Bellydance @ The Peoples Lounge 2

Wednesday night, I had the pleasure to belly dance for the Bourbon Street festivities held at the Peoples Lounge. The show is hosted by the lovely Shelita Vaughns and her amazing band. It was a great night of music, DJ, and belly dance. It was tons of fun to belly dance for the show, and as always a brilliant form of creative expression. I had finished my day of 5 yoga sessions which began at 6:00 am, only to change into my belly dance outfit in the evening. I almost took a nap on one of the Peoples Lounge sofas, when I heard Shelita announce the song Seduction (which I dance for). I got up and snaked my body to the charming seductive sound of the music. Towards the end of the song, Shelita gave me a special shout out, only to be received by friendly screams and cheers! WOW, that was a great way to end an evening! Personally, I think every woman should take a belly dance class, at least once. Embracing our sensual side, and expressing our femininity in the form of dance is always refreshing, and the classes are usually fun.

Jam Sessions @ The Peoples Lounge 09/16/09

So the other night, I was invited back to perform at the People's Lounge "Jam Sessions", hosted by the lovely Shelita Vaughns. The cozy lounge was busy with a chilled out crowd ready to hear smooth, soulful music. I had an entire day of yoga sessions (starting from 5am), so lets just say I was a bit tired. Since music is one of my passions, it was a pleasure to be invited to play with such a talented group of artists. I opened the show with a small set of originals. Somehow, the boom mic was broken, so it required some flexibility on my part to adjust the mic between my legs and play keys around the stand. It was a new approach for me. After my set was the amazing Miss C. Devone, followed by Mr. Zuwadi and another performer who I unfortunately never got to see but heard was pretty amazing also. The audience was wonderful as always. The band musicians brought fire to the live music scene and the performers energized the crowd. Once again it was a lovely night of music. Thanks Shelita for organizing a wonderful event.

Bellydance @ The Peoples Lounge

8-26-09, Live @ The Peoples Lounge, Ambria (myself) & Alicia (my beautiful friend) did a few bellydance routines for the wonderful, Shelita Vaughns and her amazing band. As usual a fantastic crowd was buzzing at this monthly Bourbon Street event on the Lower East Side. We were the special guest treat for the night! We danced to Shelita's songs "Seduction" and "Coffee". Since space was limited, just a half an hour before the gig, I revamped the entire choreography for "Coffee", and as expected my talented friend Alicia picked it up like the pro that she is, and we entertained the crowd with the sensual art of Bellydance. As with any live performance, the song "Seduction" was slightly different than the recording me and Alicia rehearsed to, but we improvised a bit and pulled it off. I must admit, all those years of Indian dance had a purpose.

The show was tons of fun, and the crowd loved us!!! While I am used to singing at the piano @ the Peoples Lounge, this was also a treat for me. It is always fun to express the softer, sensual feminine sides of who we are in dance, especially Bellydance. If you have never done Bellydance before, find a class in your area. Bellydance is a wonderful workout and lots of fun! Thanks Shelita for inviting me back! You & your band sounded great as usual! Thanks Alicia for joining me, it was lots of fun to dance with you. For more pics or future show dates visit: www.ambriaonline or www.myspace.com/ambriaonline

~Peace & hugs, Ambria

Ambria Live @ Peoples Lounge

Recently, I was invited to open the show for a lovely artist Shelita Vaughn & her band @ The Peoples Lounge in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The charming venue was packed with a friendly group of people enjoying the signature Hurricanes, and the after work ambiance.  This was the first time I met Shelita in person.  After we met, she introduced me to the band and the MC.  I began to do a sound check and jam a little with the bassist and drummer which was too fun!  As the evening progresses, more delightful people trickle in and I decide that I am going to seduce the crowd with a set of my romantic love songs.  Fred, the MC, introduces me to the crowd highlighting that beyond Music I also teach Yoga and belly dance which seems to draw applause and excitement from the crowd.  The lights are dim, the mood is still, and I begin to play the keys and sing my first song.  The exuberant crowd inspired me to share a new song I had just written an hour before the gig called "Love & Laughter".  It was only after the performance that I mentioned the song was written an hour prior, and they showered me with even more applause, which made me feel that the song is a keeper.  After my set, Shelita and her band took the stage.  Her music has a Southern Jazzy Pop feel, complete with keys, guitar, bass, drums, horns and background vocalists.  Shelita looked stunning and has a buttery voice.  The crowd is so great and I look forward to playing this venue again on the last Wednesday of the month.  For more music visit: www.ambriaonline.com or www.myspace.com/ambriaonline