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The music was irresistibly energetic in the Takoma Park Dance Exchange last week as instructor Palak Sheth introduced her students to the third "Bollywood" dance class. Her shouts of encouragement over the jumpy beat reminded the class to pace their footwork, while her smile reflected the festive feel of the unique Indian dance.

Born of the music and dance styles seen in popular films of India — specifically those produced in Bollywood, a district of Mumbai akin to America's Hollywood — the dance craze is gaining momentum worldwide. Sheth describes it as a blend of traditional Indian moves interspersed with elements of modern hip-hop.

"Bollywood dancing is really just an amalgamation," she said, listing salsa and flamenco styles as other contributors. "It is a full-body type of dance; you're dancing in the traditional sort of way with your body as well as with very pronounced, kind of delicate hand movements and facial expressions to convey emotion and the story behind the music."

Taught by the Washington D.C.-based Dhoonya Dance company, classes began in Takoma Park after students in the district and Virginia began expressing interest in attending classes closer to Maryland, Sheth said. An introductory class at the Dance Exchange began Feb. 17 and will meet each Wednesday evening through April 10, after which attendance will determine if a year-round class can work in the area.

If Sheth's students are any indication, the class may become a mainstay in the suburb. Takoma Park resident May Nash, 27, attended the class for the first time March 3 on the advice of a friend, and plans to return.

"My grandparents were Indian, so I just thought it would be interesting to see some of the dances from what they did, but this is definitely more modern," she said. "I really like it, [and] I think it fits right into the community. I think it'll thrive here [in Takoma Park], maybe bring the younger generation out."

Washington resident Sumona Majumdar, 28, said she originally began attending the class out of curiosity about the style as well as a way to break the tedium of life as a busy law student.

"There's precision, and I find that you move muscles very differently when you're trying to put your body in a certain position," she said. "It's a great workout."

Andrew Wilson, a 30-year-old Washington resident, said he attended the class out of cultural curiosity and because he believes the dance has value as a form of exercise.

"I go to a fair number of dance clubs and things like that, and I see people doing, like, bhangra moves or Bollywood moves, things like that, so it's just fun to kind of know some of the moves," he said, adding that he also has taken lessons in the Hindi language. "In other parts of the world, Bollywood's pretty big, like in the U.K., Russia I'm told, Africa even. It's really just kind of, in the U.S., just kind of breaking in."

For more information, including a schedule of classes and drop-in prices, go to www.dhoonyadance.com or e-mail info@dhoonyadance.com.