Robynn Shannon and her business partner Hanna Nour flung open the doors Sept. 7 to the latest entertainment business to open in Catasauqua, the Gas House Dance Hall. With an art-deco themed design in a gas station from the 1930s, the Ultra Kings, a local rockabilly band, entertained some 100 guests.

"Fat Daddy's has the best barbecue you'll find this far north," said Keith Shannon, commenting on the cuisine.

Shannon teamed up with Nour to offer classes and workshops in Middle Eastern dance, Swing and Salsa. Nour has an impressive resume that includes a stint with Miles Copeland's Bellydance Superstars and her studies at Juilliard.

Can you dance all day on an old gas station floor? Apparently not. "Robynn found a great place for us, but we needed to get it ready," said Nour. One improvement is a sprung dance floor. "The floor absorbs some of the energy and you can dance the time away with less strain on your joints," she said.

"We used O'Mara as our custom supplier for the floor," said Shannon. The sprung floor consists of a plywood layer against the existing floor, engineered foam and another layer of plywood. The top layer of plywood is covered with the finished hardwood floor.

The artistic crowd lined up for Leigh Carnese's rendition of body art. "I use henna mixed with lemon juice and sugar. Then I cover it with Elmer's glue. I remove the glue and the design lasts for around a month," she said.

Jenna Schlener took her hula hoop expertise to the dance floor. "I learned watching internet videos," said the 20-year old dancer after a vigorous routine.

Guests included dancers and instructors. All were enthusiastic about the studio. "I'm starting to go back to belly dancing classes," said Mary Malz. "I took a break to have a baby. Before that I took prenatal belly dancing lessons that really help the birthing process."

Another guest Tahya, is reviving the Hathor Systrum, an Egyptian drum instrument. Karen Fox is a rope aerialist and also performs as a clown.

Flawless Hair Design and Julia's consignment shop, businesses near the Gas House, stayed open to serve guests.