Fiera Dance wins at A-List Asiana Awards

A fast-growing Bollywood and Latin dance company has been recognised for its impact on community, confidence and culture at a special ceremony in Oldham.

The Manchester-based company Fiera Dance was named “Dance Group of the Year” at the A-List Asiana Awards, held at the Grand Venue Banqueting Hall on Featherstall Road North recently. 

The A-List Asiana Awards celebrate British Asian creatives, businesses and performers across the UK.  

Fiera Dance was nominated in two categories - Dance Company of the Year and Dance Group of the Year - and took home the Dance Group of the Year trophy, a great milestone win for a company that has only been running for two years and already teaches over 100 students a week. 

Several of the group’s regular dancers live in Oldham and travel into Manchester each week for classes at Fiera Studios. 

The company has also worked with Oldham-based couples and families on first dances and sangeet (music and song) performances. 

From its base at Fiera Studios in Stretford, Fiera offers Bollywood, Bachata and Reggaeton, women-only classes, performance hire, wedding first dances, sangeet choreography and studio hire.  

The award recognises both the quality of its performance team and the growth of its community studio, where many performers joined the dance classes. 

Pictured above: The group perform at the awards ceremony.

Founder and Creative Director Chandni Patel used her acceptance speech to talk about what really happens behind the sparkly costumes and stage lights. 

“People don’t walk into class just for a bit of fun,” she said. “They come in carrying stress, grief, divorce, family pressure, burnout. For that 1-2 hrs they get to breathe. They laugh, sweat, meet friends and remember they’re more than what they’re going through.” 

One student joined Fiera after a divorce last year and what began as a way to cope with low mood and anxiety turned into a consistent routine, a close-knit friendship group and a new sense of confidence. She now attends the  fun class every week. 

Chandni also spoke openly about the stigma that dancing can still carry in parts of the South Asian community, especially for women. 

“In so many Asian families, dancing has been something people are judged for,” she explained.  

“Yet it’s one of the best things we can do for our bodies and our minds. With Fiera I wanted to build a space where movement is celebrated, not criticised - a genuine antidote to the loneliness so many of us feel.  You can show up exactly as you are and leave feeling lighter.” 

Fiera’s award-winning group grew directly out of its classes with regular students forming a performance team, training together, becoming close friends and delivering professional shows for weddings, festivals and community events. 

Event organisers have praised the group’s stage presence and the feel-good atmosphere they create at functions, with feedback often highlighting the “energy” they bring and the high standard of choreography. 

“To everyone who comes to class, trains in our professional teams or has ever stepped on stage with us - this award is yours too,” Chandni said. “Thank you for trusting us with your evenings, your stories and your energy.” 

She added: “We may be a young company, but the heart behind it has been years in the making. This award is a marker of what community dance can do off the stage as much as on it - and we’re just getting started.” 

Looking ahead to 2026, Fiera Dance is already seeing strong demand, with new courses planned for people who want to start dancing and a busy calendar of bookings for weddings and community events. 

From January 2026, Fiera Studios will offer: 

● Bollywood Beginners – Women Only. 

● Bollywood Beginners – Open to All.

● Ongoing Bachata and Reggaeton classes for social dancers. No previous experience is needed, and classes are designed for adults who want to move, meet people and feel better in themselves – not just learn routines. 

Alongside weekly classes, Fiera Dance provides: 

● Professional performance teams for weddings, receptions and sangeets (music and songs). 

● Bollywood and Latin shows for community events and festivals.

● Choreography for first dances and family group performances. 

Booking and class information can be found at www.fieradance.com.