Dances of Punjab

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 but equally exuberant 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.
• Julli is a dance associated with Muslim holy men called pirs and is generally performed in their hermitages. Typically the dancers dress all in black, and perform Julli in a sitting posture, but it is sometimes also done around the grave of a preceptor. Julli is unique in that one person, alone, can perform the dance if he so desires.
• 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 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 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 moorni, 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.

Musical Instruments of Bhangra

There are many different types of musical instruments used in Bhangra. Some are drum based like the dhol and others are string based like the tumbi. Instruments such as these are key to keeping the beat and the rhythm of the song and dance and accompany the singer's lyrics. Many of the songs that are sung are usually related to happy and sad events. These instruments listed are the some of the primary ones that are used in bhangra music. They may not all be accompanied in the music at a given time, but they are used. 

First off, there is the "Dhol." The dhol has been said to be the heart and soul of bhangra music because it provides the essential beat to which the music is based off of. It presents a rhythm to which the singer sings to and the dancers dance to. The dhol is basically a barrel-shaped drum that has been turned on it's side. It is usually made from a shell of hallowed-out mango or sheesham wood. Historically, both sides of the drum were made from goatskin, but today, plastic is sometimes used as a subsistute for one or both sides of the drum. These skins can be stretched or loosened with a tightening mechanism made up of either interwoven ropes, or nuts and bolts. Tightening or loosening the skins subtly alters the pitch of the drum sound.


It has two ends to which a person plays on with two wooden sticks, usually made out of bamboo or kane wood. One of these sticks is larger than the other, a crooked, heavier stick for the lower pitched sounds, and the other is a longer, thinner and more flexible stick used for the higher pitched sounds. The crooked stick is called dagga and the thinner stick is called the tili. The dagga is played on the bass side (the right of the drum) and the tili is played on the treble side (the left side of the drum). There are many rhythms to which dhol is played to. One of the most common one's is the Chaal, which consists of 8 beats per measure.

Next, the "Chimta." This steel instrument has a "ring-like" sound to it. It is c made out of two long, flat pieces of metal (usually iron) with the pointed ends. The rings are attached to the outsides of each flat metal peice. It is played by slapping the two steel ends together and allowing the metal rings on the top and bottom to meet each steel end and for the two steel bottoms to meet. The rings are plucked in a downward motion to create a tinkling sound.

The Algoje, a woodwind instrument is also called a jori/ngoza and it resembles a pair of wooden flutes which the musician plays by using three fingers on each side.  It is a very challenging instrument to play because the sounds are generated by breathing into it rapidly; the quick recapturing of breath on each beat creates a bouncing, swing rhythm. The algoza is generally used as a folk instrument and Punjabi folk singers use it to play traditional music such as Jugni, Jind Mahi, Mirza. However, it is also used for making contemporary Bhangra music. 

The Garah is a simple earthen pitcher that servers as a musical instrument in various folk songs. The musician strikes it's sides with rings worn on the fingers of one hand and also plays on it's open mouth with the other hand. This creates a distict rhythmic beat to which dancers can move on.

The tumbi is a traditional Punjabi string instrument. Its one string can 
produce both high and low tones. The body of the instrument is made from 
various types of wood over which a skin is stretched and strings are 
attached. It is played with the continuous flick and retraction of the forefinger. Famous Punjabi singers of traditional songs, such as Mahiya, Challa, Jindua and Jugni, have used the tumbi. The one-stringed tumbi is the most famous instrument in Bhangra and it is one of the most popular instruments used in folk music.

The name Sarangi is said to mean 'sau rang' (100 colours) or 'sa rang' (colours whatever it touches). It is the most important bowed bowed instrument of North Indian music. Like most stringed instruments, the sarangi has a wooden sound box. It's fingerboard is without frets and the sarangi is therefore a "blind" instrument. It is a wooden instrument about two feet long, cut from a single log covered with parchment. The ivory bridge, through which the strings pass, is placed upon leather parchment that is streached across the bottom half of the sound box.The sarangi has three main playing strings made of gut and thirty-six resonating (or sympathetic) metal strings, which are tuned to the notes of the particular Raga being played. This instrument is not played by stopping the strings with the fingers but is played with the fingernails.This allows subtle glides and embellishments.

Dhad is a small percussion instrument of the Damru style. Held in one hand, it is struck on either side, with the other hand holding the skinned sides vertically or horizontally. The musician achieves different modulations of sound by pulling the strings that tie its two heads.

The dafli, also popularly known as daf, dappler or tambourine is made of wooden ring with a double row of bells and a playing surface with a 10" diameter. It is struck with either hand and is shaken to create a "rattling" sound. There are many more musical instruments such as the sapera and the damru, that were not mentioned, but are used in Bhangra as well.

History of Bhangra

Although Bhangra has possibly existed since as long ago as 300 BC, over the past forty years it has experienced new highs in popularity and innovation. The term "Bhangra" has gradually evolved and now refers to many different sub-classes of dance and music for many occasions.

