Habeeba's Dance of the Arts: a Smash Hit at Lazy Daze Festival in Columbus, OH

In the warm days of summer, there's nothing like a festival to bring people outdoors together. On Saturday the 28th of July, I was enjoying the food, original crafts, and sunshine at the Grandview Lazy Daze Festival. There were free roses being handed out to the ladies, and dogs and kids and grandparents out enjoying themselves. They had a tent set up in front of the Grandview Library, and many local choirs, dancers, and musicians were showing off their skills.

I was fortunate enough to be able to catch Habeeba's Dance of the Arts bellydancers right as their show started at 1:30 in the afternoon. All seventeen of the dancers made a stir, coming out from their dance studio right across the street in full, sparkly costumes, makeup and hair. They were bedecked in the most fabulous hues of pink and gold, bronze, purple, green, silver and orange, really every color imaginable. Some were young and slender, others older and voluptuous.

What a show! The show was nearly an hour and consisted of veils, rhythmic hand cymbals called zills, canes, tambourines, and elaborate choreography. The music ranged from traditional Middle Eastern standards to pop-techno music, reworked to have a Middle-Eastern flair. The choreographer, and founder of the school, Habeeba, occasionally spoke on a microphone to the audience, talking about the school and her dancers, and keeping the crowd clapping in time and interested.

At one point in the show, ladies in full costume came around, offering candy to the children in the audience, which they loved. They involved the people watching quite a bit, closing the show by going out in the crowd and dancing, trying to get older ladies, kids, and occasionally an embarrassed man to dance with them! Some of the kids and teenagers got involved, and at one point a big foam mascot came up and danced with them, too! It was a door for BMI Credit Union. It was quite a spectacle, but everyone seemed to be having fun, in spite of the heat.

After seeing them, I have much appreciation for the ancient art of bellydance. If you live in Ohio, and are looking for a fun, artistic way to exercise and make new friends, maybe Habeeba's Dance of the Arts would be a good place to try.