Boogie Woogie India

After a long time we come back to our gaining knowledge segment. In past we have covered some classical dances such as Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi and in western we covered Hip Hop, Tap Dance and Rock n Roll. I must say our Hip Hop and Bharatnatyam segments have been very popular with many sites linking to ours for gaining knowledge. Recently we also found out that it also helped the students with their school projects and so we gladly continue with this knowledge segment to spread it as far as possible.

Today we will talk about folk dance – Bhangra.

Bhangra as we all know is a Punjabi folk dance that originated from the state of Punjab. It is an energetic dance that initially was conducted by the farmers to celebrate Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi marks the birth of Khalsa and is also the beginning of the harvest season.

Vaisakhi is one of the most significant holidays in Sikh calendar commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699. It is celebrated by the Khalsa as their birthday every year corresponding to the event when they were created by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 at Anandpur. It is said that Guru Ji had arranged all his followers from all over India to meet him at the baisakhi fair in Anadpur. He asked a man to step forward who was willing to die for his religion. One man came forward, he entered the Guru’s tent, then the Guru came out of the tent – his sword stained with blood. One by one the guru chose four more men to come forward, and one after another they entered and the Guru emerged alone with his blood stained sword. The crowd was nervous, and mysteriously there was no screaming at all. The five men came before the people, dressed in robes like the Guru, alive and well. The Guru Ji put water water in a bowl for sprinkling over the five in a simple initiation ceremony. He said prayers as he stirred the water with a short steel sword; symbolizing the need for strength. The Guru’s wife, Mata Sundri, then came forward and placed some sugar crystals into the holy water or amrit as a reminder that strength must always be balanced by sweetness of temperament. After completing his prayers, the Guru then sprinkled the amrit over the five men.

He declared them to be the first members of a new community of equals, to be called the Khalsa, meaning “pure”. These saint soldiers were to dedicate their lives to the service of others and the pursuit of justice for the people of all faiths. The Panj Pyare were asked to wear five distinctive symbols of their new identity, the Five Ks. In a move to end social divisions the Panj Pyare’s surnames were removed by the Guru mainly because surnames were associated by ones caste’s. The Guru then gave them all Sikh men the name “Singh” meaning “Lion”, a reminder of the need for courage. At the same time all Sikh women were given a name title as “Kaur” meaning princess.

The same season was also the arrival of the harvesting season. The festival always falls on April 14 and marks the beginning of the solar year. Just before the festival the farmer returns home with his bumper crop, the fruit of his whole year’s hard labor.

This festival is in celebration to thank God for good harvest for the year and coming year. On this day, people take a dip in holy rivers early morning and later wear their best attire and celebrate by dancing Bhangra to express their joy. The dancers and drummers challenge each other to continue the dance. The scenes of sowing, harvesting, winnowing and gathering of crops are expressed through zestful movements of the body to the accompaniment of ballads. Traditional Bhangra is a fusion of music, singing and the beat of the dhol drum, a single stringed instrument called the iktar, the tumbi and the chimta. The accompanying songs are small couplets written in Punjabi language called bolis. This relates to current issues faced by the singers called ‘dil the gal’ what they truly want to say.

Bhangra has developed as a combination of dances from different parts of the Punjab region. The term "Bhangra" now refers to several kinds of dances and arts, including Jhumar, Luddi, Giddha, Julli, Daankara, Dhamal, Saami, Kikli, and Gatka. Jhumar, originally from Sandalbar, Punjab, comprises an important part of Punjab folk heritage. It is a graceful dance, based on a specific Jhumar rhythm. Dancers circle around a drum player while singing a soft chorus.

A person performing the Luddi dance places one hand behind his head and the other in front of his face, while swaying his head and arms. 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 and much milder dance called Giddha. The dancers enact verses called bolis, representing a wide variety of subjects - everything from arguments with a sister-in-law to political affairs. The rhythm of the dance depends not only the drums, but also on the handclaps of the dancers. Daankara is a dance of celebration, typically performed at weddings. Two men, each holding colorful staves, dance around each other in a circle while tapping their sticks together in rhythm with the drums.  Dancers also form a circle while performing Dhamal. They also hold their arms high, shake their shoulders and heads, and yell and scream. Dhamal is a true folk-dance, representing the heart of Bhangra. Women of the Sandalbar region traditionally are known for the Saami. The dancers dress in brightly colored kurtas and full flowing skirts called lehengas. 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. Gatka is a Punjabi Sikh martial art in which people use swords, sticks, or daggers. Historians believe that the sixth Sikh guru started the art of gatka after the martyrdom of fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev. Wherever there is a large Khalsa Punjabi Sikh population, there will be Gatka participants, often including small children and adults. These participants usually perform Gatka on special Punjabi holidays. In addition to these different dances, a Bhangra performance typically contains many energetic stunts. The most popular stunt is called the moor, or peacock, in which a dancer sits on someone’s shoulders, while another person hangs from his torso by his legs. Two-person towers, pyramids, and various spinning stunts are also popular

Tomorrow, we shall cover costumes required for Bhangra.