Karm Grewal

“Many people have jokingly referred to the hand motions in Bhangra as turning light bulbs. It is

much, much more than that.” (Gurdeep Pander, 2018)

Bhangra is an art that was created in the 18th century in Punjab by the South Asian society for

entertainment during festivals like Baisakhi, Diwali etc. Bhangra is a dance form which is one

the most energetic and fast pace dances which requires a lot of stamina. It is divided between

both India and Pakistan. Bhangra has been one of the most famous dances of Punjab for

centuries. People would do bhangra to celebrate their success or hard work. Bhangra can be

performed by both men and women. To support the energetic Punjabi music people, play “The

dhol is a large traditional North Indian drum played with cane sticks. The tension is adjusted to

produce a bass and treble sound. It is extremely loud” (Bhangra instruments, 2013). Bhangra

now has been known all over the world and has evolved quite a lot from the past. It's made its

way from India to North America and South America. It has made the culture of the Sikh

community go to extreme heights. Bhangra involves a lot of dedication, commitment and

stamina to succeed in the routine being performed.

Dedication means being devoted to something and putting in your hundred and ten percent in

whatever that is being done. Bhangra is an art that needs a lot of dedication to be put in because

it's all about the energy that you take to the stage. Bhangra has also become very competitive in a

sense because there are many clubs that practice for months and then go into competitions.
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Dedication plays a huge rule because bhangra isn't like a sport or some type of math or science

test that you can just do it and still do good, it requires a lot of practice and hard work every day

so that it can be done well. If we look just in India, the form of bhangra has been decreasing and

more and more people are doing modern and new types of dances. India has evolved so much

over the years that not just bhangra but many types of classical forms are being left behind and

people have started learning and doing new dances such as hip hop, breakdancing, b-boying etc.

No matter what type of dance it is, at the end it all involves dedication. With dedication there

also comes commitment.

Bhangra was born in Punjab but as the years went by it made its way to North and South

America. When south Asian immigrants traveled to America in 1970’s and 1990’s they all

brought the Indian roots of bhangra to life in the modern world and thought that if the British can

rule all over India, then why can't we introduce bhangra to the Canadians and Americans. So, by

doing so a lot of people were exposed to new type of music and a new form of dance. 10-15

years ago, when bhangra was introduced to America it was a simple type of dance and simple

music but as the time went by and the young south Asian generation made bhangra go to the next

level by mixing Punjabi riffs into their music and adding modern beats. “Bhangra emerged along

with a need for a kind of cultural space in that generation, as they were expanding in the 90s with

greater immigration and coming of age,”(Sunaina Maria, 2015) . Bhangra is a dance form which

students use to explore their culture and find depth in their beliefs and try to look back at their

Karm Grewal
ancestors. “[Bhangra] has helped dancers form a unique identity around being an Indian-

American or a Pakistani-American, or even for people not of South Asian origin, to be a

part of this community and have a really unique identity. That didn’t exist before,” (Joy Dhar,

2016). When the 20th century came there was a separation from traditional dancing to modern

dancing, it was a time where dancers and choreographers had made a drastic change in bhangra

style and the music. Today, Bhangra music exists in different forms and styles all over the world.

“Bhangra is now used to describe a high-energy style of dance music developed by young Asians

and performed at weddings, parties and clubs.

Bhangra fuses Western pop music, Hindi film music and folk music from the Punjabi region.

Traditional Punjab drums and string instruments are fused with Western instruments such as

electric guitars. The harmony is usually simple, with one or two repeated chords.”(Dalit gill,

2013)
Karm Grewal

Bhangra requires a lot of fitness and stamina in the routine that is going to be performed, and a

regular routine is 10-12 min maximum. In that routine there is a lot of jumping and moving

which requires arm strength and strong legs. However, there are two types of fitness components

to bhangra. “Bhangra, and Bollywood dance as a whole, has taken off as the newest workout fad

across the country. You no longer have to wait until a wedding or special event to get your

Bhangra (and your sweat) on. Many gyms and dance studios across the country offer classes

taught by trained Bhangra dance instructors who can guide you through the right moves to

maximize calorie burn.” (BBC, 2017) All over the lower mainland there are many centers

opened such as royal academy bhangra, vancity bhangra, and shan e Punjab that do bhangra

fitness.

“Here is no one way to Bhangra, but there is no doubt that you’ll get a good cardio workout from

this style of dance. Besides getting your heart pumping, Bhangra finds a way to target parts of

your body that you might not even realize it can.” (jasmine gill,2012) Before doing Bhangra it is

important to do stretches and exercises so that your body muscles can loosen up and don’t cramp

up later. “Make each move count. When the beat is right, Bhangra involves quite a bit of

jumping around and extending your legs. While this definitely amps up the cardio part of this

workout, don’t be fooled to think that’s all you’re doing! Make focused, steady movements

instead of just thrashing your limbs about (which is never good anyway). This will give your

lower body a great workout as well, from your hip flexors and quads and to your calves and

hamstrings.” (Bhangra your way to a better body, 2016) this quote gives a good idea on what
muscles are being used in bhangra and how it involves a lot of stamina and strength and how

Fitness plays a huge role in the dance form of Bhangra.

“Through Bhangra, we are given the opportunity to connect back to our roots. Unlike other

traditional dance styles such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak, Bhangra allows us to connect with

our traditional roots through a modern and evolving dance style. It is one of the dance styles that

still has mass appeal to our generation”.(karamjeet Singh gill, 2007) Bhangra is an art that was

done by Indians in Punjab in the 19th century for festive festivals to celebrate their lives. In the

modern world bhangra has become huge that's it involves a lot of dedication. Dancing at parties

and for enjoyment is one side of bhangra but when you're in competitions you need to be

dedicated to go to all the practices each week and practice at home. Bhangra also made its way

from India to America during the 20th century and made the dance form go to extreme heights.

Lastly Bhangra involves a lot of fitness and stamina. To keep your cardio good dancers, stretch

and workout before the performances so that they don't get tired during the dance routine.

Bhangra evolution has been huge how it traveled all over the globe to make its name and it

teaches us how much dedication people put into the dance and how much fitness is needed.

Karm grewal

Bibliography

http://www.bhangra.org/about/bhangra-history/what-is-bhangra/
Gorlinski, V. (2010, March 03). Bhangra. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from

https://www.britannica.com/art/bhangra

P. (2016, June 06). Bhangra: This Weeks Grobby. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from

https://greatist.com/fitness/bhangra-weeks-grobby

Folk instruments of Punjab. (2018, March 03). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_instruments_of_Punjab

Agrawal, N. (2016, March 14). How A Traditional Indian Dance Form Found A Home In

American Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/college-bhangra-indian-

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