Preparations are in full swing for a major Indian dance event taking place next month, organisers have confirmed.

The Indian Ladies Association’s (ILA) Dandiya Beats 2014 event will take place on September 25 at the Crowne Plaza’s Bahrain Conference Centre, featuring a popular DJ.

The event, a staple of the association’s social calendar, has attracted thousands of guests in the past and a similar response is expected this year.

The dandiya tradition hails from Gujarat, India, where groups of dancers of all ages form large circles to take part in the dance that is embellished with lively music, colourful jackets and skirts.

The dance is performed with decorated wooden dandiya sticks, from which the dance takes its name.

‘It also gives the children of the Sneha Centre an opportunity to use their creative skills in making painted clay lamps or diyas for the Diwali season that follows,’ said ILA president Nivedita Dutta,

Companies wishing to co-sponsor the event can contact ILA members.

Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories at the event.

It is being held to raise funds for the ILA’s year-round charity activities and community service programmes.

Contact the ILA members for inquiries on 39850372, 39227567 or 38872702.