Shimmy Parties, sometimes also called “Ladies Night Out” or simply “Lesson and Performance” packages are very popular for bridal or baby showers and bachelorette parties. They’re always a lot of fun and throughout my dance career, I’ve done quite a few and noticed certain details incorporated by party hostesses that have made the event very special for all the guests (my clients are awesome) and I thought I’d share some with you here!
Believe it or not, most of the Shimmy Parties I’ve done have been at events with no Middle Eastern theme. The parties have coordination, of course, but it all fits together as a series of unique touches that allow the hostess’ or the guest of honor’s personality shine through. For example, one of the loveliest parties I performed/taught at was an outdoor bridal shower. The hostess strung brightly colored paper lanterns from the trees, had vibrant gerbera daisy centerpieces on the tables, and the soft clinking of hip scarf coins and gaiety was perfectly framed by a warm summer evening. By building the party around the personalities and tastes of her guests, everything came together perfectly.
Of course, a theme is always great for an event and it’s amazing how creative some hosts are when planning. An “Arabian Nights” themed bachelorette party included not just a dancer, but a henna artist (a pre-wedding tradition for many Indian and Middle Eastern brides-to-be), and a fantastic display of Mediterranean inspired dishes. Since cooking is one of my other passions, I thought I’d share two of my favorite party recipes – 
hummus and sfiha – below.
Regardless of the size or style of the event where you plan to have your Shimmy Party, the best things to have are few good friends who want to dance and have a fabulous time.
To close, I’d like to share with you one of my personal favorite Shimmy Party gigs. It was just a bride-to-be and her bridesmaids on the morning of the wedding and was held outdoors at a local park. We danced together, laughed a LOT, and the ladies took some beautiful pictures with the veils and hip scarves I had brought for use during the party. The best part? Any trace of pre-wedding jitters/stress was replaced by a huge smile I still remember to this day.
Disclaimer: The measurements are approximate because these are modifications on family recipes, please allow for “maryations” (variations) and feel free to add your own modifications to suit your taste.
I’ve also included some shortcuts like using canned chickpeas in the hummus and pre-made dough for the sfiha. The first I do all the time, but I’ve always made the sfiha dough from scratch.
Hummus
- 16 oz can of chickpeas*
- 2-3 tbsp tahini paste
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice or the juice of 1/2 to 1 fresh lemon
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp of cumin
- olive oil
1. Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Put into a blender.
2. Add tahini, lemon juice, and blend.
3. If the hummus is a little dry, add some olive oil until the texture is smooth. I have reserved some of the liquid from the canned chickpeas and used that too.
4. Add salt and cumin to taste
5. Enjoy!
Sfiha
Ingredients
- Dough – Use your favorite refrigerated dough or you can make your favorite by hand or with a bread maker. If you like thinner dough, pastry dough may be a good option.
- 1 lb lean beef or lamb (or mix both), diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 5 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- cumin, parsley, cinnamon (if you like a little sweetness)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (or more, my family loves pine nuts and are pretty liberal with them)
1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and toast the pine nuts until brown
3. Mix meat, onions and spices. Add tahini, yogurt, pine nuts and the butter the pine nuts were cooked in
4. Divide dough into balls about 1″ in diameter. Flatten slightly and make an indentation in the center.
5. Fill the indentation with about 1 tbsp of meat and arrange in a buttered baking dish.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the meat is cooked and the bread is baked.
Serve warm with yogurt on the side. I like to mix spices into the yogurt to make a sauce fitting to my mood and how the sfiha turned out and I’m leaving all sauce variations up to you!
