The SEEDs Dance Empowerment Program is a 10 week Self Esteem, Empowerment, & Education Through Dance program conducted at Swan River Yoga Arabi taught by Tamalyn Dallal.
SEEDs is designed to mentor young women in order to create a healthy and strong individuals who are socially and fiscally responsible to themselves and their community. This is accomplished through the vehicle of dance, specifically Middle Eastern and Interpretive dance, talking circles, journal writing, and presentations.
Sundays 1-3pm, March 5 to May 14th (Summer Series will follow) at Swan River Yoga Arabi, 7011 St Claude Ave. #213 , Arabi, LA. (Second Floor. Entrance at the side of the building)
$150, or partial/ full scholarships. Accessible to all regardless of income.
Work-study scholarships are available: Skills we can use are: Cleaning studio, Facebook/social media sewing, language skills (Arabic, Turkish and Farsi)
SEEDs Program objectives- First ten weeks:
1. Through the use of six points in the body, young women learn how to improve posture, body alignment, and have more energy as they move through life. These points are all internal and help them move with fluidity and ease.
2. Dancing with the six points is derived from Tamalyn’s travels and dancing among women from East Africa, the Middle East and throughout Asia. She traces the historical connections between all regions, helping girls to have a wider world view and appreciation of cultural contributions that non- Europeans have made to history and to the world we live in today.
3. SEEDs program participants will learn the transformational power of music and how it can impact emotions, bring you to a higher level of consciousness. Instruments that began as long as 2500 years ago during the Persian Empire have traveled throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and even Europe and the Americas. We will learn to dance to this music and understand that music, dance and life are nuanced and that nothing fits into a box. With that information, we hope to encourage critical thinking in other aspects of life
3. Through dance, Seeds participants will learn to appreciate their own beauty and individuality. Through understanding ancient threads that tie women together throughout history…the unwritten history of millions of women that is housed in our bodies, SEEDS participants will appreciate and understand that they are part of something much larger than the latest fashion or how popular they are in school. They will learn to express themselves and their emotions through dance.
During the last 20 minutes of each class, we will have a talking circle and discussion with journaling assignments.
For the first ten weeks, topics will be:
1. Self Esteem and confidence
2. Name 5 things you like and 5 things you dislike about yourself.
3. What is body image?
4. Name 5 things you like and 5 things you dislike about your body
5. What is beauty/ charisma?
6. What does it mean to be a woman?
7. What does it mean to be a man?
8. What is happiness?
9. What is fear?
10. How can each of us contribute to the world in a positive way?
