Express & Star

Bhangra beats take over Wolverhampton's The Way

Bhangra beats and infectious moves filled a community hub as youngsters flaunted their best dance routines.

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Instructor Sohan Kailey, from Bhangra Active, teaches children Bhangra dancing at The Way in Wolverhampton

Sohan Kailey brought his energetic choreography to Wolverhampton's The Way as dance fever swept across the School Street youth club.

The Indian-inspired workshop came ahead of International Day of Dance, which is set to be celebrated across the globe on Monday.

Suzanne Huynh, communications lead at The Way, said: "As Monday marks International Day of dance we wanted our Holiday Club members to really embrace different dance cultures in a fun and engaging way.

"It was also a great way of keeping active this Easter. Sohan was great and bought lots of energy moving his feet to the Bhangra beat and our young people had lots of fun."

Young people at The Way's Holiday Club got involved with the Bhangra Active - Hollywood Heat dance workshop yesterday.

Mr Kailey, founder of Bhangra Active and Bhangra Tots, shared his skills with the youngsters after working with schools and community groups across the West Midlands.

The workshop, which also featured elements of street fusion, focussed on the lively form of dance which originates from the Punjab.

Keen dancers aged eight to 12 boldy practiced their vigorous kicks, leaps and bends during the two-hour session at the youth hub.

Ms Huynh added: "We are very diverse as a city and we have got members from all walks of life, so it's important for them to learn about different cultures and dance styles.

"A lot of them were quite excited – a lot of them like dancing anyway, but they were really excited this time around.

"We've had other dancers, but we thought it would be nice to have something different."

The Way, which celebrated its third anniversary earlier this year, runs a string of activities for youngsters during the school breaks as part of its Holiday Club, as well as during term time.

The youth group now has more than 3,000 members and sees youngsters make more than 1,000 visits each week.