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Garba-dandiya classes begin in Delhi: What would you pay to perfect pace and dance moves? Here's were to learn in NCR
A month before Navratri begins, dance sessions and workshops have kicked off across NCR, giving garba-dandiya enthusiasts a chance to ace their game.
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With Navratri just a few weeks away, Delhiites are making every moment count to ace the fast-paced moves and turns of dandiya and garba. Across the city, dance studios and cultural groups have started conducting classes and workshops, catering to every age bracket and level, from beginners to experienced dancers, looking to perfect their spins before the festive spirit sets in.
Dance teachers and workshop conductors share that it actually takes at least a month to be able to learn and perform the high-stamina, fast-paced, cardio-like sequences for hours at the end when the garba-dandiya nights finally arrive.
The formats are as varied as the price tags. While some organisers are offering free introductory sessions, month-long courses cost up to ₹5,000. Shorter intensives featuring popular instructors can set participants back by ₹2,500 to ₹3,000.
How much time and money are you willing to shell out to get yourself ready for garba and dandiya nights this festive season?
Steps and stamina
A month-long workshop priced at ₹5,000 is being organised by Lok Utsav, which has been conducting garba classes in the city since 2005. It’s here that eight instructors from Jamnagar, accompanied by a dholki player, are holding six batches every day. “We teach six garba sequences, five dandiya sequences and formations in heech and teen-taali. The garba and dandiya routines are choreographed in-house,” says organiser Yamini Dikshit.
The lessons begin with a live dhol before moving to traditional and Bollywood tracks, and the duration is intended to prepare dancers for the physical demands of garba nights. “It’s a high-cardio activity. The stamina to dance continuously for an hour or more cannot be built overnight,” she adds.
What: Lok Utsav Garba classes
On till: October 16 (six one-hour batches daily)
Fee: ₹5,000
Call to register: 8800854157
Beats over Bollywood
Vyana Space's workshops in the Civil Lines area keep the focus on traditional Gujarati folk music and Falguni Pathak favourites, with Bollywood taking a back seat.
Trainer Amrita Arora shares, “One session is priced at ₹3,500, and the month-long programme includes between 12 and 20 hour-long classes... I’m a Punjabi, but began learning garba seven years ago. It just happened. Today, I’m teaching authentic garba to anyone keen to learn. Participants can simply turn up in something ethnic and comfortable to make the most of the Navratri nights.”
What: Vyana Space presents Garba and Dandiya Classes
Where: Shemrock Shevron School, Civil Lines
When: September 10 to October 9 (One-hour class; 12 to 20 sessions)
Fee: ₹3,500
Call to register: 9582774337 or 8178118697
Insta-famous choreos
It’s not just Delhi-based, but even visitors from cities like Mumbai, who have been making inroads into Delhi’s growing market for garba-dandiya dance learners. Mumbai-based Thangaat Garba, is one that has returned to Delhi this year. “This is the second time we’re here to conduct intensive workshops in north and south Delhi,” shares founder Parth Patel.
While this group conducts workshops across the world, including Dubai, Seattle, California, Muscat and Hong Kong, its sessions in the Capital draw dancers familiar with the group’s social-media choreography. Patel adds, “We’re seeing several familiar faces upon our return. Guess people follow our work on Instagram, and love our steps. Hence they want to learn the new choreography we create each year.”
What: Thangaat Garba Intensive
Where: IFBC Studios, Saket & Peach Dance Studio, Rohini
When: Three-day workshop in South Delhi and two-day workshop in North Delhi; two-hour sessions
Fee: ₹2,500 to ₹3,000
Register via Instagram DM: @ifbcstudios or @peachdancestudio_
Room for beginners
For those testing the waters, Samanvay duo Nehal Agarwal and Vrinda Singhal are conducting two-hour workshops. By keeping the price of these between ₹600 and ₹800, this duo’s emphasis is on accessible and high-energy choreography rather than technical complexity and lyric-specific routines.
Agarwal adds, “We simplify the more technical steps seen in Gujarat and Surat so that anyone can follow these.”
What: Samanvay Garba Workshop
When: September 19
Where: Uptown Funk Dance Studio, A-20, Dhaka Extension Road
Fee: ₹600 to ₹800
Register via Instagram DM: @samanvay
Women only, please
Instructors from Ahmedabad-based Garbaholics will teach authentic dance steps, ahead of a huge garba celebration planned on October 4. “South and East Delhi often see plenty of garba workshops. But many women in West Delhi do not even know what happens at such workshops,” says fitness coach Nisha Thanai aka Noni, who is hosting a free, women-only workshop.
“We want to introduce the participants to garba and build a community here,” she shares.
What: Women-only Garba Workshop
Where: Aerox Studio, Uttam Nagar
When: September 19
Fee: Free
Call to register: +91-8860699191
Bollywood breaks the ice
For beginners, dance instructor Sushant Shaw is using Bollywood favourites to make dandiya more accessible, covering basic steps, the dandiya cycle and moving in formation while performing in a circle. “Folk songs can feel niche because not everyone knows them, but Bollywood music is familiar. People, including the non-Gujarati, enjoy themselves more in such scenes,” says Shaw, who has been teaching dance for 16 years.
He adds, “Perform the steps with sticks and it becomes dandiya; replace these with claps, and it becomes garba. It’s folk art meant for everyone!”
What: Dandiya Workshop by Sushant Shaw
Where: D Planet Dance Academy, A-43, Saraswati Vihar, Pitampura
When: October 3 and 10
Fee: ₹400 for one session; ₹899 for both
Call to register: +91-8860878582
Getting the dandiya grip
If you want to focus on dandiya, there are three instructors in the city who will teach traditional two-taali and three-taali steps alongside dandiya formations, partner movements and choreographed sequences. While sticks will be available at the studio, instructor Robby Singh at Beats & Fusion Dance Studio shares many dancers prefer bringing their own decorated pair. “When you practise with the same sticks, your hands become accustomed to their particular weight and grip, which makes the movement feel more natural,” he says.
Now in its fifth edition, the workshop is also moving away from Bollywood-heavy playlists. Singh explains: “Participants are specifically asking us for authentic folk songs. More and more people are shifting towards traditional cultural beats, and we are seeing the same change in preference even in NCR such as in Gurugram,” Singh adds.
What: Garba and Dandiya Workshop
Where: Beats & Fusion Dance Studio, AVA Court, Malibu Town, Sector 47, Gurugram
When: September 12 to October 4
Fee: ₹2,500 (eight classes) & ₹3,500 (12 classes)
Call to register: +91-9818628919
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