Keighley women are dancing in the dark in a bid to improve self-confidence along with their health.

Zumba sessions run by the newly-formed Yorkshire Fitness Crew are illuminated only by disco lights.

Participants can be given one-to-one support on the floor because sessions are run by four leaders rather than one.

Crew member, Angela Fish, said: “We wanted to create a fun environment and make it different to other Zumba in the area.

“It can be daunting to turn up for an exercise class. If the lights are down people don’t feel body conscious, or conscious of the steps. You can shake your bits without anyone seeing!”

The Crew’s four qualified instructors run the innovative weekly fitness classes in Keighley, Sutton, Oakworth and Ingrow.

They use the popular Zumba method, which mixes mostly Latin rhythms with styles including cha-cha, salsa, hip hop and merengue.

Emma Hart, from Oxenhope, has run fitness classes for 25 years and began teaching Zumba two years ago.

Two of her students at Keighley’s Fitness First – Angela Fish, of Long Lee, and Laura Edmond, of Cullingworth – decided to also train as instructors.

The three women last year joined with Cross Hills resident, Helen Leighton, to begin the Yorkshire Fitness Crew.

Angela added: “We thought we’d do it together, to give hope to other girls. All of us are different shapes and sizes.

“You don’t usually get four instructors teaching together in the same class.

“We all stand at the front, but if people are struggling with the moves, a couple of us might go into the crowd to do the routine with them.”

Yorkshire Fitness Crew classes run at TruGym, Worth Way (Mondays 7.15-8.15pm and Thursdays 6.30-7.30pm); Sutton Village Hall (Tuesdays 6.10-6.55pm); Holden Hall in Oakworth (Tuesdays 7-8pm); and Workouts in Queens Road, Ingrow (Thursdays 5.30-6.15pm). Emma also runs a class on her own on Friday mornings at TruGym. E-mail angelafish@hotmail.co.uk for details.