http://www.etsy.com/shop/calamitysam
So I have put some items back up on Etsy. All of the gloves are 100% cotton and extremely comfortable to wear. Plus: machine washable!
My necklaces are all cobbled together from various bits and sparkle I have accumulated over the years. Each as a little bit of something special, and are just waiting to make your ensemble sing! 
So I’ve been lax with my updates, I know- But I’ll have some exciting news soon! watch out!
This weekend I will be performing in the evening show for “Tribal At The Nile” in Bakersfield, CA. I performed during the afternoon last year, and thought that the festival was really fun! I’m on during the 8pm set right before my girl Heather Shoopman! (Who is also TEACHING! Take her class, people! you’ll love it!)
And for all you Los Angeles people! I’m teaching at the end of the month!
April 30th, and Luna Dance Center- hosted by B.F.L.A.!!!
The workshop information:
DJ Amar and Calamity Sam are a dynamic artistic duo from the vibrant Bay Area tribal fusion bellydance scene. Don’t miss this rare chance to study with these talented and generous artists!
Sunday March 13th from 12-4pm
Mastering Your Mix: A music mixing workshop for dancers with DJ Amar (12-1:30pm)
Get Strong’n'Sassy with Calamitous Drills and Combos! with Calamity Sam (2-4pm)
440 Studios, room 4A at 440 Lafayette between Astor Place and 4th Street
advance: $65 for both workshops, $35 for one / at the door: $80 for both, $45 for one
To register or for more information please contact Sarah@alchemyperformance.com
For more info about Amar and Sam, please visit solunamar.com
and thecalamitysam.com
Mastering Your Mix: A music mixing workshop for dancers
DJ Amar (12-1:30pm)
Learn how to make an impressive sounding mix for your next performance using software that you can download for free. With a few simple steps you can adjust bass, midrange, and treble frequencies; cross-fade one track into the next; edit a track down to just the portions you need; adjust the volume of a song; and add layers using beats and ambient melodies from other songs. With my laptop and a projector, I will give an overview of key features and shortcuts to show you how to edit a track, use the fade in and out feature, add a second track, and make a mix using 3 songs. You’ll come away from the workshop knowing how to mix a continuous “Mastered” set with smooth transitions.
Get Strong’n'Sassy with Calamitous Drills and Combos!
Calamity Sam (2-4pm)
Come and learn the breakdown of some of Calamity Sam’s typical dance combinations while drilling to strengthen your body. Sassy, funny, and a little goofy- these combos can be used to add fun and comedic relief to your dance. Move from serpentine and slow to quick and isolated. The juxtaposition of these two elements can make a more dynamic dance- listening to the music for what it needs, we will apply these ideas and drill sections of Calamity’s signature style, linking them together to create combinations that can be easily inserted into your own dance. Isolations, pops, locks, and serpentine movement will be implemented, and we will be drilling level changes and arm patterns.
And the SHOW:
Sarah Johansson Locke and Alchemy Performance present
HYBRID: the Weaving
Saturday March 12th at 8:00pm
University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street (corner of Rivington), NYC
…
Featuring:
Alchemy Dance Theater
Alchemy Tribal Collective
Alchemy students
Special guests:
Donna Mejia (MA)
DJ Amar and Calamity Sam of Electric Vardo (CA)
Mavi (DC)
The Alchemy community has many threads. The central fabric of Alchemy Dance Theater, Alchemy Tribal Collective, and Sarah Johansson Locke’s students is supported and extended by our colleagues and collaborators as well as our audience, friends, and family. Our dance itself is a tapestry of tradition, reinvention, lineage, and creativity. Come join us as we gather together to celebrate the richness of this weaving in a new installment of the innovative HYBRID performance series, which Sarah founded in 1996 as a forum for new evolutions in contemporary global performance. HYBRID: the Weaving features core Alchemy dancers along with a crew of talented guest artists from across the country – all unique and inspiring threads, interwoven here to create a compelling evening of music and dance.
