With the new series of Strictly Come Dancing on the horizon, a Wakefield dance theatre has received National Lottery funding to help more people experience the joys of Bollywood dancing.

D Dance Theatre CIC in Knottingley has received almost £20,000 from The National Lottery Community fund to grow its Bollywood Dancing with Health, Wellbeing and Tea project, which has already proven to be a hit, with over 30 people attending its launch earlier this summer.

The group is the passion project of Ayesha Shamim, who left Delhi, India for Yorkshire at the beginning of 2000.

After securing a position at a bank, Ayesha saw further hardship, including stage four endometriosis, fertility issues, a relationship breakdown and, in 2008, being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ayesha (centre) plans to introduce classes for young people, expanding into other parts of Wakefield and Leeds by the end of his year, and adding to her team of expert dance teachers.

placeholder image — Ayesha (centre) plans to introduce classes for young people, expanding into other parts of Wakefield and Leeds by the end of his year, and adding to her team of expert dance teachers.

Despite all these setbacks, Ayesha was determined to make the best of a bad situation.

Drawing on her love for Bollywood dancing, she started a local class, inviting five older women from her village who had supported her through her cancer treatment and taken her to treatments and appointments as part of her recovery.

She said: “I was told by doctors to join health and wellbeing classes to help address my feelings of isolation and to adapt to normal life again.

"I found it a struggle to travel long distances and just couldn’t find a class nearby that was for me. Having grown up in India watching Bollywood movies, I decided to launch a Bollywood dancing class with a health and wellbeing angle.

“We started with just five women and soon grew to almost 50 people, most of them elderly or living with long-term illness. It surprised me how quickly it took off as Bollywood is such an unfamiliar thing for many people, but our group has really embraced the culture and given it a real go.”

After undergoing 15 surgeries, while maintaining a full-time career, Ayesha took some time away from the classes, but is now determined to make them more successful than ever at her new venue at Beeston Village Community Centre.

Ayesha said: “I’m so grateful to be able to share my culture and heritage in this way, as well as bring people come together to get fit and active. Our classes just make everyone so happy!”