And the July contest winner is ...

This has been such a fun contest. First, I'd like to say I really appreciate all the kind notes people sent along with their entries, both from those who have read "The Belly Dancer" and others who plan to. And it's no surprise there were a lot of entries -- 102, in fact. Those lovely dancers from Bellydance Superstars draw a crowd wherever they go, don't they? I admire these ladies so much for elevating the dance form and helping it break into the mainstream. I'm thrilled to be giving away their Solos from Monte Carlo DVD, along with the belly dance starter pack.

Anyway, let's get down to business. The winner, as usual, was selected by my charming assistant. It's such a pretty day outside, she even dressed up in her summertime best for the occasion. See:

And the winner is:

Melissa Loomis

(Congrats, congrats!!!)

Melissa, I'll be sending you an email message in the next couple of minutes to get your mailing address.

To everyone else, thank you for playing! I'll be posting a new contest soon, so please check back to http://www.deannacameron.com/ to see what's up for grabs.

Happy Friday!

Anniversary Giveaway

Can you believe it's been a year since The Belly Dancer hit bookstore shelves? Me, neither! But what an amazing year it has been!

To celebrate the big day, I'm giving away the "Bellydance Superstars Solos from Monte Carlo," which is one of my favorite performance videos. It features some terrifically talented dancers, including Rachel Brice, Jillina, and Sonia (posing on the cover), as well as Adore, Bozenka, Amar Gamal, Petite Jamilla, Sharon Kihara and Saida. Of course there are great musicians, too: Issam Houshan on drum and Nabil Khalidi on the oud.

And, as an added bonus, I'm also including the cute little Art of Belly Dancing starter pack. It includes a pair of finger cymbals, adhesive jewels, and a 32-page primer.

To enter the contest, click over to http://www.deannacameron.com/. I'll select a winner at random at noon (PDT) on Friday, July 30.

Good luck!

Belly Dancing Duo on America's Got Talent

Belly dancers Kaya and Sadie did an awesome synchronized drum solo on "America's Got Talent" on Wednesday night and are moving on to the finals in Vegas.

Go, ladies, go!

Heading to Morocco, virtually ...

I just discovered this amazing blog: The House in Marrakesh

The photos are so beautiful, and I'm finding myself returning again and again. If you're like me and don't have any exotic travels on the horizon, they might satisfy your travel bug, too.