2016 – New Look, Site Cleanup, More Music, Thank you!

Hello dear friends, followers, supporters and visitors to my website. I have let this site slip into a bit of a stagnant mess over the past couple years. I am now in the process of revamping, updating and trying to make it better visually and functionally.

I plan to make occasional blog posts, with the primary focus on my private event business (Wedding DJ, Event Coordinator, Catering Rental), Event Services (Sound, Lighting, Video, A/V rental) And my music production (Yes, I still have an album in the works).

Event updates will be posted on the Electric Vardo Website approximately monthly. E-mailers will resume to approximately monthly as well to include all public activities by me, Electric Vardo and Underground Nomads. Underground Nomads updates are posted weekly at undergroundnomads.com.

First and foremost, I want to thank you for your support over the years. I never imagined that I would actually be able to live my dreams and call it my career. It is not the easiest thing to do from a financial perspective, but it is truly rewarding. Life is a fun balancing act :).

 

I just came across this Article from 10 years ago that Teed Rockwell wrote for India Currents, during my early days as a DJ and event producer. It got me reminiscing and thinking about all that has happened in my life since then. It has been truly amazing. I’m in a relationship And creative partnership with an amazing human being. My friends are my colleagues. I went from playing music to making music. I have had opportunities to collaborate with some amazing artists.

This has all been possible due to the tremendous support of my fans (it feels weird to say fans. “I have fans, Yay!”), friends, family and partner.

I am looking forward to participating in some great upcoming events this year and sharing music with you.

I will be posting the upcoming Event Calendar at electricwardo.com. Check there or sign up for my e-mail list to keep updated with events that I am involved in or recommend.

On this site, the right column will feature links to my facebook page, twitter feed, soundcloud music page and more.

Happy New Year. It’s looking great already.
Much love and grattitude – Amar . Solunamar

Team Electric Vardo
Amar & Calamity Sam

September 24: Dunkelbunt, Makyo, Dulce Vita, Calamity Sam, Azure, Zoe Jakes, Analisa, Tatyana +

August -September updates

Underground Nomads this Tuesday with DJ AMAR + CALAMITY SAM, KAE MONTGOMERY, KITTLE BEASTIES, HOLLY SHAW

NEW TUESDAY NIGHT WEEKLY at F8 with rotating DJs CHEB i SABBAH, DJ AMAR, DJ SEP & DULCE VITA + SPECIAL GUESTS …

Dance Performances curated by Gina Grandi.

9PM-1AM. DANCE PERFORMANCES 10:00.
DJ SET FOLLOWING FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT.
AT F8 / 1192 FOLSOM, SF

Drink Specials + Happy Hour each week!
This Week: $4 Guinness + $5 Bulleit – Picked by Amar for Calamity Sam 🙂

September brings exciting performances by residents FatChanceBellyDance, Verbatim and more, plus very Special Guest music producers and DJs from Austria and Japan, Dunkelbundtand Makyo.

September Schedule:

First Tuesday CHEB i SABBAH – Sept 3

Special Guest Opium Sabbah

FATHER + SON Special Night!

Guest Dancers Jennifer Faust, Millie Maddox, Laura Albert. (Vancouver, BC)

Second Tuesday DJ AMAR – Sept 10

+ FatChanceBellyDance, Shanti Jourdan (Los Angeles), Surreyya Hada.

Post-Reverence weekend party: Free Entry before 10pm with Reverence ticket. 2-for-1 until 11.

3rd Tuesday DJ SEP – Sept 17

+ Guest dancers VERBATIM (Unmata/Hot Pot, Sacramento), Danielle & Jeanette, Bramani, Masha

4th Tuesday DULCE VITA – Sept 24
– Special Night: Post-Symbiosis Shakedown

+ Special Guests DUNKELBUNT (Austria) and MAKYO Live (Japan)

Dance Performances by Calamity Sam, Tatyana, Mohini, Azure.
$5-10 sliding scale cover for this night. The night begins at 8PM with a special Live set by Makyo’s band.

Note that schedules each month may change. Check the website undergroundnomads.com or Facebook page for the latest information regarding DJs and Dancers performing each week.

F8 ° San Francisco ° Food. Art. Music.
1192 Folsom St. (@ 8th, next to Cat Club), SF.

