bhangra essay

Bhangra dance

Bhangra is a type of dance and music. It originated from the Punjab region in south Asia. There are very specific moves in bhangra.

Bhangra is an energetic form of dance and music, which is traditionally used to celebrate harvest. Traditionally a woman would wear a Salwar Kameez (a dress) and the man a Punjabi suit with an amazing colourful turban.

The steps are mostly the same, the woman mirrors the man’s steps. Bhangra dance used to be only danced for harvest but nowadays it is danced during celebrations, parties and for fun.

Right from the beginning Bhangra has kept developing. Bhangra music is really fluent and uses tiny series of notes. Bhangra songs are low-pitched.

Here are some famous bhangra dances.

·        Jhumar, originally from Sandalbar, Punjab. It is an important part of Punjab folk heritage. This dance is very graceful and it’s based on a specific Jhumar rhythm. Dancers circle around a drum player while singing a soft chorus.

·        Someone performing the Luddi dance puts one hand behind his head and the other in front of his face, while moving his head and arms in a swaying motion. He typically wears a plain loose shirt and sways in a snake-like manner. Like a Jhumar dancer, the Luddi dancer moves around a dhol player.

·        Women have a different dance it is called the Giddha and it is much milder. The dancers show emotion in this dance.

• Daankara is a dance of celebration. It is usually performed at weddings. There are two men each of them is holding colourful staves, they dance around each other in a circle while tapping their staves (sticks) together in rhythm with the drums.
• Another dance which they form circles in is the Dhamal, they hold their arms high, shake their shoulders and heads, and yell and scream. Dhamal is a true folk dance which represents the heart of bhangra.
• Like Daankara, Kikli features pairs of dancers, this time women. The dancers cross their arms, hold each other's hands, and whirl around singing folk songs. Occasionally, four girls join hands to perform this dance.

Bhangra dance back many years. The basic steps are related to farming, ploughing, sowing and harvesting. The bhangra season starts with baisakhi, the first day of the harvest season. The term bhangra was originally meant for a particular dance for the Seek and Muslim men of the Punjab rejoin of south Asia. In the mid 20^th centaury bhangra expanded beyond the Punjab.

The word Bhangra  includes not just the dance but the vocal and instrumental parts of the performance. Themes of dance changed from agricultural to romantic and sometimes comic material.

Bhangra dance is seen as a positive identity for southern Asia.

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