Hidden in the heart of Santa Barbara, Zaytoon restaurant offers a unique and charming dinner setting, but this area restaurant also takes dinner and a show one step further. Seated around a fire pit in a beautiful outdoor garden surrounded by fresh fruit trees and lit with small string lights, I not only enjoyed fresh Lebanese cuisine but also experienced the beautiful belly dancing moves of Santa Barbara–based dancer, director, and choreographer Cris Basimah.
Basimah is the artistic director of Ya ’Ayuni, a Middle Eastern dance company that performs throughout Southern California and beyond. Working closely with UCSB’s Middle East Ensemble, a community music group of 40-plus musicians, Basimah incorporates many different styles of traditional and folkloric Middle Eastern dance into her performances
Each Saturday, Basimah graces Zaytoon diners with a 30-minute cabaret-style belly dance set. The night I went, I was seated at my fire pit table and just put in my food order when suddenly the music changed, and in came Basimah gliding across the floor. Her introduction was fun, lively, and immediately got people clapping. Basimah played along with the Middle Eastern rhythm, keeping time with her finger cymbals. She engaged each table, making diners laugh with her flirtatious hip drops, shoulder snaps, and shimmies.