique personality into the lessons.  It was fun to share and borrow ideas from one another.  I can’t wait to see how all of our different programs end up serving our communities.

I think one of the best gifts that SEEDs teacher training imparted to me was the gift of being able to logically & realistically combine my passions in way that allows me to make a lasting positive impact in people’s lives.  As a visual artist, art broker, and dance teacher even though I know that these vocations serve a purpose deeper than mere entertainment, I often feel discouraged that superficial diversion is all people think of these offerings.  I think I always knew that there was something much more profound that I could be doing with the passions I’d been given and developed- SEEDs is it!  SEEDs is the obvious undeniable tangible means to helping people understand the significance of how Art serves us in our lives.  It is important for everyone to fully appreciate this but particularly for the artists that all of us are to recognize this for ourselves so that we can dance our dance as only we can.

- Stephanie Bolton – HI, TT 2011

Myra has demonstrated to me that she doesn’t just talk, she walks the talk … She practices what she preaches and earns incredible credibility in the process. As a natural skeptic she won me over as an authentic leader who is as self introspective as she is not afraid to be vulnerable in explaining her own growth through leading this program … making it very real for me in the process and not sugar coating reality of leading such a cause. She is graceful, passionate and goal focused … inspiring.

- Liezel Lane, Dance Orientale – Atlanta, GA, TT 2011

Life has been my educator since I turned 16 when I left home to embark on a life on my own. Hence my experiences and lessons have been both pleasant fun and gratifying, but also very hard, unpleasant and more often than not with a lot of pain and sadness.  I have also been a dancer since I was 3 ½ years old having danced most of the dancing principles.  I started Oriental Dance in my 40’s and it changed my life forever.  When I started teaching this art form I concentrated on assisting women from of all walks of life that yearned for better self-esteem, empowerment and confidence.

Further research also brought to my attention that society’s demands on young girls/teenagers created a whole new generation of female insecurities that needed attention – girls as young as 12 have issues with their bodies, their confidence and more.  And that is how I found Myra Krien and her SEEDs Program of 2011 and I was keen to add this program to my outreach in my community.  So I registered.

I arrived in Santa Fe not knowing what to expect.  From the outset Myra made us all feel at home and invited our total participation in the program.  After the initial ice-breaking and introductions we immediately settled down to a week of intense program discussions sharing and dancing.  Each day was filled with in depth information and guidance from Myra and her comprehensive SEEDs Manual on how to embark and run a SEEDs program.  Time (sometimes too much, going over time limit) was spent sharing ideas, and personal experiences that could form part of our own personal programs. The group sharing and discussion times were very special and at times almost sacred as the individual teachers shared experiences and events (through tears/laughter) that brought them to this program.  All this was always followed with a fun time of dancing with questions, explanations and plenty of laughter. I soon realized that all 9 of the other student teachers present and Myra felt the same way about empowerment and guidance for young girls as I did.

It was also very special that as part of our group we had teachers that were graduates of the 1st SEEDs program.  They shared very candidly with the group their own individual experiences of what SEEDs did for them.  For me it was testimony enough that the program worked and that young well adjusted women emerged from the benefits of this program.  They were still young, but steadfast in their convictions, well adjusted and successful teachers and business women.  I have come away after graduating from SEEDs more committed to my commitment to help as many young girls as possible and continue in their future adulthood as best I can.  I am also committed to educate my community with regard to oriental dancing and how important a factor it is in a community of women with the same interests.

Initially I questioned the reason for American Tribal Style Dance® rather than Oriental Dance that was my preferred style. The strong sisterhood that is formed through ATS is key to developing the support system women and girls have with each other.  This style of dance can only work in groups and so it is the ideal teaching aid to work through for the SEEDs program to teach girls to work together in groups.  So I have learnt another life lesson.

My daughter, who also did the course, and I returned home fired up and committed to take the program into our communities.  Liezel found her life’s work and I am committed to support and assist her on her journey with the Atlanta SEEDs School of dance.

I am so grateful that I was able to be part of this program and complete the training course. I feel blessed that I have 9 new members in my sisterhood of dance.  I also feel blessed that I can use my knowledge and experiences to guide young girls and women and perhaps me instrumental that they do not make the same mistakes I made.

- Sanet Halck aka Zaia Hadiyyah, Dance Orientale – Atlanta GA, TT 2011

I was first inspired about the SEEDs program when I was in Santa Fe, when Myra had combined a screening of my documentary “BELLY” with a SEEDs fundraiser.  I got to hear the girls talk about their experience in the program and I also got to see them dance.  I talked about it all year and then made the decision to come and take the teacher training.  The training was way, WAY more then I expected it to be.  It was 5 days of support and mentorship on so many levels.  Myra told us in the first hour that she had unzipped herself and totally opened herself up to us for ANY questions for the 5 days of the training.  It ended up being like a condensed mini- SEEDs program for us, the trainees.  It was very emotionally, enlightening, and incredibly fun. It was amazing to be dancing along side the same young girls I saw graduate last year!  I made and deepened some awesome friendships with the other trainees.  Since the training, we have all stayed in touch and are helping each other with our process of starting a SEEDs program where we live (spread out all over the US).  I plan on starting a SEEDs program here in Boise this coming September.  It is scary, but I have so much support from Myra (the training and support did NOT end after the 5 day training) and from the other wonderful women in the training.  I also plan to gather interviews, footage & photographs to put together a feature documentary about the SEEDs #5 group and all of our process in running this AMAZING program in our home towns.

I would say more but I have to run and teach my first Tribal class.  I need to practice teaching Tribal (which is a new focus for me being an oriental dancer) and some of my adult students agreed to let me practice teaching with them this summer.

- Cecilia Rinn, Star Belly Productions – Boise, ID, TT 2011

Before taking the SEEDS Teacher Training course, I had a sense that the program would be a good match with my teaching skills and enthusiasm for community service programs . What I didn’t realize was the power and intensity of the teacher training. Hearing stories about the SEED’s girls and the past successes of the program hit me deep in my heart. But even more than that, I wasn’t prepared for the stories of the women attending the training! Every woman there was a powerful testament to the force of dance in her life. Each woman was brimming with passion for sharing the material with the girls in her community. And each woman had a heartfelt and amazing path that brought her to this work.  We all felt as if we went through that very transformative process that each of the girls goes through during the training.

The Teacher Training Program which certifies SEED’s teachers is one of the most powerful experiences I have had in my 25 years of teaching. The intensive and intimate program reaches into your heart and makes you believe in miracles! I was impressed by the caliber of women who attend Myra Krien’s SEED’s teacher training. These are women who are at the peak of their careers; corporate consultant, filmmaker, studio owners and business women. They have Master’s degrees, PhD’s and most have at least a decade of teaching under their belt. These are high caliber, powerful and motivated women who are committed to uplifting the younger generation of women in their communities. The training program brings them together to share ideas and inspiration. I have no doubt that these women (myself included) will make a dramatic change for the better in their communities thanks to the impressive SEED’s program.

- Antigone Cook, B.A. Community Health, Certified Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer and Dance Instructor since 1983, TT 2011