Members of the Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg dance on Saturday at Point Park in Parkersburg to raise awareness for domestic violence and abuse as part of World Belly Dance Day. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

PARKERSBURG — Women dressed in matching blue-green shirts emblazoned with “Shimmy Mob” and with sparkly, colorful scarves tied around their hips, danced in Point Park for a good cause Saturday.

Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg members participated in a belly dance flash mob at the Point Park amphitheater on Saturday morning as part of World Belly Dance Day. Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg Leader Josie Rabatin said they danced at Point Park as part of World Belly Dance Day to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse and to collect donations for the Family Crisis Intervention Center.

According to a press release about the event, since 2011, teams of belly dancers have participated in a worldwide belly dance flash mob, called Shimmy Mob, on World Belly Dance Day, which falls on the second Saturday in May.

The release said dancers around the world wear the same color T-shirt and perform the same choreography in order to raise funds and collect donations for women’s shelters.

“This is our fifth year,” Rabatin said about the flash mob.

Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg dances at Point Park on Saturday as part of World Belly Dance Day to raise awareness for domestic violence and abuse. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

The dance team had information with them at the park about what items the shelter needs and a QR Code so attendees could donate money if they chose.

Assistant Leader Deborah Trippett said it is her third year participating in the event and it is Rabatin’s first year as leader of the team.

The women danced to “Rrrakateka” by Artem Uzunov using moves choreographed by Laura Salinas, whose stage name is Samaira, according to Rabatin.

Trippett said she thinks it is important to stop the cycle of domestic violence and abuse.

“We all know somebody who has been, or we assume is in, a domestic violence situation or we ourselves have found ourselves in a situation…from what you see on TV or even what you have seen in your own homes, you don’t necessarily realize that that’s not normal behavior,” Trippett said. “So unfortunately if you grow up in a home with domestic violence..you don’t know that that’s not natural.”

Josie Rabatin, team leader of Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg, front row, dances during World Belly Dance Day on Saturday with other members of the team at Point Park in Parkersburg to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

According to Rabatin, the women also danced at Grand Central Mall in Vienna with the dances being sponsored by Fitness With Phyllis, KTMedia and Heart & Veil Belly Dance Troupe.

She said people interested in joining Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg can come when the team meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Fitness with Phyllis.

To learn more go to Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg or Heart & Veil Belly Dance Troupe’s Facebook pages.

The executive director of the Family Crisis Intervention Center, Emily Larkins, attended the event at Point Park.

“We are a dual program, which means we’re a domestic violence program and a sexual violence program,” Larkins said.

Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg members dance at Point Park in Parkersburg on Saturday as part of World Belly Dance Day to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

She said ever since Shimmy Mob Team Parkersburg has partnered with the Family Crisis Intervention Center the team has tried to bring awareness to the center’s services.

She said the event is also held, “to bring to light that domestic violence is obviously something that can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time and so just really getting those resources out there and making sure that people who need us know that services are available.”

Larkins said Shimmy Mob team Parkersburg had a needs drive recently where the team collected a large amount of items the shelter needs such as personal hygiene items and paper products and they collected and donated some money as well. Larkins did not have the amount donated available.

She said that the Family Crisis Intervention Center is a licensed domestic violence program that serves people in Wood, Pleasants, Tyler, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, Calhoun and Jackson Counties.

Larkins said the program runs an emergency shelter in Wood County and it has outreach services in the other counties it covers.

To contact the Family Crisis Intervention Center and learn more about the services it offers, or to get help, call 800-794-2335 or 304-428-2333, visit the center’s Facebook page or go to its website at fcichaven.org and send a message.

“Any time that someone has a need…our services are free, confidential and we’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Larkins said.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com