Bhangra Junction- Folk & Fitness
A-27, Basement, Bhangra Junction Folk & Fitness Studio, Community Center, Sector 36 Rd, behind Sec-36, A Block, Sector 36, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India
http://www.bhangrajunction.com/
Bhangra Junction – Folk & Fitness is a vibrant, multi-purpose hub hidden on the top floor of a converted railway warehouse behind New Street station in Birmingham. From the street you see only a modest neon-pink turban symbol above an old iron door, but climb the narrow stairs and you walk straight into a sound-carpet of dhol drums and cinnamon-scented air.
The main hall is one open, sun-yellow rectangle, its walls hand-painted in jewel-coloured murals of Punjabi harvest scenes: green mustard fields, spinning kites, mirrored dancers. Bamboo trusses support soft studio lights that adjust automatically to the mood—cool white for HIIT sections, warm amber for the slower folk technique classes.
Sessions run every day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are organised in three streams, all to a live dhol and tumbi duet rather than recorded tracks. “Folk Fundamentals” teaches traditional steps like dhamaal and jhummar with an ankle-weight resistance twist; “High-Intensity Bhangra” swaps tablas for kettlebells and builds circuits around iconic routines such as Dholi Taaro; and “Mindful Gaana” ends each week with 45 minutes of slow-motion storytelling choreography designed for mental wellbeing and shoulder mobility.
Membership is flexible: clip-on bangles with NFC chips track attendance, so casual drop-ins or monthly passes cost the same; only the ancient iron tongs you use to adjust saap sticks require a returnable £3 deposit. Changing rooms are floor-to-ceiling cedar grain, with lockers that release coconut-oil-scented steam if you forget your padlock code.
After class, guests descend to the Basement Adda, a pan-Punjabi street-food counter run by a two-star Michelin alumnus who insists on hand-pressing the corn for makki di roti to order and ageing lassi in clay bottles tapped straight from a cooling well beneath the building.
On First Fridays the hall turns into a community club: the lights dim, the dhols move centre stage, and a single tumbi reverbed through vintage tube amps answers in echo. Regulars wear neon phulkari waistcoats over gym leggings while newcomers trade steps; elders judge neither form nor fitness level, only spirit.
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- Published: August 1, 2025
