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Bhangra Dance Joe Thomas

Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of Southeast Asia. It began as part of harvest celebrations but is now performed at events like weddings and festivals. While Bhangra's roots are in traditional Punjabi culture, it has gained global popularity in recent decades both in its original form and in fusion with other genres like hip-hop. Key elements of Bhangra include energetic dance moves and stunts performed to the rhythmic sounds of drums and string instruments native to the Punjab region.

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Jacob Thomas
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201 views

Bhangra Dance Joe Thomas

Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of Southeast Asia. It began as part of harvest celebrations but is now performed at events like weddings and festivals. While Bhangra's roots are in traditional Punjabi culture, it has gained global popularity in recent decades both in its original form and in fusion with other genres like hip-hop. Key elements of Bhangra include energetic dance moves and stunts performed to the rhythmic sounds of drums and string instruments native to the Punjab region.

Uploaded by

Jacob Thomas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Bhangra Dance

Joe Thomas

Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that


originated in the Punjab region in Southeast Asia. As
many Bhangra lyrics reflect the long and often
tumultuous history of the Punjab, knowledge of
Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. While Bhangra
began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse
occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years,
Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a
fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae. As Bhangra continues to move
into mainstream culture, an understanding of its history and tradition helps to appreciate it.
The birthplace of Bhangra is a region extending over Northern India and Northern
Pakistan. Punjab is translated as Land of Five Rivers. The people of the Punjab are
called Punjabis and they speak a language called Punjabi. There are three main religions
in the Punjab area and these are Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam. The religion has been
invaded and ruled by many different empires and races, including the Ayrans, Persians,
Greeks, Muslims and Mongols. The 19th Century saw the beginning of the British rule over
India which led to several heroic freedom fighters, the subject of many Bhangra songs. At
the end of the British rule in 1947 Bhangra was split between Pakistan and India. This
partitioning resulted in a large migration of Punjabis into the United Kingdom which
eventually led to the popularity of Bhangra in western societies.

The Bhangra
Although Bhangra has said to have existed since as long as 300 BC, over the past 4
decades it has experienced new highs in popularity and innovation. The term Bhangra
has gradually evolved and now refers to many different sub-classes of dance and music for
many different social and religious occasions. Some of these sub-classes include Jhumar,
Luddi, Giddha, Julli, Daankara, Dhamal, Saami, Kikli, and Gatka.
Alongside these different dances, a Bhangra performance typically contains many
energetic stunts. The most popular stunt is called the moor (the peacock) in which a dance
sits on someones shoulders while another person hangs from his torso by his legs. Other
popular stunts include two-person towers, pyramids and many spinning stunts.

Bhangra Costumes
Traditionally, men wear a lungi while doing Bhangra. A lungi is a colorful piece of cloth
wrapped around the waist. Men also wear a kurta, which is a long Punjabi-style shirt.
Finally, men wear Bhugaris - also known as turbans - to cover their heads.
Women wear the traditional Punjabi dress, salvar kameez. A salvar kameez is composed
of a long colorful shirt and baggy, vibrant pants. Women also wear duppattas, colorful
pieces of cloth wrapped around the neck. Many Bhangra songs make references to the
duppatta.

Bhangra Instruments
Many different Punjabi instruments contribute to the sound of Bhangra. Although the most
important instrument is the dhol drum, Bhangra also features a variety of string and other
drum instruments.
The primary and most important instrument that defines Bhangra is the dhol. The dhol is a
large, high-bass drum, played by beating it with two sticks. The width of a dhol skin is
about fifteen inches in general, and the dhol player holds his instrument with a strap
around his neck.
The string instruments include the tumbi, sarangi, sapera, supp, and chimta. The dhad,
dafli, dholki, and damru are the other drums. The tumbi is a high-tone, single-string
instrument. Although it has only one string, mastering the tumbi takes many years. The
sarangi is a multi-stringed instrument, similar to the violin. The sapera produces a
beautiful, high-pitched stringy beat, while the supp and chimta add extra, light sound to
Bhangra music. Finally, the dhad, dafli, dholki, and damru are instruments that produce
more drum beats, but with much less bass than the dhol drum.

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