Doors 9pm, $5 Cover (free before 9:30 on resident nights), 21+
Summer Special: 2-for-1 entry before 11pm.
*Come early so you don’t miss the awesome dance performances and Happy Hour!

Help us spread the word about our new night to your friends online and in real life :). We truly appreciate your support.

LIKE Our Facebook Page and RSVP to receive 2-for-1 cover before 11pm. Mention the 2-for-1 Summer Special at the door.

NOTE that F8 will be open for Happy Hour, so you can come even before 9 and hang out, enjoy some drink specials and appetisers. We start charging at 9:30, so if you are in early, you can stay for free (of course, we don’t mind the support, so you are free to contribute).

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Also coming up in September.:

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Dub Mission 17 Year Anniversary- All Resident Lineup + EP Release

This Sunday, September 1st, DUB MISSION will celebrate 17 years of spreading the dub virus throughout the Bay Area and beyond. DUB MSSION residents DJ SEP, MANEESH the TWISTER, VINNIE ESPARZA, and LUDICHRIS will have the dance floor jumping all night long. The night will also be a record release party for the Biggering Riddim EP, produced by DJ Sep and featuring vocals by two of Dub Missions favorite guests over the years: dr Israel and Mista Chatman.  www.dubmission.com

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Non Stop Bhangra (Date Changes) Sept. 14, Oct. 19, Nov. 16.
As always, the night will begin with the ritual Bhangra dance lesson followed by beautiful dance performances with Dholrhythms Dance Company. To round out the mix, Special Guest DJs join the decks with Non Stop Bhangra’s own DJ Jimmy Love and DJ Rav-E, with NSB dholis Pavit and Mehul rocking the drum beats. Beyond dance, Non Stop Bhangra caters to sight and sound with visuals all night by DJ Amar while NSB photographer Odell Hussey captures the experience. So come join the crew for another colorful and vibrant night with great music, friends, gratitude, happy vibes, and non stop dancing.Note the date changes for the rest of the year.

Non Stop Bhangra normally falls on the 2nd Saturday of the month, but due to some changes at the venue, NSB has been bumped to different weeks for the remainer of the year. We will likely resume 2nd Saturdays in 2014. Check nonstopbhangra.com for the latest.

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Unmata / Hot Pot I.T.S. Bay Area classes with Calamity Sam … Current Session in Progress, Drop-ins welcome.
Calamity Sam is now the Exclusive Bay Area certified instructor of Unmata / Hot Pot Improvizational style Belly Dance classes, and is teaching in Oakland/Emeryville on Monday Nights. She just completed the first 2 of the ongoing 8 week sessions, and the next one begins on August 12th.

Mondays, August 12th- September 30th: Hot Pot/Unmata Improvisational Tribal Style (LEVEL 1)
8:15pm- 9:45pm
$15 per class
info. at thecalamitysam.com
Level 2 and 3 classes coming soon.

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Symbiosis Gathering: Featuring Electric Vardo / DJ Amar + Friends
Incredible lakeside location. Dancing all night till sunrise. Swimming in crystal clear waters. Sunrise and sunset views from lakeside dance floors. Yoga, Inspirational Speakers and Workshops, Cirque Theatre Comedy, Surrealist Bingo Kids Area, Mind Blowing Art Installations. FULL SG13 LINEUP: www.SymbiosisGathering.com

The ELECTRIC VARDO lineup (Friday night) will feature Dan Cantrell on accordion, Susanah Goldenstein (aka SooozhyQ) on doumbec, Karolina Lux on trumpet, Elizabeth Strong on zills and Jef Stott on oud with DJ Amar and Dulce Vita rockin the decks global style, joined b ydancers  Calamity Sam, UNMATA, Elizabeth Strong and Karolina Lux.

