Friday Night at Cairo Caravan

My Friday at Cairo Caravan:

* Drive to Queen Mary.

* Check in with the festival organizers.

* Find authors table (second level, awesomely renamed "Thebes Level" for the festival).

* Find my friend and tablemate, Shauna Roberts.

* Set up the authors table.

* Move authors table to a spot with a view of the stage (and the terrific dancing!)

* Set up the authors table again

* Find the Boiler Room, where my morning lecture is taking place.

* Wait for eyes to adjust to the room's darkness, search in vain for additional lighting, and -- finding none -- seriously consider changing focus of talk from the belly dancers who performed at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to belly dance ghost stories or something more suited to a scary dark place like the Queen Mary's Boiler Room.

* Sell first book of the night -- of the festival! -- to the lovely and talented and vivacious and darling and -- well, you get the idea -- Ansuya. This Bellydance Superstar has always been a superstar in my book, and I finally had the opportunity to tell her how inspiring I found her Santa Monica classes to be waaayyay back when BDSS was just a glint in Miles Copeland's eye. (Yes, this was a big fangirl moment for me, hence, the goofy grin in the picture...)

* Meet Liliana, a Facebook friend I have never had the pleasure of meeting in person before, who stopped and chatted and let me sign a book for her.

* Meet and sign books for several sweet and delightful ladies who stopped to chat and share our chocolate.

* Drive home, exhausted but happy, to rest up and be ready to head back in the morning.

Still wondering about those ghost stories, too...

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!

'An Evening at the Cleopatra Club' Recap

Boy, Aziza Sa'id and her dancers really know how to throw a party! I had so much fun at their "Evening at the Cleopatra Club" on Saturday night in Riverside. I arrived knowing only my OCC/RWA chapter mate Shauna Roberts (pictured with me in front of the lovely table they decorated for me to sign books. You can't see it, but the table is swathed in gorgeous burgundy fabrics with Moroccan lanterns -- tres chic!) But by the end of the night, I felt like I'd known these ladies for years. They are such a warm and friendly group, and I can't thank them enough for making me feel welcome.

And it's no wonder they attract such a large group to their haflas! There was plenty of food and drinks, music (some of it live!) and lots of dancing. Yes, they even made me dance during the open dancing, too -- no one had any sympathy for my post-pregnancy whining about weight, stiffness, aches, pains, etc. -- and I'm glad they didn't... 'cause it was fun out there!

Here are some of photos I took of the dancers from my gorgeous little book-signing spot



Etoile performing with Isis wings






















Zaheen Sa'id performing with silk fans (an astonishing piece that she insists she'd only worked on for a few days. Must be a testament to her talent becuase it was the best fan performance I've ever seen!)

















Siri performing a fun cane dance
























SeylenaTroi dancing with zills, and boy, can this lady play! When the taped music stopped, she created a very entertaining exchange with the audience with just her zills and dancing. A true pro :-)

















This troupe piece was mesmerizing to watch. It was sort of the same idea as a circle dance, with one dancer passing the spotlight to another, but instead of going in and out of the circle, the dancers passed the spotlight simply by touching a neighbor.
















This was the beginning class's troupe performance. (You can see Shauna in the center -- go, Shauna!)











And of course Aziza! What a pleasure it was to watch her dance. So much great energy and warmth -- and you can see it all in her smile!

I wish I had a photo of troupe Diatribe from Victorville -- an awesome trio whose performance I really enjoyed. Unfortunately my little camera just didn't do them justice. But take my word for it, these ladies rocked (or raq'd?).

For information on future "Evening at the Cleopatra Club" events and other special events at Anahata Movement Arts (3742 Tibbetts St., Suite 202, Riverside), visit http://anahatamovementarts.wordpress.com/eventsworkshops.

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!