Origin 


While Bhangra historians speculate the dance may have originated in the time of the wars with Alexander, no one is sure it existed until about five hundred years ago. Around the 14th or 15th Century, Punjabi wheat farmers danced and sang songs about village life to help pass the time while working in the fields. With time, these became part of harvest celebrations at Vaisakhi (April 13) festivals, as the sight of their crops growing invigorated the farmers. From here the dance quickly moved through all divisions of class and education, eventually becoming a part of weddings, parties, and other important occasions

Today


Bhangra has come a long way in the 20th Century and has recently taken the entertainment industry by storm. In the 1970s and 1980s, many Punjabi singers from Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom emerged, setting the stage for Bhangra to become a hot new trend in dance music. Modern Bhangra artists, in addition to recording and performing traditional Bhangra, have also fused Bhangra with other music genres, such as hip-hop, reggae, house, and drum-and-bass.


1970's


In the late 1960s and 1970s, several singers from the Punjab set the stage for Bhangra to become a mass phenomenon. These singers, some of whom are still active today, include Kuldip Manak, Amar Singh Chamkila, and A. S. Kang.


Kuldip Manak, a Bhangra legend, has come to represent the ultimate Punjabi folk music icon. Malkit Singh, a current Bhangra star, says, "Kuldip Manak was one of my singing idols when I was growing up". He symbolizes the essence of Punjabi culture with regards to its history and people. Manak was raised into a musical family; his father was a singing priest in gurudwaras (Sikh temples) in Punjab.


Other artists that had a huge influence on the growth of Bhangra are Bhujangy, Asa Singh Mastana, Surinder Kaur and Parkash Kaur, Lalchand Yamla Jat, K. Deep and Jagmohan Kaur, and Alam Lohar.


1980's


It was not until the early eighties that Bhangra moved from "secluded halls and venues to the bright lights of the clubs and cities of England." First generation Asians were intrigued by their musical heritage, and helped bring Bhangra to the mainstream in their new country.


One of the biggest Bhangra stars of the last several decades is Malkit Singh - known as "the golden voice of the Punjab" - and his group, Golden Star. Malkit was born in June 1963, in the village Hussainpur, in Punjab. In 1983 he won a gold medal at the University of Guru Nanak, in Amritsar, Punjab, for performing his hit song Gurh Naloo Ishq Mitha, which later featured on his first album, Nach Gidhe Wich, released in 1984. The album was a strong hit among South Asians worldwide, and after its release Malkit and his band moved to the United Kingdom to continue their work. Malkit has now produced 16 albums and has toured 27 countries in his Bhangra career.


Gurdaas Mann also had a huge impact on Bhangra music. He started his career in 1982 with his first album, Dil Da Mamla. Since then he has become an idol for many, not only for his musical talent, but also his acting ability. He appeared in the Punjabi film Long Da Lishkara, which included the mega hit Challa. Since 1982 Gurdass Mann has released a number of hit albums, performed at sold-out concerts around the world and recently released the hugely popular single, Apna Punjab.


Several other influential groups appeared around the same time, including Apna, from Birmingham, and the Bhujungy Group. Apna, most famously known for their hit Mera Yaar Vajavey Dhol, are still performing and are known as one of the best live acts in Bhangra.


1990's


Bhangra took massive steps toward mainstream credibility in the 1990s, especially among youths. At the beginning of the nineties, many artists returned to the original, folk beats of Bhangra, often incorporating more dhol drum beats and tumbi. This time also saw the rise of several young Punjabi singers.


Another singer is Jazzy Bains. Originally from Namasher in Punjab, "Jazzy B," as he is commonly referred to, has become one of the preeminent Bhangra artists in the world after his debut in 1992. Having sold over 55,000 copies of his second album, Folk and Funky, he is now one of the best-selling Bhangra artists in the world, with a vocal style likened to that of Kuldip Manak. Although his music has a traditional Punjabi beat, Jazzy Bains has taken up a particularly modern, thug-like image for himself, perhaps helping his popularity in the process.


Surjit Bindrakhia, some might say, had arguably the most powerful and versatile voice of any modern Bhangra singer. Featuring a throaty and wide-ranging voice, Bindrakhia is the most successful traditional artist in the world, producing most of his music in India. He has been famous in Punjab for many years, but he only reached worldwide notoriety with Dupatta Tera Sat Rang Da, one of the most popular Bhangra songs of all time. There are more sustained dhol beats in Bindrakhia`s work than in that of most UK-based Bhangra artists.


Other influential Bhangra artists include Surinda Shinda - famous for his Putt Jattan Da, Harbhajan Mann, Manmohan Waris, Sarbjit Cheema, Hans Raj Hans, Sardool Sikander, Geet the MegaBand, Anakhi, Sat Rang, XLNC, B21, Shaktee, Intermix, Sahara, Paaras, PDM, DCS, Amar Group, Sangeet Group, and Bombay Talkie.