November-December

11/19 E2LA . 11/24 Worldly . 11/30 Taverna Nights
12/2 FCBD 25 Yr Anniversary

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Monday November 19 (LA): Eclectic Ensemble – Scorpio Sagittarius Fun Bash (STREAMING LIVE)
Join us for another night of TMI (Total Madness Improv) Belly Dance, an all-improv fusion belly dance show with music mixed by DJ Amar. It’s a Party and a Show at Donavon’s homey studio in Eagle Rock. Bring a snack or drink for our potluck table, enjoy some wacky and great performances by some of LA’s most respected dancers sharing the stage with up and coming performers making their stage debuts in a fun, low key environment. Folks from out of town who want to watch, we will be streaming live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Iqaat Check out our last show here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19422248.
We encourage folks in LA to come to the show. It is an experience to be a part of. Doors 7:30pm. Show 8pm. $5-10 sliding scale. Folks watching in can donate at http://e2la.eventbrite.com/

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Saturday November 24 (SF): Lovetech + Worldly present Convergence
A celebration of musical roots with an organic fusion of past and future, Eastern and Western, modern and traditional. Where live electronic musicianship, interactive digital art, luscious visuals, Tribal fusion belly dance performances, inspired workshops and world infused music inspire you to dance and engage in creative convergence with our vibrant community of artists, musician-inventors and trans-cultural luminaries.
Worldly DJs Janaka Selekta, Cheb i Sabbah, DJ Sep and Amar with The Lady Fred & The Black Heart Ballads, join the Lovetech controllerist crew & guests Rich DDT, Moldover, Henry Strange, Biomimicrant, Minimasher, Pulse of the City & more in 2 rooms at The Center SF – 548 Fillmore St. (@ Oak) in SF’s Lower Haight.

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Friday November 30 (SF): Taverna Nights – An Evening of Mid Century Inspired Music and Dance
Come join us for the 2nd Taverna Nights, hosted by Tatyana Balte & Calamity Sam. After a greatly successful debut show last month with guests Dusty Paik and Laura Elisabeth, they’re back with a new lineup this month featuring Gibson Pearl, Lisa Hyde and Danielle Lottridge, in addition to your hosts, with music support by DJ Amar. 10pm, Upstairs at Belden Taverna in SF. Cover is $10-15 sliding scale.

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Sunday December 2 (San Francisco): FatChanceBellyDance 25 Year Anniversary Party & Show

Come celebrate the birth of American Tribal Style Belly Dance, right down the street from the FCBD studio in SF, where it all started 25 years ago. This is both a party and show, so come hang out with us, have some drinks with us, and watch some performances by FatChanceBellyDance and Special Guests Wendy Martlatt and Malia DeFelice. There will be some dancefloor time for those who wish to hit the dancefloor, with DJ Amar. Tickets are on sale now. Limited reserved seating.

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DJ Amar’s music store on Amazon . Calamity Sam’s Etsy Shop

DJ Amar’s Facebook Page .Electric Vardo Facebook Page

November kickoff

Friday November 2 (San Francisco): NICKIE’S FLASHBACK – Cheb i Sabbah Fundraiser at Bissap Baobab Village
A special night to both celebrate old times and give Chebiji some more support toward his cancer treatment, Join DJ CHEB i SABBAH himself, joined by JANAKA SELEKTA & DJ AMAR for a night reminiscent of the Nickie’s days. Nickie’s regular Shabi Farooq will be joining us on the mic and tabla. Rockabelly and Calamity Sam will open the night with dance performances, followed by dancefloor beats by DJ Amar, Cheb i Sabbah and Janaka Selekta.

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Friday November 9 (Oakland): Prana Rhythm – Yoga Dance Party with DJ Amar at Piedmont Yoga Studio
A yoga open house with four of the Bay Area’s up-and-coming yoga teachers. Stay for music, mingling and munchies. Doors 6:30pm, Yoga open house: 7:00pm, After Party 8:30 – 11:00pm with DJ Amar.

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Saturday November 10 (SF): Non Stop Bhangra – Celebrates Diwali
As we wind down 2012 before heading into hibernation for December, we invite you to come celebrate the festival of lights with the Non Stop Bhangra crew for our last NSB event of the year. Diwali is known not only for the illumination of lights, but also as a time to reflect upon and celebrate the good fortune and relationships of the passing year while spreading positive energy for the coming year. What better way to celebrate such an auspicious and beautiful occasion than to share a dance or two or three with the beautiful people on the NSB dance floor. So bring a light, your smile and your most vibrant, colorful style and get down with Non Stop Bhangra one last time this year!

