Reflecting on 10 Years of Delivering Bhangra Fitness Classes and the Growth of BBX
Starting off as a rookie all those years ago was hardly daunting; Bally Bhogal was a little bored in her day job and was not averse to trying new things. The inspiration and impetus came from a Bhangra class advertised locally which was only too thrilled to attend as a lover of Bhangra music and Bhangra dancing. From that first sweaty class, she was hooked and Saturday mornings were indefinitely reserved for Bhangra fitness.
Then, a few things happened to pave the way for a (largely unplanned) journey to today’s rapidly expanding BBX Fitness empire:
- The Saturday classes were at times ‘hit and miss’ (sometimes they’d be on, other times not);
- As an attendee, Bally was quizzed by other attendees if she was an Instructor;
- Bally’s husband made an introduction to his friend, the proprietor of Bhangra Blaze and Bally trained as a Bhangra Blaze Instructor.
Bally’s first class was on 25th February 2026 in Smethwick and to her amazement 23 people attended. On her second class, she turned 40 – but class numbers dwindled rapidly! She soon found out that there was already a well-established Bhangra class taking place at the same venue the night before hers! Realising that she would have to find a new venue, later on that year, she opened a local class at St Columba’s Church, Banners Gate, in her home town of Sutton Coldfield on Mondays, which she still delivers to this day. Attendee numbers swelled to 50s and 60s and so a further class in Maney Hill, Sutton Coldfield was opened. When COVID hit, Bally had c.100 people attending 2 classes each week – and then came the big drop and stop!
COVID was an uncertain and scary time during which the Bhangra Blaze operation closed down – and BBX Bhangra Fitness was borne, courtesy of Bally and husband/co-director, Michael. Together, they created an online platform capable of facilitating live-stream and pre-recorded classes backed by new branding, a website and subscription-based services. Since then, BBX Bhangra Fitness has gone from strength to strength delivering activities such as:
- “You Are What You Eat” Episode with TV Doctor – Dr. Amir (2021)
- The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games 2022
- BBX Instructor Team expanded in 2023, with Training Provider Partner status received by CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity)
- Winner “Best Bhangra Fitness Provider” at UK Bhangra Awards in 2024
- 1st National Dance Day completed in March 2025 with a One Show TV appearance
- Bhangra Fitness Study announced in August 2025 with the University of Wolverhampton
- 2nd National Dance Day in March 2026 with a ‘Special Message’ from dance legend, Angela Rippon!
The team at BBX Bhangra Fitness is grateful for everyone’s support over the years – our clients, partners and stakeholders – and is committed to expanding its operations so that everyone can benefit from the joy of Bhangra dance fitness.
GET YOUR BHANGRA FIX IN 2026! Visit www.bbx.fitness for more information about our classes or contact us via our online form https://bbx.fitness/contact-us/
