Sayyadina performs with Elysium Dance Theatre at the Steampunk Ball

This Sunday the MALEDICTION SOCIETY celebrates our "THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY" with the annual "STEAMPUNK BALL". And you, dear society members, are encouraged to dress to the tens in a visage of anachronistic "never was" futuristic pneumatic glory! Even better, goggles will get you $5 ENTRY till 10:30PM! (See? The goggles do something afterall!) And as they have since the very beginning, resident automatons DJ Amanda Jones and DJ Xian will keep your springs wound with clockwork cacaphony of DARKWAVE, SYNTHPOP, INDUSTRIAL, EBM, and NEOCLASSICAL aural harmonics.

For followers in the dancesteps of Terpsichore, it is with great pleasure that we welcome the ELYSIUM DANCE THEATRE, featuring Elayssa (of Desert Sin), Sayyadina, Nikii, and Sherri. On the main floor, come the witching hour, our muses will perform "Dif-fi-dence", a expression of the conflicting machinations of the inner critic~ In our Red Room, tempt fate with our resident fortune tellers, Scarab and Soma, or discover la fee verte with Sir Nik (of the The Louge Effect) as he serves authentic absinthe (Kuebler, St. George, and Lucid). On the patio for this evening, we welcome our the bardic skills of Preston Gelberwolf. Don't forget, doors are now open at 9PM!!!

buy my spot in Heather Stants' workshop at MECDA Carnivale!

I can't make it to Carnivale on Sunday, and that means YOU get to take a class with the fabulous Heather Stants of Urban Tribal. Original price of $25 acceptable via PayPal. You know you want it!!

Sunday 9:30 – 11:00 am Fast and Funky: New Urban Tribal Combos :: Heather Stants
Urban Tribal Dance Company is know for complexity and creativity. Learn some of the movements that make up the UTDC repertoire and then string them into fabulously funky combinations for use in improv or choreography.

selling off my spot in the fantastic Sadie drum solo workshop at MECDA Carnivale

Once again I have double-booked myself and find I need to be in two places at once on the morning of Saturday June 7. Since that's not really possible, please help me out by treating yourself to class wtth the unbelievably beautiful and talented Sadie at MECDA Carnivale. Asking original price of $25, but you will save yourself the 0.99 online service charge by buying directly form me! Drop me a line re: payment options. Thank you!! (And if anyone manages to steal a TIme Turner from Hermione Granger, I'd be interested in buying it off you ...)

workshop info:
Saturday 9:30 – 11:00 am Drum Solo Secrets :: Sadie
Sadie is known world wide for her awesome drum solo technique and choreographies. She has been featured on many performance and instructional videos displaying her unique skill. In this workshop Sadie will take you through a series of exercises and drills that will break down the technique and her drum solo secrets like "Pops" and "Locks" to help you develop sharper more defined isolations necessary for fast drum solo choreographies.

Sayyadina teaching Physical Transformation workshop at Shaman's Vision II

I’m teaching a workshop with the theme of Physical Transformation at Shaman’s Vision alternative belly dance event in Tehachepi on Sunday May 4 at 11:00am.

Explore your extreme ranges of movement and create otherworldly characters through dance and mask work. Do something new and bizarre and bring a whole new aspect to your gothic and fusion performances.

The event's theme is "Hell's Portal Opens," so come out and get in touch with your inner demon! Enjoy a day full of performances and vending and support this wonderful new event. Go to mecda.org/events.html and scroll down tot he flier for more information.

Alamkara dancing at Dar Maghreb this Tuesday 3/4!

Come join me and members of my fabulous belly dance troupe ALAMKARA at the beautiful Dar Maghreb Restaurant in Hollywood this Tuesday March 4 as we dance for our own enjoyment and your entertainment!

Enjoy the fine cuisine of Morocco in a multi-course meal consisting of lentil soup, chilled salads, fresh baked bread, honey lamb or lemon chicken (vegetarian entrees can be prepared upon request), couscous with vegetables and Moroccan cookies with mint tea for dessert. All this plus a fabulous show for just $25.00 per person!! (Tax, tips and alcohol not included.)

Feast in a Moroccan palace and be enchanted by the beautiful dancing of beautiful women! If you're always saying you should get out and enjoy the amazingly varied culture that this town has to offer, THIS is a great opportunity.

Dar Maghreb Restaurant is located at 7651 Sunset Blvd. on the corner of Stanley Ave. in Hollywood. Valet parking is available. www.darmaghrebrestaurant.com

Reservations can be made for dinner between 7 and 8 pm; show starts promptly at 8 pm. Call 323.876.7651 and be sure to mention the showcase!

Don't miss out! This will be one of the last showcases at the magical Dar Maghreb Restaurant. The restaurant is under new ownership and will close for renovations this summer. It's the end of an era!

Hope to see you Tuesday!
Cynthia Beckert
aka Sayyadina

PS Bring singles if you'd like to tip the dancers!

Sayyadina (Cynthia) performs in all-female OTHELLO!

Nine women play all the roles. I guarantee you have NEVER seen anything like this before. Set in facist Italy 1938, the tragedy of a man who "loved not wisely but too well" unfolds upon the state-of-the-art stage at The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena. Go to their website for more information (www.bostoncourt.com), and contact me for comp tickets. There's belly dancing, racism, gunfire, fisticuffs and strangulation. What more could you ask from a night at the theatre?

Cynthia (Sayyadina) performs at Gothla this Saturday 2/9!

Come get a taste of dark fusion at its finest. Haul your cookies down to Fullerton and see Sayyadina perform with Elayssa of Desert Sin, Nikii of Subee Djinn and Sherri Wheatley of Belly Dance Superstars. Many other wonderful performers are on the daytime menu, and there's a rockin' evening show as well. Then we're taking over a local dance club, so grab your black eyeliner and get your vinyl-clad ass out there. See you on the dance floor! www.gothla.com

Come see us perform at Gothla US: The Conjuring

The first annual gothic themed belly dance convention is rockin' Fullerton Feb 9-10. Come see Elayssa (of Desert Sin), Sherri (of Bellydance Superstars), Nikki (of Subee Djinn) and me (of Alamkara) perform "Diffidence", our much-celebrated creation from An Evening of Experimental Middle Eastern Dance. Many other fabulous gothic performers will be showing their stuff as well, and there are classes to take and lovely things to buy. Come out and see us!!

gothla.com/

Sayyadina does cabaret

OK, I'll admit it - sparklies are a LOT of fun!! I'm diggin' this cabaret thing, I must say. Soloed at Princess Farhana's Moun of Tunis showcase this month and had a blast. Expect to see a lot more of the sparkly side of Sayyadina in upcoming months. This lovely ensemble is courtesy of Inara. Isn't it beautiful?

I need a roommate by Feb 1st!!

Greetings, lovely tribe-folk. I need a sane female non-smoker to share my beautiful 2-bedroom
garden apartment in Sherman Oaks, CA beginning Feb 1. Rent is $725 + utilities. Right next
door to Starbucks, Rite-Aid, El Pollo Loco, Jo-Anns, a deli and a beauty salon, one block from
the 101 near the 405 interchange, on Riverside Dr. between Woodman and Fulton. No pets
please, as I already have a small, friendly Pomeranian. Please pass the word around and have
folks contact me on tribe. Thank you!!

Sayyadina/Cynthia