Recap of Friday's belly dance showcase and booksigning

Friday was one of the hottest (and most humid!) days of the year here in Orange County, but the Cameron clan had a very cool time at the booksigning and belly dance showcase that Laguna Beach Books hosted for us.

The event took place on The Old Pottery Place's brick terrace overlooking Coast Highway and the beautiful Pacific Ocean, with the lovely Danielle Bauter starting things off. After her introduction, I gave a short reading of THE BELLY DANCER and then the real fun began with live Middle Eastern drumming and lots and lots of belly dancing.

I was thrilled that so many friends came out for the event, especially Diane and Mara (who also danced!) who took great care of my little belly dancer while I manned the microphone and signed books, and my multi-tasking husband managed the sound system and drummed.

Here's a peek at the evening:

The darling Taide was our first dancer for the evening

Irma Garcia followed with a great tribal fusion pieceThen it was IrinaXara, who adds a touch of Gothic flair to her tribal fusion performanceAnd then the always spectacular Sooz and troupe Azuluna, with special guest Soy, performed traditional American Tribal Style as the sun started to set Sherrie followed with a sassy tribal fusion solo

Then Mara dazzled the crowd with her awesome Egyptian cabaret style

And Shanna, who came all the way from L.A., followed with another awesome Egyptian cabaret number

And Ninyshenka wowed us with her graceful dancing Next up was Tivka, who danced to a lively Middle Eastern number

And then JJ & the Habibis, a local Laguna Beach favorite, ended the night with a big troupe number

Belly Dance Showcase and Booksigning at Laguna Beach Books on Friday

Oh, I'm getting excited about tomorrow's belly dance showcase and booksigning at Laguna Beach Books! This is going to be a great way to kick off Labor Day Weekend!

Here's the lineup so far:

Sooz & troupe Azuluna
Taide
IrinaXara
Shanna
Nini
JJ & the Habibis

and I'm *thisclose* to adding even more special guests!

We're also very happy that drummer Ed Lee will be joining us, along with his drumming friends (including my darling husband, Austin Cameron -- who will also be running the sound system for us. Yay!)

So, if you're planning to be in Laguna on Friday evening and would like to check out some great belly dancing, come by! We'll be on the brick terrace between the Laguna Beach Books and Sapphire Laguna restaurant. Come early to grab a seat on one of the benches or at the bistro tables, or just to enjoy the beautiful ocean view!

Here are the details:

WHAT: Belly Dance Showcase & Booksigning for THE BELLY DANCER, by me (DeAnna Cameron)
WHERE: Laguna Beach Books, 1200 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. In The Old Pottery Place shopping center.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4
COST: It's free!

Sept. 4 Booksigning and Showcase in Laguna Beach

If you weren't able to make it to Merry's in Long Beach on July 25 for the Book Release Party and Benefit, you'll have another chance on Friday, Sept. 4 to get a signed copy of THE BELLY DANCER and see some pretty terrific belly dancing, too.

Laguna Beach Books (1200 S. Pacific Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach) will host the hour-and-a-half-long event, starting at 6:30 p.m., and these are the performers who have signed up so far :

JJ & the Habibis

Sooz & troupe Azuluna

Hipsy Gypsy

Taide

Melissa

with Ed Lee & friends on doumbek

The dancing will take place in the brick courtyard between Sapphire Laguna restaurant and the bookstore. It's a lovely location on Coast Highway with an ocean view. Street parking is always tricky on on a Friday evening, so arriving early is advised.

Any questions? Please drop me a note at deanna AT deannacameron DOT com.

Hope to see you there!

Showcase night at Sophia's in Placentia

Great dancing, a great restaurant, and lots of truly friendly faces – that about sums up the OC Bellydance Connection Showcase at Sophia’s Greek restaurant in Placentia on Tuesday night.

After showcase hostess Rachel welcomed everyone, she introduced local belly dance teacher and longtime performer Marlena Shaw, who made her entrance in dramatic Egyptian cabaret fashion with a lovely silk veil trailing behind her that nicely complemented her dazzling daisy yellow costume. She danced part of her number on the restaurant’s diminutive dance floor and then came into the audience and danced with the crowd, pulling willing participants into the aisle to dance along with her. The audience loved it, as you can tell from the pictures.

Then it was Rachel’s turn on the dance floor, and she charmed the crowd with a lively number set to a “Leila,” by popular Arabic singer Hakim joined by R&B legend James Brown. The upbeat music and the surprising mix of Hakim’s and Brown’s styles had everyone’s toes tapping and hands clapping.

The evening’s final performer was Deborah, who performed two numbers, including a graceful veil choreography set to one my favorite songs “Layali al Sharq.” As I watched and admired her, it occurred to me that I’d been attending her annual Market at the Casbah event in Fullerton for years and I’d never once seen her dance -- until now. Let me just say, wow, this lady can dance.

As usual, I took lots of pictures and only a few of them came out. You can head over here, though, to see a bunch more.

Announcing: Gypsy Groove belly dance showcase

Here's the flier for my upcoming dance showcase, which will be held at House of Grind in Foothill Ranch. You can see a bigger version of the flier here.

Parking is plentiful and free, the cafe is comfortable and casual, there are lots of comfy seats, and there's no cover charge. So, if you're in the area (or planning to be), I hope you'll mark your calendars and come out to join us for some great dancing.

Bellydance Showcase debuts in Placentia

Members of the fledgling OC Bellydance Meetup Group held their inaugural Bellydance Showcase on April 28 at Sophia's Greek restaurant in Placentia. We were happy to hear from Rachel, the group's founder and event organizer, that the showcase was a hit.

Here's what she says:

"Our first bellydance showcase was a resounding success. The dancers were Perizad (pictured left), me (pictured above), Fatin, Aminah, and Farah (pictured below). Fatin and I were dancing for the very first time in front of an audience. The audience was very supportive and forgiving. Clips are on YouTube under 'oc bellydance showcase.'

"Perizad was the hostess for the first Showcase, and she did a great job. We had a large turnout, and I got to meet lots of great people. Next time we will start the dancing later to let people get their food first. It was a bit chaotic with dancers and waiters trying not to bump into each other. LOL!

"After the performances, we put on the music and let everyone dance ... definitely my favorite part of the night.

"We did forget to pass the tip basket around. Oh,well."

Rachel adds that the group is already working to schedule the next date. Check http://bellydance.meetup.com/344 for updates.