For this week’s article I was very keen on a snazzy and popular folk dance genre, something that involves a lot of fun and something that everyone is definitely familiar with. Hindi movie songs, albums have hugely endorsed this dance form sometime or the other…any guesses??... “oye its saddi bhangra yaar!!!”.
The common myth about bhangra is its all about “balle balle” and “shava shava” with the typical hands up in the air movement. Well this step is definitely the most common in the dance but Bhangra also involves lot of other intricate movements which requires immense energy and synchronization.
Those of us have watched the movie Rang de Basanti, at least the title song cannot not have missed the Bhangra dance which is an inalienable part of the song’s picturization. It was theBhangra that made the song so very colourful and energetic, not to mention fully enjoyable .After observing the dancers carefully I was in awe of their power packed movements, jovial expressions, zest and balance. The Bhangra dance, I found was very reminiscent of our very own “Dhaker nach” as far as some movements and balancing is concerned and their “dhol” replacing our “dhak”.
However, when it comes to bhangra songs my personal favourite is Daler Mehendi’s “bolo tara ra ra”, it was a rage during my school days and even today whenever I listen to that song I cannot help doing a bit impromptu dancing myself.
But what are the origins of bhangra?? Bhangra is originated from the land of five rivers, popularly known as Punjab, situated in the Northwest region of the Indian Subcontinent. In its present form it has become very popular in Jammu and Kashmir, and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Pakistani Punjab.
The history of Bhangra can be traced back to as long as 500 years, although it may have existed much earlier. The basic movements of Bhangra is related to the farming activities like ploughing, sowing, harvesting and were generally performed for celebrating the harvesting season. The Bhangra season starts with Baisakhi, a festival that reflects the joyous mood of the farmers for there last season’s success and also for the advent of the new season, that falls on April 14th every year to mark the beginning of the solar year. Hence it is also celebrated as New Year among the Punjabis and many other communities. Bhangra is known as the Folk Dance of Punjab and now can be witnessed at any happy or festive occasions and especially in weddings. `Bhangra’ is generally played with a Dhol beat with a single-stringed instrument called the Iktar (Iktara), the Tumbi and the Chimta.
One of the interesting things about Bhangra is that it`s not just a single dance form but it encompasses large number of sub genres as well. The major sub genres of Bhangra areDhamal, Jhumar, Daankara, Luddi, Giddha, Julli, Gatka, Saami and Kikli.
Costume is an important part in any performance and more so in Bhangra as it transfuses energy from the vibrant colours of the costumes that are generally used by the dancers. Traditional men wear a Chaadra while doing Bhangra. A Chaadra is a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. Men also wear Kurta, which is a long Indian-style shirt. In addition, men wear Pugerdee (also known as Turbans) to cover their heads. Women wear a traditional Punjabi dress known as a Ghagra. A Ghagra is a long colourful skirt which fans out into a giant disk as a woman moves in her dancing ways. Women wear Duppattas, colourful pieces of cloth wrapped around their neck. Women also wear suits called Salwar Kamiz.
Bhangra may not be the most sublime and beautiful of the dance forms but it is definitely upholds one important aspect of dancing…letting go and enjoying ourselves.
Those of us are still a bit skeptical about its popularity can browse through the dance remixes in any music store and count the number of “bhangra mix” that each CD sports.