Advance tickets available from https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/156569
General admission $20 in advance, $25 at the door (pending availability)
Artist/Student discount $15.00 (for those who can’t afford general admission)
VIP reserved seats $40 (support the artists and get the best seats in the house reserved for you – all proceeds go towards making this production happen: rehearsals, costumes, and more)
Amar and Sam will be teaching workshops on Sunday March 13th at 440 Studios. Don’t miss a rare chance to study with these inspiring and generous artists! Amar will teach you valuable new skills with Mastering Your Mix – A music mixing workshop for dancers, and Sam will share some of her unique style with Get Strong’n'Sassy with Calamitous Drills and Combos! Visit the Alchemy website to learn more and to register.
For more info:
www.alchemyperformance.com
www.solunamar.com
www.thecalamitysam.com
www.donnamejiadance.com
www.mavibellydance.com
So the last 3 months of 2010 were really nuts. I decided to leave my office job and move from Los Angeles to Oakland, move in with my boyfriend, and work on being an independent artist and dancer. It’s a hustle, people. Every time you look at an artist without a “conventional job”- please know that they are constantly moving, talking to people, finding work for themselves to make ends meet. They’re NOT living a life of leisure and just “making art” all day.
It’s been a great experience so far. I mean, I’d love to have a day off now and then, but being able to sustain ourselves with freelance work, sound, dance, and DJ gigs- is really great. I just didn’t realize how much WORK goes into planning out all the details, making sure things are scheduled correctly, etc.
Oakland is an amazing place, and the Bay Area at large is very comfortable to me. I’m still building the map in my head and finding my way around- but I really am enjoying being out of LA right now. Don’t get me wrong. I still love LA- I’ve been trying to visit at least monthly to stay in touch with my LA family– friends and co-workers I’ve come to love as family over the 6-7 years that I called Los Angeles home. But, it was time for a change.
I’m hoping that 2011 will be a year of growth for me- in terms of my dance, and my visual art. So far, I’ve got 3 workshops booked for this year- which isn’t that many, but it’s my first real year getting out there and teaching. (Thanks to all of you that are having me! I can’t wait!)
We’ll be heading to the East Coast and Europe in March- Amar and I will BOTH be teaching along the way- he with his music mixing workshop, and me with the Calamitous combos and such. Heehee.
We JUST got back from Los Angeles where we performed in Zulu Lounge- an amazing night of dance, music, and fun! Elizabeth Strong was the headliner, and she never stops wowing me. I stare- slack jawed- at her strength and grace every time I see her perform. THEN! Her workshops! WHEW! Totally kicked my ass. But in a good way! I’m still sore, and actually liking that. hahahaha
February is shaping up to be a busy month of getting ready to leave the country- packing up not only our backpacks and case, but all of our stuff- we’ll be getting a new place once we get back, so our lives here in the US will go into storage while we’re gone. We’ll be homeless travelers for the month, and I’m perfectly fine with that!
See where we’ll be and when:
http://calamitydances.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/
Ok. So a lot has happened in the last few months, and I’m a big dork for not keeping up.
So! Here’s the super short version:
TribalRendezvous: freaking awesome
Zulu Lounge: always rules. Great night.
Bloodmoon Regale: now THAT was fun. And crazy. And crazyfun.
MOVE TO OAKLAND: wow. WOW. Still settling in, figuring things out, making it happen. Will let u know when I get to that point.
***FACEBOOK SUCKS. they deleted my account. DOH!
Things to look for: more streamlined web design, more updates, and HOPEFULLY, I’ll be teaching again soon!
August 12th, Bordello Bar- Los Angeles
Tribal Rendezvous- August 22nd-23rd
Eclectic Ensemble- September 9th, 2010
Zulu Lounge- September 12th
Thursday, August 12th
Show at 10pm
Aubre Hill and Heather Shoopman Present:
ONCE UPON A DREAM
a belly dance fusion show
Featuring:
Colleena Shakti
Aubre Hill
Heather Shoopman
Sherri Wheatley
Calamity Sam
Sooz
Lumina Dance Co.
Medianoche Dance Co.
