Saqra Raybuck promises a whole lot of belly dancing on New Year’s Eve in Kent.
Raybuck, a longtime belly dance instructor and performer, has organized a New Year’s Eve Party from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 31 at Jimmy T’s Sports Bar and Grill, 23803 104th Ave. S.E.
The show will include about a dozen belly dancers, a live band, a costume contest and party favors.
“Even though it’s a venue for those 21 and over, we are a family show,” Raybuck said. “Come if you like music and dancing. There will be a lot of glitz. If you are an orphan that night, it’s a place to go.”
Raybuck has thrown New Year’s Eve belly dancing parties since 2001 in Kent at various venues. She purposely schedules the show to end at 9 p.m., which is midnight on the East Coast.
“We do it to get done so you can go to another party or get home early and safely on what can be an amateur driving night,” Raybuck said.
Raybuck started belly dancing as a teen in Bellevue after she saw a friend’s mother dance in Seattle.
“Once I started, I never turned back,” said Raybuck, who has been a dancer for 33 years.
She ran a studio in downtown Kent for about nine years before moving last year to a studio behind her home on Kent’s West Hill. She offers classes Tuesday through Thursday each week.
“We have dancers of all ages and all sizes,” Raybuck said. “It’s a safe dance and an expressive dance form. It’s second only to swimming for all-over body toning. And it’s plain fun.”
Belly dancing has taken Raybuck all over the world. She travels as many as 30 weekends per year to perform and or instruct at events. She has traveled to Japan, Germany, England, South America, Canada and many other countries to teach and perform. She has upcoming trips scheduled for Singapore and Dallas, Texas.
Zaghareet Magazine, an American belly dance publication based in North Carolina, named Raybuck the 2008 Instructor of the Year. She taught for 16 years in Portland before coming to Kent in 2000.
She also runs dance troupes that perform throughout the area, including each year at Kent Cornucopia Days.
The New Year’s Eve Party has turned into a tradition for Raybuck and other belly dancers. They even have a costume contest each year. The theme this year is simply “Georgia.”
That has led at least one party attendee to plan to wear a Russian costume in connection with the country of Georgia located near Russia, Raybuck said. Others are more likely to go with a peach theme because the state of Georgia produces so many peaches.
In addition to performing as a dancer at the party, Raybuck also plays keyboards in the Mediterranean Raqs Band that will perform Middle Eastern music at Jimmy T’s.
“And there will be dancers, lots of dancers,” Raybuck said.
For more information, go to www.saqra.net.
If you go
What: New Year’s Eve belly dancing party
When: 6-9 p.m. Dec. 31
Where: Jimmy T’s, 23803 104th Ave. S.E., Kent
Cost: $10 cover
Ages: 21 and older
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