DJ Amar and Calamity Sam & Top Shelf Jazz
DJ Amar
Amar is amongst a handful of local DJs whose
taste cuts a path through an abundance of musical selections and leads
dancefloors into a hypnotic sway like snakes before the charmer. In this
instance the muse is a masala that brews sounds from the Middle East and Balkans
with rhythms of the Asian underground and electric Brazilian vibes. Whether its
dubstep, breaks, bhangra, drum & bass or downtempo the global nature of Amar’s
sets bridges a multi-culti span from the world to the Bay Area.
As a DJ and promoter, he has collaborated and shared the stage with some of the
Bay Area's & world's most innovative Musicians, DJs and dancers including DJ
Sep, Dr. Israel, Lorin / Bassnectar, Nitin Sawhney, Cheb i Sabbah, Sharon
Kihara, Frederique, Rachel Brice, Mira Betz, Miriam Peretz, Unmata, The Uzume,
Ariellah, Elizabeth Strong, Ultra Gypsy, DJ Dragonfly, Maneesh the Twister,
Giamma, Urban Tribal, Dub Gabriel, Dholrhythms, Nader, Midival Punditz, Shabaz,
Sila, Zoe Jakes, Beats Antique, Brass Menazerie, Ansuya, Freyja, Lady Ra, Third
Eye Tribe, DJ Layla, Karsh Kale, Janaka, State of Bengal, Dr Das & Ramjac, Jimmy
Love, Glitch Mob and others.
Producer and resident of the bay area's Global Gypsy night ELECTRIC VARDO, Amar
regularly performs at SFs hottest venues including Club Six, DNA Lounge,
Nickie's, 1015 Folsom, Temple, 111 Minna, Roe, 12 Galaxies, Amnesia, Bollyhood,
Mighty, El Rio, Underground SF, Elbo Room and Rickshaw Stop with Dhamaal,
Nonstop Bhangra, Surya Dub, Worldly, Opel, Dance Jam, Triple Power, & the Groove
Garden plus other ongoing and special events & festivals worldwide.
Calamity Sam
A life-long dance admirer, Calamity has always loved music and its’ attitudes- and it was this that pushed her to study dance later in life than most. Her first formal dance class was in community college just after High School. Since then, Sam has seen dance as an integral part of her life, leaving it only to focus on her visual art education (which never happens for very long).
Early teachers and mentors include Zahra Zuhair, Heather Shoopman, and Sherri Wheatley, as well as those that brought new forms of movement to light. The influence of these teachers and performers help Calamity to push her dance to new places every time she steps on stage. Now, (thanks to those just mentioned) the use of character and musicality have become the hallmarks of Calamity Sam’s stage persona.
In every performance, she seeks to have the audience enjoy themselves as much as she does while performing- whether it is a slow and serious piece or a light, comedic romp.
Above all, Calamity Sam sees tribal fusion belly dance as the medium of the eclectic- stringing together the pieces of inspiration from all over the world and mixing them up in her own way.
Top Shelf Jazz
London based Top Shelf Jazz will be performing at the Brighton Ballroom on the 11th of November.
Direct from Lucifer’s drinks cabinet, a band whose original tunes are so distinctive and licentious that they spawned their own delectable style: ‘Filthy Swing’. Devout fans know the ‘Jazz Age’ never finished and that Gatsby lives on! Born in the dark cabaret dens of Europe, the inimitable style and rakish banter of Top Shelf Jazz make them a most notorious and revered band. You will be driven to drink and dance with wild abandon. So lock up your morals, break open the liquor and leave your troubles at the door!
PERFORMANCE
Friday 11th November 2011
show starts at 10pm - 2am
Live music by Top Shelf Jazz
DJ set by DJ Amar
Guest performances by Hilde Cannoodt and Calamity Sam
Brighton Ballroom
St Georges Road, Brighton
Tickets £8 / £10 at the door
note: a £ 0.50 fee is added to ticket purchased via paypal
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Saturday 12th November 2011:
2 - 3.30pm: Mastering your Mix - with DJ Amar
Learn how to make an impressive sounding mix for your next performance using industry standard, state-of-the-art software that you can download for free. If you find yourself envious of certain dancers who blow the audience away with their style and music mixes, this workshop is for you. With a few simple steps you can adjust bass, midrange and treble frequencies; cross-fade one track into the next or edit a track down to just the portions you need; adjust the volume on one song if it is noticeably lower or higher than another; add layers using beats and ambient melodies from other songs.
Do you love a song and want to use it, but it is just too long? Is there a portion of a song you want to use, but don’t know how to edit it smoothly? Have you performed at a gig and given the “DJ” (or sound person) your CD with 2 or more tracks on it, and the wrong track gets played? Or your set gets cut short? Would you like to control exactly when your next track starts? Would you like to be able to mix a continuous set with smooth transitions rather than stop the momentum and wait for the next song to begin? With his laptop and a projector, Amar will give an overview of key features and shortcuts to get yourself started, show you how to edit a track, use the fade in and out feature, add a second track, and then he will make a mix using 3 songs with one piece of music overlayed onto another.
Software used: AUDACITY - Amar mixes his sets using Audacity, free software which is compatible with Windows and Mac. He will be teaching using this software. You can also use Garage Band on your Mac, which works fairly similarly, with minor differences.
LEVEL: This is an introductory course that will go over the basics of using the software and important tools relevant to mixing your set for stage performance. If you are already mixing your sets like a pro, you don’t need to take this workshop. If you are semi familiar with mixing using software, and could use pointers on key features and shortcuts that can turn several hours work into 45 minutes, then this workshop could benefit you
3.30pm - 5.30pm: Calamitous Combos: Sam's Sassy Selections - with Calamity Sam
Come and learn the break down of some of Calamity Sam’s typical dance combinations. 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 the elements of the Combinations. You can expect a series of isolations, as well as pops, locks, and serpentine movement.
LEVEL: all levels are welcome, however some belly dance experience is recommended.
FEES
£16 - Amar's workshop
£25 - Calamity Sam's workshop
£36 for both workshops
You don't need a paypal account to pay via this paypal link. You can fill in give your card details onto the secure payment page. If you wish to pay by cheque or bank transfer, this is possible also. Please contact Hilde for further info. Please note that once a payment is made, refunds cannot be made (unless the workshop is fully booked and has a waiting list)
PLACE TO BE FOR WORKSHOPS
The Dance Station
UNIT 4, 57, North Street, PORTSLADE, BN41 1DH
OUT OF TOWN VISITORS
If you are from out of town and you are looking for a place to stay, follow this link to find some recommendations of reasonably prices hostels and hotels. Or find out more about travel to and from Brighton and around Brighton
If you have some time left and you are not too tired from dancing at the workshops, I have selected some of my favourite places to go shopping, to eat and to go out in the evening. Here are some suggestions
WATCH & LISTEN
DJ Amar
Top Shelf Jazz
CALAMITY SAM