Hannah Trimbath
Bordello Bar
901 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
For more information, please visit: www.zululoungela.com
I’m drawing a blank……lemme look at my calendar.
OH YEAH! Cairo Carnival! Fun fun fun….. Made much more fun because I actually got to stay ON the ship this year. It’s a certain kind of creepy/cool place that you’ve really gotta check out. Amar and I had a vending table with our friend and Dance Coordinator Julia. I discovered that while it’s nice to have a base of operations for a festival (I.E. the vending table) it’s also really TIRING. Having to keep track of everything AND figure out how to schedule your time to see your friends dance? I donno if I’ll do that again. Well, I probably will once the “new-ness” of the festival stuff wears off.
We're on a BOAT! (Queen Mary '10)
But anyway. Cairo was really fun….some super amazing dancers and teachers there this year. The show they had on Saturday night was in the most beautiful room/banquet hall…….gorgeous artwork on the walls behind the stage. I danced on Friday night, to a crowd of about 15 people. HEEHEE! little crowds are fun tho.
Then there was the Electric Vardo/Cherchez La Femme show at Club 6 in San Francisco. Another Fun weekend of Shows and running around and not stopping until my body won’t go anymore. You can see pictures from that show at Taboo Media:
Electric Vardo/Cherchez La Femme at Club 6
Brad is an amazing photographer, and I feel so lucky to have been there!
The next night- Sherri, Amar, and I went from seeing the second half of Fat Chance Bellydance’s “Devotion” show (eeep! more about that in a minute) to Non-Stop Bhangra (weeee!!) to the Burning Man Fundraiser at The Concourse, and finally back to Non-Stop Bhangra to finish out the night. (With a quick stop at the Crepe place to re-fuel on the way home)
Devotion: We got there during the second act, so we had to wait for intermission to get in. Which means we missed quite a few people I wanted to see….including Superkate, and Rachel Brice. 
BUT we got in at the second half, in time to see some ROCKING ATS…and Colleena. Now, Amar will tell you that I sat there dumbfounded by Colleena’s Odissi performance…..and well, he’s right. I did. I don’t know what it is about Classical Indian dance that hits me so hard…..but to see the power and emotion and the intricacy of it- and so CLOSE!!(they put us on the floor right in front of the dance area) It just did me in. You can only imagine my elation to find out that she’ll be teaching an intensive in LA next month(August). i’m THERE!
**a quick aside to say how much it means when someone- who you respect professionally dance-wise – is a pleasure to meet in person! there have been quite a few people that i have been put-off by upon meeting them…..people that exude a certain amount of ego or territorial-ness when it really isn’t needed……so the women i finally got to meet on this trip up to SF was just a breath of fresh air. To have the people i respect confirm that they are good, REAL people is something i am very grateful for.
CONTINUING! Non-Stop Bhangra. non-stop energy. non-stop sauna of crazy dancing people!!! if you EVER get the chance to go to this- DO IT!!! it’s a kick in the pants, and you just feel happy as soon as you walk in!
Hookadome @ Burning Man Funraiser. wow wow WOW. One of the loosest and most fun dance sets I’ve ever done. Sherri and I tore it up, while Amar spun- and by the time we were done, we had the whole tent PACKED with people dancing with us, and dancing to Amar’s tracks. so. much. FUN!
Back to Non-Stop Bhangra on one of the coldest nights in SF I’ve ever experienced. WHEW! and….note to self….when running around SF at night, looking for a cab (of which there are FIVE) – it’s best to wear some sort of sneaker. and not the Ballet flats i thought would be a good idea. DOH! We ended the night of dancing, tired and sweating at Non-Stop Bhangra. Sherri and I passed out in the car on the way home. Amar was the good guy and drove us home safely.
Later on in the month, I got to go to April Rose’s last LA workshop! That girl will KICK YOUR ASS. It was great. Loved her drills and the intense choreo she taught us. I could expound on this more, but you should really just go take her class. go! it’ll be fun. When she comes back from dancing with Belly Dance Super Stars, of course. The talented little minx!
HUGS! More later.
