The Coventry mum who set up a fitness class because other mums had nowhere to go

A mum from Coventry with a passion for dance launched her own Bhangra fitness class after being encouraged by school parents. Mandeep Heer, 43, from Stivichall, started the group in 2015 and juggles it along with being a businesswoman and mum.

People from many different communities attend the dance class at a community centre, drawn in by its energetic moves and rhythmic beats. Mandeep said she set up the class after parents at her daughter’s school said there was nothing like it in Coventry.

She said: ”The school mums pushed me to do a dance class for them, as around that time there was nothing in Coventry whatsoever. I think what they liked about it was the timing, so they could put their kids to bed and they could come here for 8pm so it really suited them”.

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Mandeep has been dancing since she was young and took part in university dance competitions but did not pursue it properly until her children became of age and she could focus on it properly. She said she always dreamed of setting up her own Bhangra fitness class.

Originally she hoped to pursue a career in Bollywood dance teaching but once she got married and had children her priorities changed. On what makes her Bhangra class different from the rest, she said: What makes it different is the music, as I will not repeat the songs, and I don’t stop and teach, we are just continuously going for the whole hour. We have a mixture of Bollywood, bhangra, and belly dancing.

When Coventry Live went to watch Mandeep teach her class, she was very knowledgeable about the moves and plenty of practice appeared to go into her dances – but she said that she makes them up as she goes along: ”I don’t know where the moves come from, I think I am just naturally gifted.