{"id":243970,"date":"2026-05-26T15:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T15:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/243970\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T15:50:10","slug":"bringing-bhangra-to-nyc-gyms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/243970\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing bhangra to NYC gyms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sarina Jain didn\u2019t quit her day job when she started launched Masala Bhangra<\/a>. She gave herself one year. If the Punjabi dance-cardio program failed, she would go back to California and \u201cmarket the crap out of another product,\u201d she said. Jain, after all, was a publicist by profession.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That skill has served her well in promoting the workout she built from VHS tapes and dance traditions. Decades later, Jain and Masala Bhangra \u201cambassadors\u201d are still filling classes in New York.<\/p>\n

Bhangra was central to Jain\u2019s upbringing, and her father\u2019s death at age 47 was the spark that led to her turning to the high-energy Punjabi folk dance as a tribute to his and her mother\u2019s commitment to keeping their daughters connected to their heritage even while growing up in California. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the reason why I created Masala Bhangra,\u201d Jain said, \u201cto honor him and everything he told me to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent exhibit in Queens, where Jain lives, commemorated the 25th anniversary of Masala Bhangra<\/a> and highlighted the impact of the program she built from scratch. Her memoir, \u201cAll You Need is Balle Balle<\/a>,\u201d which she first announced at the exhibit, is set for publication in October 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sarina Jain\u2019s partner looks at a cover image of her forthcoming memoir, \u201cAll You Need Is Balle Balle,\u201d due out in October 2026. Credit: Ambar Castillo<\/p>\n

More exercise and self-care in her community<\/p>\n

One goal for Jain, who\u2019s often called the Indian Jane Fonda, has been to encourage more middle-aged and older people \u2014 particularly South Asians \u2014 to prioritize exercise and self-care. \u201cTaking half an hour to go work out, that\u2019s not important,\u201d Jain said. \u201cThey need to get the job done. They need to make money. They need to make sure their family is fed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Epicenter has reported, South Asians face a higher cardiovascular risk than<\/a> other groups even when reporting healthier habits.<\/p>\n

Jain was working in public relations in Beverly Hills in the late 90s while teaching fitness classes on the side when she began to wonder why among all the fitness programs she saw, none drew on Indian dance. She had grown up immersed in Bollywood and bhangra music in California\u2019s\u00a0 Desi, or South Asian diaspora, community. During family parties, she noticed older relatives who never exercised nonetheless dancing bhangra for hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept those aunties and uncles in mind,\u201d Jain said. \u201cI thought, they can dance for hours at a party \u2014 I\u2019ve got to create the Indian dance workout for them to do when they\u2019re not at a party.\u201d<\/p>\n

That idea became the cardio dance program Jain officially launched in 2000.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Sarina Jain<\/p>\n

Turning dance into a business<\/p>\n

The business drew on both fields in which she was working, as an exercise instructor and in PR. She spent months planning her first VHS workout tape and, with her mother\u2019s help, trademarking the name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A big break came in 2000, when media coverage in Los Angeles led Crunch Fitness and New York Sports Club to invite Jain to teach a week of master classes in the city.<\/p>\n

Every class filled up. Within months, Jain was teaching packed classes across New York and the tri-state area while filming workout videos and appearing on television. Jain estimates that about 90% of her students are non-Indian, reflecting the crossover appeal that became key to Masala Bhangra\u2019s identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople craved culture,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just dance itself but being this cultural ambassador and teaching about what balle balle means,\u201d an expression of joy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A photo collage at a recent 25th-anniversary exhibit highlights key moments and people shaped by Masala Bhangra over the years. Credit: Ambar Castillo<\/p>\n

Pushing through backlash<\/p>\n

The rooms weren\u2019t always packed. Jain\u2019s second workout video came out just after the Sept. 11 attacks. Islamophobia and discrimination against South Asians soon followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a real killer, \u2018cause I\u2019m like, \u2018What do I do?\u2019 Nobody wants to come to a cultural dance workout right now. Nobody is even talking about this,\u2019\u201d Jain said. \u201cA lot of hate came my way at that time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Masala Bhangra grew, Jain also faced criticism from some\u00a0within the South Asian community, who questioned whether her blending bhangra with mainstream American fitness culture was \u201creal\u201d bhangra.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s been the most challenging is to constantly be my own cheerleader,\u201d Jain said. \u201cThere are moments where I\u2019m like, \u2018Screw this, forget it.\u2019 But I get out of that mindset quickly because I do care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, many of the same aunties who doubted her came around, Jain said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Despite post-Sept. 11 discrimination and backlash from some within the South Asian community, Sarina Jain continued building Masala Bhangra into a global fitness brand. Credit: Sarina Jain<\/p>\n

Building a fitness legacy<\/p>\n

Masala Bhangra has evolved along with the fitness industry: from VHS tapes to streaming workouts and on-demand platforms. Jain now offers a digital library of recorded classes and recently joined Apple Fitness+. She was also referenced in Apple TV+\u2019s \u201cDear\u2026\u201d series, where Jane Fonda read a letter Jain had written<\/a> about being inspired by her. Jain describes it as \u201cfull circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a mother of two daughters, one of whom takes her classes, Jain said she still approaches Masala Bhangra with the same intensity as when she first arrived in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it with all my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not quitting anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"At a recent 25th-anniversary exhibit, Masala Bhangra founder Sarina Jain gestures toward a timeline tracing her entrepreneurial journey. Credit: Ambar Castillo<\/p>\n

Masala Bhangra classes in NYC<\/p>\n

MANHATTAN<\/p>\n

Manny Cantor Center\u00a0<\/p>\n

197 E. Broadway on the Lower East Side<\/p>\n

Saturdays, 10:15-11 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contact Cloe Andrade at (646) 395-4280.<\/p>\n

Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan<\/p>\n

334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street on the Upper West Side<\/p>\n

Wednesdays, 6:35-7:35 a.m.<\/p>\n

Contact Deborah Kolb<\/a> at deborahdancefitness@yahoo.com.<\/p>\n

THE BRONX<\/p>\n

Riverdale Y<\/p>\n

5625 Arlington Avenue in Riverdale<\/p>\n

Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m.<\/p>\n

Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

Contact Deborah Kolb<\/a> at deborahdancefitness@yahoo.com.<\/p>\n

\"\"You can catch a Masala Bhangra class in the Bronx or Manhattan. Credit: Tom Flynn<\/p>\n

Jain\u2019s advice for other entrepreneurs<\/p>\n

Give it your all: \u201cIf it\u2019s something that doesn\u2019t work, okay, then move on. Find something else. But the minute you say, \u2018I can\u2019t, it\u2019s going to limit your thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

But first, strategize: \u201cI\u2019m not saying for you to just drop everything. Have a plan and have a backup plan in case this doesn\u2019t work out. I remember telling my mom, \u2018let me do one year in New York, and if it doesn\u2019t go well, then I\u2019ll come back.\u2019 But it did well. So I said, \u2018Okay, give me one more year.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

During challenging times, lean on trusted people: \u201cI\u2019ve questioned, \u2018what am I doing wrong? Or what am I doing right?\u2019 And when all of that happened, I remember calling up [\u2026] a dear friend of mine. He\u2019s like a brother to me. He is so proud of what I do. He tells everybody that this girl, who was not even Punjabi, had the guts to put herself out there and share with people what bhangra is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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