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Sunday November 11 (SF): Dub Mission – Dr. Israel – Ghetto Defendent: Remixed – CD Release Party
DUB MISSION presents an exclusive Bay Area appearance! featuring dr. ISRAEL (vocals, sound system and live remixing and CLIFF TUNE on drums Record Release Party for GHETTO DEFENDANT: REMIXES plus DJ SEP (Dub Mission) at Elbo Room – 647 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110. On this night dr. Israel will be playing with live drummer Cliff Tune (Con Brio & Artemis). He’ll be performing live versions from his newly remixed Ghetto defendant EP, (whose release we’ll be celebrating) along with a selection of his original hit tunes of classic dancehall, roots reggae, dub and dubstep in a special high energy sound system show.

October 2012 Events update

Well hello there 🙂

It has been some time since I have updated you with what’s going on …  But i’m back with a lots of upcoming events to tell you about, including Taverna Nights (Friday) and Non Stop Bhangra (Saturday) this weekend, Unmata’s Blood Moon Regale next weekend and Shadowdance the following weekend.We’ll be kicking off November with a Nickie’s style night with Cheb i Sabbah at Bissap Baobab Village on the 2nd, LA folks can enjoy a special Zulu Lounge at the Craft & Folk Art Museum on the 10th, and Calamity Sam will be teaching and performing at the Bad Ass Dance Festival in Santa Maria on the 17th … and, we’ll be taking the following weekend off to sleep :).

In December, we’ll be celebrating FatChanceBellyDance’s 25 year anniversary. More on November and December events later. I’m going to try to keep up with posting updates more often and not disappearing for so long :).Further down the road (next year – but with Tix and Registrations on sale and going on sale right around the corner): Cues & Tattoos and Tribal Fest – and the AfterParties. Amar will be teaching at Cues & Tattoos in Seattle in March. Calamity Sam will be teaching on Tuesday at Tribal Fest in May. Electric Vardo will be co-hosting afterparties for both festivals in 2013. Tribal Fest AfterParty tix (and Tribal Fest registration) go on sale Nov. 1. Cues & Tattoos is on sale now.

Below are details for the upcoming goodies this month.

Friday October 12 (SF): TAVERNA NIGHTS – An Evening of Mid Century Inspired Music and Dance
Come to Tatyana Balte & Calamity Sam’s first venture together. They have created this unique show from the ground up, and will be launching it this Friday. Join is for the first Taverna Nights, upstairs at Belden Taverna in SF. I’ll be joining them for musical support. The night will feature performances by Guests Dusty Paik and Laura Elisabeth, and of course Tatyana & Sam! Cover is $10-15 sliding scale.

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Saturday October 13 (SF): NON STOP BHANGRA – 8 Year Anniversary featuring DJ SEP
The night will start with a Baraat Mob – Indian Wedding Style – in the streets of the mission, marching to the venue for the Anniversary kickoff.

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Friday & Saturday October 19-20 (Sacramento): Unmata’sBLOOD MOON REGALE – 10 Years of UNMATA
The 12 Annual Blood Moon Regale celebrates Unmata’s 10 Year Anniversary with a Star-studded line-up of dancers. The weekend starts with a Friday night fire show, the theater show on Satuday evening and an Afterparty with Special Guest Cheb i Sabbah. – and Amar too.

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Saturday October 27 (Oakland): SHADOWDANCE – A Darkly Intense, Heartpounding Journey into the Silhouette of Night.
Ariellah hosts the 6th annual Shadowdance on this weekend leading into Halloween. What better way to get yourself into the Spirit? Shadowdance promises to be a brilliant night of dark arts featuring dance performances and music that will leave you haunted for days.

Mid Summer Nights in Boise, Seattle, SF

Travels abound for Sam and Amar. This time it’s a road trip to the beautiful Northwest. Our first stop is Boi … wait, not so fast … This Weekend is the Non Stop Bhangra Global Massive with Surya Dub taking over the loft for a Tropical Bass spectacular. Nearing the end of the month, we head to Boise for our favorite festival in the world, Fusion Fest. Sam will be teaching and performing, and i’ll be DJing the AfterParty. After Fusion Fest, we head west for some time off in Portland and Bellingham before we hit Tacoma on the 4th for Cirque De Bijoux and Seattle on the 5th for Djinn & Tonic with Kristine Adams. This will be our first time performing in Seattle. We will be back there for Cues & Tattoos in the springtime too.