Pop & Remixes


Many South Asian DJs, especially in America, have mixed Bhangra music with house, reggae, and hip-hop to add a different flavor to Bhangra. These remixes continued to gain popularity as the nineties came to an end.
Of particular note among remix artists is Bally Sagoo, a Punjabi-Sikh, Anglo-Indian raised in Birmingham, England. Sagoo described his music as "a bit of tablas, a bit of the Indian sound.


The continued success and growth of Bhangra music worldwide has provided the impetus for many different offshoots from traditional Bhangra. The most popular of these is Daler Mehndi, a Punjabi singer from India, and his music, known as "Bhangra Pop." Mehndi has become a major name not just in Punjab, but also all over India, with tracks such as Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Ho Jayegee Balle Balle. He has made the sound of Bhangra-pop a craze amongst many non-Punjabis in India, selling many millions of albums. Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment is the selling of 250,000 albums in Kerela, a state in the South of India where Punjabi is not spoken.


Toward the end of the decade, Bhangra continued its assault on mainstream culture, with artists like Bally Sagoo and Apache Indian signing with international recording labels Sony and Island. Moreover, Multitone Records, one of the major recording labels associated with Bhangra in Britain in the eighties and nineties, was bought by BMG. Finally, a recent Pepsi commercial launched in Britain featured South Asian actors and Bhangra music. This, perhaps more than anything else, is a true sign of the emergence of Bhangra into popular culture.


Competitions


Bhangra competitions have been held in the Punjab for many decades. However, now universities and other organizations have begun to hold annual Bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, and England. At these competitions, young Punjabi's, other South Asians, and people with no South Asian background compete for money and trophies. This synergy of the Bhangra dance with other cultures' parallels the music`s fusion with different genres. University competitions have experienced an explosion in popularity over the last three years.   For example, Bhangra Blowout, hosted by George Washington University on 1 April 2000, sold out to a crowd of 4,000 people, with scalpers reportedly getting $80 per ticket at the door. Competitions, such as these, help to promote the dance and music in mainstream culture.


Onwards


Beginning as a form of lively folk music performed at harvests in the Punjab, Bhangra has evolved remarkably over the past five hundred years. The music now fully represents the culture of the Punjab region, and the struggles of its people in their long and storied history. Moreover, the music and dance still evolves today, incorporating elements of many different kinds of music and dance from around the world, while still existing in its traditional form. Thanks to this diversification, Bhangra now reaches a larger audience than ever, all over the world. Bhangra competitions at universities in England, Canada, and America, as well as Southeast Asia, help to further the dance`s popularity. A person can easily expect Bhangra to continue its movement into mainstream culture well into the 21st Century.

What is Bhangra and it's Outreach?

Now, most people don't know what it is. They might thick it's some sort of... dance, which it is, but not quite. They might mix it up with something else... We aren't really sure what but it happens. Anyways, Bhangra is the traditional folk dance and music that originated in the North Western region of India and Pakistan. This region is known as "Punjab". 

People traditionally performed Bhangra when celebrating the harvest. During Bhangra, people sing Punjabi Boliyaan  or lyrics, at least one person plays the the dhol, and other people may play the flute, dholak drum, or other musical instruments, while others are dancing. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings, parties and other festive occasians. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae. As Bhangra continues to move into mainstream culture, an understanding of its history and tradition helps to appreciate it.

Bhangra singers hail from many parts of the world. Many popular artists from South Asia include Surjit Bindrakhia, Surinder Shinda, Manmohan Warris, A.S. Kang, Jagmohan Kaur, Hans Raj Hans, Kuldip Manak, Gurdass Mann, Ranjit Mani, Sardool Sikander, Daler Mehndi, Sarabjeet Cheema, Harbhajan Mann, and Amar Arshi. In the West, there are many popular artists. From United States and Canada, there are artists such as Sangeet Group of California, Jazzy Bains, and Bhinda Jatt. From England, there are DCS, Malkit Singh, B21, Safri Boyz, and Dippa.

Bhangra is becoming more popular worldwide and people of non-Punjabi background are listening to and performing Bhangra. Universities and other organizations are holding annual Bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, and England. At these competitions, young Punjabi's, people of different South Asian background, and people with no South Asian background compete. It is evident that every year Bhangra becomes more popular and known among many different types of people worldwide.

UB Bhangra at Muqabla 2011

To kick things off, lets start with our 1st competitive performance. This video is one of our latest Bhangra performance at the University at Buffalo's North Campus building, the Center for the Arts. Muqabla 2011 was hosted by the Indian Student Association of the University. It was on Saturday, October 29th, 2011.

1st Post!

Welcome to the first ever University at Buffalo Bhangra Team Blog! The UB Bhangra team is dedicated to excellence in academia as well as dance. Our main goals are to  promote the understanding and learning of dancing from the regions of Northern India with a focus on Bhangra - the traditional folk dance of the State of Punjab and to encourage peer-education in the learning/teaching of Bhangra. 

This blog will be updated on a weekly basis with various things such as bhangra, multimedia like pictures and videos, and upcoming events. Most of these beginning posts are dedicated to the background and contexts of bhangra and what it is all about.

We hope that you will enjoy the latter posts. Please be sure to check back regularly!