DANCE Woking has staged a Mini Mela at Buzz Studio in the Peacocks Centre to enthusiastic and appreciative audiences.

It opened with a premiere of Amina Khayyam Dance Company’s piece Striped Sari, performed by  Amina Khayyam and two company dancers, Jane Chan and Abirami Eswar. 

Playing alongside the dancers were musicians Debasish Mukherjee, on tabla, two small drums of slightly different shapes and sizes, and Iain McHugh, on cello. 

The performance was followed by a lively question and answer session.

The following day, three up-and-coming female South Asian comedians took to the stage, striking up good banter with the audience.

Compere Bas Rahman, with a stand-out performance, was joined by Monica Chatterjee and Alex Bertulis-Fernandes.

Community groups dancing in South Asian-styles with kathak, bharatanatyam, Bollywood and Chinese classical dancing filled the theatre on Saturday with an array of colour, lavish costumes and make-up. 

An evening of fun in a relaxed atmosphere was opened by Beeja’s children’s group with a lively Bollywood medley, followed by Byfleet-based group Desi Movez, made up of NHS workers passionate about dancing. They presented a fusion of four Bollywood songs, using the gharba and dandiya styles.

A piece by Beeja’s classical community dance group explored motherhood and the feminine, while members of the Chinese Association of Woking performed a beautiful piece choreographed from the traditional peacock dance of the Dai people in Southern China. 

Male soloist Shyam Dattanii performed a lovely Kathak piece.

Sam McCaffrey, artistic director, Dance Woking, said: “The weekend was filled with so much joy. We have presented an inspiring programme, curated by Amina Khayyam Dance Company, that has featured three very different evenings, all themed with a South Asian element, and each has been well received. We look forward to building on this, our first Mini Mela.”