How is bhangra performed

Bhangra refers to several forms of folk dance and music that originate in the Punjab region of India. The dance is generally performed during the Vaisakhi festival that celebrates the harvest.

Bhangra has a very energetic and lively tone and the dance is equally vivacious. The festival is celebrated with much pomp and fervor and the dresses worn by the male and female dancers are quite different from each other although both are a reflection of the joyous celebrations. The Bhangra is said to have started by Punjabi farmers in the 14 th or 15 th century to celebrate the harvest season.

As time progressed, the Bhangra became used in almost all major celebrations in Punjab such as weddings or festivals. The Bhangra is danced to the rhythm of a drum, known as the dhol. One of the other accounts of its origin dates it to the s as a community dance in the month leading up to the Vaisakhi festival.

While the dance has now spread to not just Punjab in its entirety, but India and many parts of the world, at the time of its origin it was prominent only in Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gurdaspur and Sheikhpur areas of Punjab. The dresses that are worn during a Bhangra performance are very bright, bold and colorful to symbolize the joyful and celebratory nature of the occasion.

Since there is a lot of movement associated with this dance form, it is very important that the dresses allow the dancers to move freely. Bright shades generally mean different things. The wearing of the turban by male dancers is very important as it represents the pride as well as honor of the people of Punjab. Women wear long flowing clothes as well as fine jewelry for elegance and grace.

The Bhangra dress is quite vivid and colorful and is quite similar to the clothes worn every day in Punjab although the hues of the clothes worn on a daily basis are lighter.

Kato: In Punjabi language, kato means squirrel and so the shape of the instrument's body appears like a squirrel.

It is made up of a long stick with a wooden block resting on the top. Both the head and the tail are connected to the strings coming down, which can pull and produce sound which is turned into a beat while swinging up on the shoulder. Saaps : As the name suggests, saaps means snake, this prop seems like a snake. It is a wooden instrument made up of small X-shaped parts that expand and contract.

Using this instrument produces thunder-like sounds. It is also known as shikke or kenchi. Here are some of the most famous, instruments which give original sounds and beats to the performers: Dhol: Dhol is the most famous bhangra instrument.

It is a double-sided barrel drum that creates the beats. Sarangi: The sarangi is a stringed instrument with a small neck. It is made from Tun wood and has a box-like shape with three hollow chambers. Tumbi : The tumbi or toombi, also called a tumba or toomba is a traditional musical instrument from the Punjab associated with folk music.

It is hung on one side of the shoulder and then played. Home News Evolution of the energetic dance form 'Bhangra' Evolution of the energetic dance form 'Bhangra' Bhangra is strongly connected to the celebration of farmers' happiness after harvesting crops. From : Lifestyle Desk. History On the outside, bhangra may look easy but it is much more than kicking legs vigorously. Bhangra props There are a variety of props and instruments used in bhangra traditionally to add spark and flare to the stage.

Here are some of the most popular bhangra props you may have seen in the hands of dancer: Khunda : A khunda is basically a long stick approximately 5 feet which has a hook type moulding, at its one end.

Credit: Pixta. Credit: Bharatnatyam World. Credit: Vancouver Suns. Bhangra music became extremely popular in the United Kingdom. Its enormous Punjabi population first combined traditional Bhangra rhythms with Western music. Bhangra music and Punjabi culture became prevalent in Bollywood cinema as well, especially during scenes of jubilation.

Colleges and universities comprised a significant portion of these Bhangra teams, although a large number of independent teams and academies were also well established. Eventually a competitive circuit developed, and exclusive Bhangra competitions were held across North America.

This competitive circuit experienced a high spike in popularity around With this growth came the development of various trends that pushed the boundaries of Bhangra. Bhangra music routines started incorporating a significant number of Western influences and beats, many hybrid moves were invented, and gimmicks started becoming essential to winning competitions.

Another landmark moment came with the creation of all-girls Bhangra teams in a traditionally male-dominated dance form. With such an immense amount of evolution in such a short amount of time, controversy has frequently sparked in the Bhangra circuit.

There are some who believe the boundaries of the dance have been pushed too far and push for dancers to return the dance to its more traditional roots.

Others believe that, as Bhangra has already changed so much throughout the course of its history, it should be allowed to continue to develop naturally and without restriction.

There is much gray area in this debate, but the result is a rich diversity in Bhangra throughout the world. Teams take pride in their individual style, whether they consider themselves modern, traditional, in between, or neither, and many competitions cater toward particular styles.

However, no matter the style, all Bhangra dancers agree that Bhangra is a dance of strength, power, energy and grace. In the midst of the self-discipline needed to complete a full routine comes a feeling of complete freedom and passion that encourages the circuit to evolve and thrive. Bhangra competitions are one of the most exciting parts of modern-day Bhangra. Today, competitions occur all over the world and celebrate not only the culture and traditions of Punjab, but also something more universal - joy, strength, and pride.

As Bhangra evolved into what it is known as today, it experienced a variety of different audiences. It grew from a dance performed in individual villages to an art celebrated at fairs and festivals, or melas, across Punjab.

When it reached a national audience, Bhangra turned into a symbol of the culture and heritage of Punjab. Competitions, however, only started cropping up around the s. In this decade, colleges across Punjab began forming local teams and sending them to perform at competitions.

Bhangra competitions steadily grew in popularity and are still prominent in Punjab today. As Bhangra music became popular in the Punjabi diaspora, competitions slowly began cropping up internationally, such as in North America, the UK, and Australia. Today, Bhangra competitions are held all over the world for all age groups.

Internationally, Bhangra competitions are not restricted to college teams and many independent academies and teams compete regularly. Originally, competitions consisted of teams dancing on live music, always including at least a singer and a dhol player, or dholi.

These teams usually consist of 8 dancers. Live dancing is still the predominant style of Bhangra competitions in India. However, the popularity of dancing to recorded music routines has skyrocketed in the rest of the world. Many international competitions today use judging rubrics that specifically cater to teams that perform to recorded music.

In contrast, other competitions develop rubrics that reward elements emphasized in live music routines. Others involve combinations of the two. Universally, however, all Bhangra competition exhibit sets of highly energetic, rigorous routines. Internationally, this has created a rich spectrum of Bhangra teams with an enormous diversity of styles. Cart 0.