Bhangra in the snow: Fort St. John students dance in the elements

A group of international students at Northern Lights College in Fort St. John have showcased their Bhangra moves in a new video posted online.

The clip, posted to Facebook and Twitter, shows 13 dancers decked out in Santa hats taking part in the Indian dance style that has spread around the world.

"We had students Bhangra-ing from Brazil, Japan," said Cleo Baker, who provides international student support at the northeast B.C. college. "We just had a lot of fun."

Baker herself is one of the dancers, learning the moves from an Indian student who has been holding dance classes since September. 

Inspired by the East Coast

The idea to film the video came after seeing the popularity of another Canadian Bhangra troupe dancing on the rocks of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.

"I said 'we can't Bhangra by the ocean but we can sure do it in the snow,'" laughed Baker.

• Maritime Bhangra dance group shows off moves at Peggys Cove

She said the clip was filmed on a relatively warm day, which is why some of the students are in T-shirts.

"It was pretty warm. It was –7 C," Baker said, adding. "When you Bhangra, the temperature goes way up."

Now that temperatures have cooled to the –20 C to –30 C range; the Bhangra sessions have moved indoors, but Baker says there are plans for surprise dances around the northeast.

"You better watch out," she laughed. "We could just show up anywhere."

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