Below are details for the upcoming goodies.

Saturday July 14 (SF): NON STOP BHANGRA – Global Massive Month – SURYA DUB

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July 27-29 (BOISE, ID): FUSION FEST – Boise’s Premier Fusion Belly Dance Festival Featuring Workshops by SOOZ, KAROLINA LUX, CALAMITY SAM & more. AfterParty Friday Night with DJ AMAR & Special Guest Dancers Presented by Cairo Fusion Dance.

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Saturday August 4 (Tacoma, WA): Cirque De Bijoux at The Dalton Club, 733 Commerce St. in Tacoma. Calamity Sam will be performing, Amar will be DJing after the performances. Details will be posted on Amar’s Facebook Page in a few days.

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Sunday August 5 (Seattle, WA): DJINN & TONIC – Gypsy Dance Party featuring Kristine Adams (FCBD), Belly Belly Hip, Calamity Sam (CA), DJ Amar (CA), Skin Deep & more @ The Can Can (Pike Place). Kristine will be teaching in Seattle all weekend, hosted by Skin Deep Dance.

First track in progress, new collaboration

I have just laid down the base layers for my first track, which will be featured in an upcoming music video project with my friends Jennifer Faust and Freyja.  We have a great film and special effects crew to help make this happen.

I have recently embarked on a new collaboration with concert pianist Michael Glenn Williams. We will have our first concert on Wednesday March 28th in Thousand Oaks at the Black Box. This collaboration features Michael playing live while I process the sounds and mix in electronic beats. It’s a cinematic sound with abstract elements and a dark fusion feel.

This is my first attempt at posting regular blog updates.
More soon. Thanks for your support – Amar

Feb. 2012 Newsletter

2 new albums released by G.S. Sachdev – Available on CD or Download                 Website and Graphic Design by Calamity Sam 
Calamity Sam‘s New Necklaces – Coming soon on Etsy (Check her Etsy Page on Monday)

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Sat. Feb.11 NON STOP BHANGRA
*New Location: Public Works SF, 2nd Saturdays*
East Coast Bhangra lands in SF with Basement Bhangra’s DJ Rekha,
joining NSB for the First Time Ever!
Plus the usual crew with special guests. Amar on visuals.

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Sunday Feb. 19 DUB MISSION
– Sundays at Elbo Room, SF –
presents Zion Train featuring Neil Perch with Rocker T plus DJ Sep

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March 29 ZULU LOUNGE LA
*New Location: King King, Hollywood
Featuring MARDI LOVE, DJ Amar, LA’s favorite dancers & more.

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April 11 JET SET
Luka’s Taproom & Lounge, Oakland
Guest DJ Amar & resident DJ Santero

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May 5 G.S. SACHDEV
Concert at Palace of Fine Arts, SF
Classical Indian ragas with Bansuri Maestro G.S. Sachdev,
joined by Tabla Virtuoso Swapan Chaudhuri.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see these two masters in one of the Bay Area’s Premiere venues.
Presented by CIIS – Tickets on sale now. Book early for best seating.
*2 New Albums by G.S. Sachdev available on CD. Click HERE to order.

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May 18-19 Cosmik Casbah TRIBAL FEST AFTER-PARTY
2 nights at The Hopmonk Tavern, Sebastopol, CA
Featuring
Beatbox Guitar wth Pete List (Djinn) from Brooklyn, NY
Cheb i Sabbah (1002 Nights, Six Degrees)
DJ Sep (dub mission)
Dulce Vita (Opulent Temple)
DJ Amar (Electric Vardo, Surya Dub)
The Mata Hari Hustle
& a Top Notch selection of performances each night with Surprise Guests.
Full lineup and Tickets at cosmikcasbah.wordpress.com

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Summer so far:

June 1-3
Cairo Caravan, aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.
Amar teaches “Mastering Your Mix” – Music Mixing workshop for dancers
and DJs at the Saturday night Gala show.

