“It is your life, brought to life.”

Garden City, ID - Starbelly Dancers announce the world premiere of international theatrical dance production: The Radiant Tarot

For the 13th annual Big Bad-Ass Belly Dance Show, Starbelly School of Dance has the honor of hosting the premiere of the multimedia internationally touring dance experience The Radiant Tarot. Directed and produced by internationally renowned dance artist Myra Krien, this performance is a dance interpretation of the tarot deck The Radiant Tarot: Pathway to Creativity, illustrated by Alexandria Eldridge and authored by Tony Barnstone.

Many of us have personal relationships with the Tarot and the universal symbols that lie within the cards, but Myra Krien is taking her intimacy with the Tarot to a new level.

“This show – The Radiant Tarot – represents aspects of work pulled from my entire career,” says Krien, who is the artistic director of this production. “It is a testament to the relationships I have built over the years.”

Myra Krien is a renowned Middle Eastern dance artist, an international performer, choreographer, and teacher of belly dance. Krien has performed on some of America's most prestigious stages, toured internationally, performed for PBS and Japanese television, and been reviewed by national publications such as Dance Magazine, Bliss and The Santa Fean. After returning to her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico she opened her school of dance, Pomegranate Studios, founded Pomegranate SEEDs (Self-esteem, Empowerment and Education through Dance) a non-profit youth mentorship program and her state-of-the-art fitness program Funk-Ex. Krien is the 2019 recipient of the Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and is the director of Mosaic Dance Company.

Based upon Eldridge’s critically acclaimed deck, The Radiant Tarot is Krien’s ode to friendship, connection, and her career as an artist. Krien is incorporating elements from her previous iteration of her annual productions of Invaders of the Heart, and then pushing her vision further with national and international touring shows, collaborating with artists of various disciplines, Eldridge herself, Tony Barnstone, Mosaic Dance Company (Santa Fe, NM), Cecilia Rinn and the Starbelly Dancers (Tori King, Chad Rinn, Alyssa Kimm, Bayla Night, and Cassandra Joan) (Boise, ID, and Portland, OR), Drake von Trapp (Chicago, IL), and various other dance artists across the nation.

The show follows the Fool’s journey from innocence to maturity through the lush visual landscape from Eldridge’s paintings and Barnstone’s prose. The Radiant Tarot is an interpretation of the Tarot through the lens of psychology, the science of creativity, and the world’s literary, artistic, and spiritual traditions. When asked about her inspirations for this show, Krien explained that there was no “aha” moment, but rather a series of them. “As I looked at Alexandra’s works, I kept on seeing dances and costumes that I have created,” said Krien.

“I kept saying ‘I have a choreography for that’ or ‘I can make a dance out of this.’ In many ways, the universe insisted that I create this show.”

In addition to the touring cast, local or nearly local dancers are encouraged to audition to join the show. Proceeding every performance, Krien will be mounting workshops in a retreat format to teach her choreographies to dancers interested in being a part of this unique production. Dancers are welcome (and encouraged) to take part in as many productions as they’d like. More information about the Tour can be found at the end of this article.

“Myra is a generous teacher, and her retreats always offer personal and artistic growth,” said Cecilia Rinn, the director of The Starbelly Dancers. “Saying ‘Yes!’ to this experience is something I didn’t even have to think about.”

Productions like The Radiant Tarot are not only important to the belly dance community, but the dance community at large. The Radiant Tarot is at the forefront of personally symbolic dance events that are sweeping the nation in an effort to heal our bodies, minds, and spirits.

The Idaho world premiere of Invaders of the Heart: The Radiant Tarot has two showings: Friday night February 24th at 9-11pm (doors open at 7pm) and Saturday February 25th at 9-11pm at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City. $25 in advance & $30 at the door. 21+.

Doors open at 7pm, with an opportunity to get 15 min tarot readings, from local readers, and Q & A session with director Myra Krien. Alexandria Eldridge’s Radiant Tarot decks will also be available for purchase.

For additional information, please go https://ceciliabellydance.com or contact Cecilia at (208) 891-6609. Tickets can be purchased through event brite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/starbelly-presents-invaders-of-the-heart-2023-the-radiant-tarot-tickets-510183451437

Tour Locations and Dates

Boise, ID

Retreat: February 20th-23rd

Performance: February 24th & 25th

The Visual Arts Collective

Big Island, Hawaii

Workshops: March 11th & 12th

Retreat: March 13th-17th

Show: Kona, Big Island - March 18th

Hale Halawai

Santa Fe, NM

Retreat and Performance at the end of May

Retreat: May 22nd-25th

Show: May 26th & 27th

The National Dance Institute

Austin, TX

Retreat: August 16th-18th

Performance: August 19th

The Dougherty Arts Center

New York City, NY

Retreat: September. 28th-1st

Performance: October. 1st

Soho Playhouse

San Miguel de Allende, MX

Retreat and Performance the last week of October

Angela Peralta Theater

About Myra Krien and Pomegranate Studios

Myra Krien is a renowned Middle Eastern dance artist, an international performer, choreographer and teacher of belly dance. Krien has performed on some of America's most prestigious stages, toured internationally, performed for PBS and Japanese television, and been reviewed by national publications such as Dance Magazine, Bliss, and the Santa Fean. After returning to her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico she opened her school of dance, Pomegranate Studios, founded Pomegranate SEEDs (Self-esteem, Empowerment and Education through Dance) a non-profit youth mentorship program, created her state-of-the-art fitness program Funk-Ex, and formed the Mosaic Dance Company . Krien is the 2019 recipient of the Santa Fe Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, as well as the 2018 & 2019 Best of Santa Fe Award in the category of "Best Dance Company" Top 3, and is a member of the International Dance Council CID.

Pomegranate Studios is an educational and presenting organization, nestled in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. Established in 1996 by Founder/Director Myra Krien, Pomegranate provides high quality programs of the rich artistic heritage of the Middle East as expressed through music, dance, poetry, visual arts and other art forms as they relate to American culture. Pomegranate Studios is home to the Mosaic Dance Company and the Pomegranate SEEDs (Self-esteem, Empowerment and Education through Dance) non-profit youth mentorship program.

About Starbelly Dancers

The Starbelly Dancers are nationally recognized belly dance artists from Boise, Idaho, under the artistic direction of Cecilia Rinn. Specializing in traditional, modern, fusion, and theatrical raks sharki, or belly dance, they are available to entertain at family-friendly celebrations, festivals, and main stage events across the nation. Collectively, the Starbelly Dancers have been granted awards by organizations such as The Alexa Rose Foundation, Boise City Department of Arts and History, The Idaho Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts and have been featured at events such as Boise Music Week, Treefort Music Festival, and even on Telemundo.

About the Visual Arts Collective

Visual Arts Collective (VAC), is a contemporary fine art gallery, performance venue and cultural center in Garden City, Idaho, committed to presenting exhibitions and events for artists working in visual and performance art, film, music, dance and theater. VAC is dedicated to providing Boise and the Treasure Valley opportunities to explore various disciplines, to engage in interactive art, to participate in special events and to encourage artists and the community to continue in the discovery of artistic expression.