Bhangra

Bhangra refers to both the traditional folk dance of the Punjab region of South Asia and to the popular music and dance genres that emerged from the original dance and are enjoyed worldwide. Traditional bhangra dance is performed by Punjabi men to celebrate the spring harvest season. Dancers perform in a circle and incorporate robust, joyful, and highly rhythmic synchronized movements, including jumps, bends, waves, and claps. Traditional bhangra dance is accompanied by a two-sided bass drum called a dhol.

In the mid-twentieth century, bhangra garnered attention outside the Punjab region due to South Asian immigration and through exposure in films. No longer relegated to harvest season, bhangra is enjoyed year-round and is popular at South Asian weddings.

New variations have since emerged. Two major styles of modern bhangra, melding traditional and modern instrumentation, have developed: one in South Asia and another in Southall, London's West End, where bhangra interweaves with modern hip-hop, rap, reggae, and other world music streams.

Brief History

The bhangra dance has its origins in Punjab, a region of northeastern Pakistan and northwestern India. Punjab is known for its five rivers, fertile lands, and crops, including wheat and bhang, or hemp, from which the dance received its name. Historically, the spring harvest culminates in the Sikh New Year celebration of Baisakhi or Vaisakhi. Traditional bhangra dance is performed in a circle by male dancers wearing lungi, colorful cloths wrapped at the waist; kurta, long shirts; pagri turbans as head coverings; a turla or fan attached to the pagri; a jugi, or waistcoat with no buttons; and rumaal, or small ties worn on fingers that accentuate hand movements of the dancers.

Traditional bhangra music relies on Punjabi instruments, especially the dhol drum, and a variety of string instruments, including the tumbi. The dhol is a large two-sided bass drum that drummers strap around their necks and play using one large beater and a lighter stick. The tumbi is a high-tone single-string instrument. Bhangra rhythms are syncopated or feature accents on the weak beats, creating a swinging, vibrant dance beat that is the signature characteristic of all bhangra music, both traditional and modern. Bhangra music and dance has always represented Punjabi culture, the struggles of the Punjab, and its history. Traditional lyrics are sung in the Punjabi language and explore various themes, including love, celebration, dancing, marriage, and cultural heroes.

In the mid-twentieth century, bhangra dances were popularized by films and performances throughout India. Dance troupes such as the Deepak family of Sunam developed free-form traditional bhangra, which incorporates traditional bhangra moves as well as other Punjabi dances such as the luddi and dhamaal. Dance troupes and movies also incorporated related dances traditionally performed by women, such as the giddha and sammi. Traditional and free-form bhangra female dancers typically wear the salwar kameez, which consists of salwar—long, baggy pants that are tight at the ankles—and a long, colorful shirt called a kameez. Women also wear chunnis, colorful scarves wrapped around the neck.

Impact

Modern bhangra dance and music are a hallmark of South Asian culture worldwide and have garnered a diverse, significant intercontinental audience. Contemporary bhangra musicians utilize instruments from mainstream pop, such as drum kits, drum machines, saxophones, harmoniums, guitars, and keyboards. Free-form bhangra dance styles have become staples at South Asian weddings, dance competitions, and group gatherings and are no longer limited to the Punjabi harvest. By the 1970s, free-form bhangra dance and music spread to Britain through the immigrant community, and they have become an art form associated with South Asian identity and multiculturalism.

In South Asia, folk music icons Kuldeep Manak, Chamkila, and Malkit Singh have popularized bhangra music and traditional folk lyrics, and contemporary artists cover and remix their work. Bhangra staple A.S. Kang has experimented with his music over time and incorporates swing, techno, and dance genres with traditional folk vocals. Gurdaas Mann and Malkit Singh have toured worldwide and produced music within the United Kingdom as well. Mann is credited with growing the bhangra fan base by singing in simplified Punjabi and also Urdu, successfully cultivating a broader audience.

In Southall, London, bhangra gained popularity with the children of first-generation South Asian immigrants. In 1979, a Southall group called Alaap combined traditional vocal melodies and bhangra rhythms with synthesizers, orchestra, and disco. This was the birth of the Southall Sound or British bhangra. Southall Sound gained traction in Britain through daytimers, special midday concerts that gave people of South Asian descent occasions to hear music without breaking cultural rules that generally discouraged socializing during the evening. At daytimers, men and women began to dance bhangras together, which was rare, if not unprecedented, in South Asia. British bhangra was gradually introduced into the nightclub scene, where it flourished and became a vibrant part of British culture.

While modern bhangra lyrics from South Asia have tended to focus on the intersection between Western and South Asian traditions, British bhangra lyrics initially focused on fun. Gradually, in the 1990s, artists began introducing social commentary. The British bhangra group Fun-Da-Mental, for example, addressed issues such as racism and the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic. Bands also experimented with incorporating Black American and Afro-Caribbean popular music genres and began singing in Punjabi interspersed with English or English alone. Panjabi MC was a pioneer in fusing bhangra with electronic and hip-hop elements, and Daler Mehndi allowed the music to spread and become popular at the end of the twentieth century. These changes led to larger audiences within the United Kingdom, and many artists, including dhol drummer Johnny Kalsi, have produced material that has expanded the listenership to countries including Canada, the United States, and Australia. Bhangra dance classes are offered worldwide, and highly competitive dance contests can be found across the globe, including intercollegiate dance competitions in the United States, such as the Bhangra Blowout held annually for thirty years at George Washington University.

Bhangra music and dance have evolved and migrated from rural celebrations in Punjab to the club scene. Modern bhangra music and dance, while firmly rooted in Punjabi tradition, continue to evolve throughout South Asia and its diaspora as performers incorporate elements of other cultures they admire and as modern bhangra music and dance are shared and grown worldwide. In the twenty-first century, popular bhangra musicians included AP Dhillon, who combined traditional bhangra music with elements of hip hop and rhythm and blues music, as well as Diljit Dosanjh, Guru Randhawa, Jazzy B, and Sidhu Moose Wala. Amrit Maan, Raf-Saperra, and Prabh Singh were three of bhangra music's contemporary artists. Bhangra music gained popularity in the United States thanks to its use by artists such as Jay-Z and Selena Gomez. 

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