June 29-July 1
DANCE FROM WITHIN
Yoga and Belly Dance Retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains with
Amy Sigil, Kami Liddle, Ashley Lopez, DJ Amar.
Amar teaches “Mastering Your Mix”  workshop
and DJs Saturday night.

July 27-29
FUSION FEST
Boise, ID
One of my Favorite Fusion Belly Dance festivals in the world, in the lil town of Boise, Idaho.
Friday Night show, Saturday Competition, Show + Afterparty with DJ Amar, Workshops all weekend.
Lineups, Workshop Instructors and details will be announced in the springtime.

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That’s all for now!

Thank you for your support – Amar.

October Newsletter

I’m taking a few minutes out from packing for our upcoming Europe trip to say Hi and send an update on things happening in the world of Electric Vardo, DJ Amar & Calamity Sam and extended Electric Vardo family members.

First off, we are winding down to the last few days of my fundraising effort for my new music production project.

If you haven’t heard already, I’m making an album. Upon returning from my Europe tour, I will be starting from the ground up, collaborating with musicians and producers, creating some of my own music, and within a year’s time, I plan to finish a complete album. You can help me along with this in a number of ways.

Whether you wish to donate or just find out more about the project, visit my page HERE for a description of what I am doing.

Here are 3 ways you can help, and gain some goodies for yourself:
DJ Amar Kickstarter project
Items on eBay from my old store
Music on my Amazon Store

A week from today, Calamity Sam and I head to spain for the first of our trio of gigs in Europe. Here is a link to our tour page on farcebook 🙂 … http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121814811245962

And here’s the promo video for the festival. You’ll see Sam and me in there 🙂

We begin our journey joining Unmata, Mira Betz, Tjarda and many other amazing dancers in Valencia for VLC TRIBAL FEST, where Sam will be teaching 2 workshops (Oct. 31) and performing in the big weekend show “Alice in TribalLand” (Oct. 29).

I will be DJing the Tribal Party Show on Halloween (Oct. 31), accompanied by Calamity Sam, Olivia Kissel and other dancers.

After VLC, and a few days vacationing in southern Spain, we will head to England for a weekend in Brighton with Hilde Cannoodt. Sam and I will both be teaching workshops on Saturday Nov. 12 in Brighton. Before that though, Friday night, Nov. 11, we will be taking over the Proud Brighton Ballroom with Top Shelf Jazz.

From the UK, we head to the Netherlands for The UZUME’s Beyond Bellydance IV. After an amazing show in March with Ariellah and Shakra, we will be returning to join Cera Byer and Olivia Kissel. Sam will be teaching on Wednesday Nov. 16th in Den Haag to open the festival. I will be teaching on Friday Nov. 18th also in Den Haag. The big show on Sunday Nov, 20 is at Rasa in Utrecht.

Then we come home :).

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And while we will be overseas, there are some great local events that I would like to recommend.

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Dub Mission presents a special “halloween-ish” show on Sunday Oct. 30 with The Spit Brothers plus residents J. Boogie and DJ Sep.

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Zulu Lounge Zulu Lounge LA presents Kami Liddle and Zoe Jakes, along with some of LA’s greatest Tribal Fusion and experimental dancers plus DJs Imagika Om and Psychotropic, Thursday November 17 at Boardner’s in Hollywood.

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And sharing some exciting news …

My good friend who also happens to be one of my favorite creative collaborators, Christine Garvin (You may have seen her on stage with Dholrhythms at Non Stop Bhangra, with her dance partner Monica as bHop mOves, with me on stage at Tribal Fest and the afterparties, The Groove Garden, at another event or on KRON 4 News’ segment on our big New Year’s Eve show a few years ago) is offering nutrition and wellness consultations nationwide (and hey, why not internationally?) to people who are interested. And why should you be interested? Because now is the time to get stronger from the inside, to gain more peace that reverberates on the outside, and to enjoy every little bit of this precious life. Click on the image below to read more and visit her site on Living Holistically … with a Sense of Humor

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Halloween Release of Maduro’s new album BLACK MAGIC KINGDOM.
Click on album cover below to see article and listen to samples.
New music video on the way by Yours Truly.
Check the Octofoil Records website for order info.
Digital Release Oct. 31, 2011

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THANK YOU for your support,
Amar