While modern forms of dance have favored the subtle ear-wiggle and chin-quiver, traditional dances focusing on larger body parts such as shoulders, bellies, and hips burn more calories and move onlookers to ebullient cartwheels. Today's Groupon gets you three introductory belly-dancing lessons for $30 at Majestic Belly Dancing (a $60 value). Columbus’s only Middle Eastern dance studio has been training professional belly dancers to sashay sultrily for more than 20 years.

Belly dancing is an art form recognized for its health benefits no matter what the age, size, or shape of the dancer. Three lessons will teach newbies to incorporate their entire body in the dance and not just bob their head to the beat like an old desktop computer floating in a kiddie pool. Belly dancing strengthens, tones, provides a low-impact aerobic workout, and can relieve back pain. Even pregnant women are encouraged to take classes, as the dance has become an alternative Lamaze class, making baby deliveries and seducing the pool boy much easier.

In addition to traditional belly dancing, Majestic also teaches Persian dancing and the styles of Baladi, Sharqi, cabaret, Khaleegi, and Zumba. While each style of dance has its own history, music, and style of dress, all share the bond of being more impressive than doing the "accidental mail fraud" dance at weddings.

You must use all three classes within three weeks of your first class.

Reviews

Eight Insiders on Insider Pages give Majestic Belly Dancing four stars:

• The owner of the studio [Fariba Mohammadyar] is present for the majority of classes. Anytime there are other teachers, she is still there, monitoring the classes. I really liked that. It's so much fun and I feel I have learned a lot. – Julie W.
• Fariba herself teaches and loves what she does, giving women the opportunity to express themselves through dance, it is evident in every class she teaches. – lindsay w.
• No one in our group had prior dance training but Fariba had a way of coaxing out the dancers within. I highly recommend this studio to anyone interested in learning about this beautiful art. – a w.