Glamorous Arabic Wedding

Ahlaa Raqisaat was honored to dance in a glamorous Arabic wedding in Cincinnati. Though the dancers of Ahlaa Raqisaat have been dancing individually and at times together for several years, this was our first wedding as a dance company. The families requested that our show take a very traditional/conservative approach, including costuming and choreography that excluded certain movements (like shimmying). This was a creative opportunity for us, and we were happy to create a beautiful group show that incorporated veil, saidi, and wings!

We attended the rehearsal the night before the wedding so that we could put on a show for the bridal party, who would not be able to see the show due to the wedding schedule. The bride and groom, including their parties and family, were excited to see the show and expressed gratitude for tailoring our show to meet their vision for the wedding.

Wow, the wedding! It was an extravaganza! There was an international singer that flew in the day of the wedding, as well as an incredible dabke group: Turab Beladi! The ladies of Ahlaa were in a dream, this wedding was an absolute paradise! After performing for over 250 audience members, Ahlaa Raqisaat provided a zeffa procession to lead the wedding party; and we learned quickly that hookah coals (to burn the incense in the burner) can be placed upside down and burn out! We also learned to keep in mind the smoke detectors all around the venue! Once our show was over, we were honored to attend the wedding as guests, where we enjoyed an amazing dabke performance by the dancers of Turab Beladi! We celebrated and danced the night away with the newly weds and their guests. The ladies of Ahlaa Raqisaat were on cloud 9 the entire night and happy to receive compliments from the guests and the other performers.