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Amandeep Kaur
Ms. Hamby
URWT 1101 028
8 October 2014
Life from the eyes of a Bhangra Dancer
Before I begin to talk about all the aspects behind a Bhangra Dancer, I should probably
explain what Bhangra is first. Bhangra is a traditional folk dance that originated from northern
India in a state called Punjab. The specific moves of Bhangra reflect the manner of in which
villagers farmed their land. This musical art became synthesized after the partition of India and
refugees shared folk dances to other individuals in different regions. This hybrid dance became
known as Bhangra. With the high-energy exhibited in each performance, this dance shows pride
of their culture and explain it through each movement of this dance. Bhangra was part of
traditional Punjabi festivals, like Vaisakhi, but now it has moved into mainstream culture which
allows different Bhangra teams that compete against one another at Bhangra competitions held
all around the nation as well as small performances at any local festival. It was started in the
West Coast but slowly has been traveling all around the nation earning respect and recognition
throughout its journey. Bhangra has also been recently apart of diverse occasions like weddings,
birthday parties, and graduations to celebrate happiness. A Bhangra dancer can be of any age
and of gender, there is no specifics just a love for Bhangra. Bhangra dancers is a discourse
community because there are specific words, phrases, and moves that play a part as being a
Bhangra dancer. They have a specific goal, which is to express their love they have for their
culture and tradition through high energy dancing. One needs to have Bhangra training from an

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experienced professional to learn each aspect of the dance including the many instruments and
movements used in this dance form.
As part of my research on this discourse community I came upon a Bhangra dancer who
has been in the Bhangra circuit for many years and has slowly made its way into a position as
captain on his Bhangra team, name Rohit Bulchandani. I interviewed Mr. Buclhandani and what
he thought of Bhangra dancers whether he thinks that this is a discourse community or not. With
very detailed and clear answers, we came to a conclusion that yes Bhangra dancers are most
definitely a discourse community and along with that I learned many other things about Bhangra
dancers. They are very specific websites that are used by Bhangra dancers. Bhangra dancers now
have sort of assimilated into teams of their own in the area they are settled in and travel to
competitions held by professionals in parts of the country or even outside. To keep up with
performances, competitions, teams, music, etc., they used a forum that each individual from any
Bhangra team can make an account and post anything that relates to the Bhangra circuit. Each
Bhangra team has their own Facebook page where they post their recent videos or mixes for
everyone to share and look at. They have twitter accounts to keep every fan updated about what
is going on at the moment with their team. There are dholis that are individuals that play a
large drum with a two sticks for both sides and Bhangra dancers due moves according to the beat
of the drum. They have certain move names like chaal, jummar, phumaniyaan, dhamaal,
etc. All of these moves are reflections of the hard work farmers did in the fields of Punjab. To
each other they speak friendly and use these words at competitions especially at an event called
the mixer. The mixer is held the night before the competition between the teams where
everyone introduces one another and gets to know each team, which usually ends up in long-term
friendships between the teams. At the mixer there are dance offs, prizes, and many other games

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that each team plays to open up their comfort zone and talk more about their team and where
they are from. Bhangra dancers talk to one another in a more carefree tone where they speak
what their heart feels about Bhangra dance and take importance in entertaining their audience.
They make eye contact with the audience and express their happiness through facial expressions
also known as nakhre. They give importance to every dancer in the discourse community
because they are only expressing their love of Bhangra to everyone. One can recognize a
Bhangra dancer if they are wearing a Bhangra t-shirt. Most teams have their own t-shirts that
have their name written on it along with a small quote or saying related to Bhangra. When one
Bhangra dancer sees another Bhangra dancer wearing the same t-shirt, there is an automatic
friendship that is created right there because each one knows that they both are here to spread the
tradition of Bhangra dance and have fun. The experts are those that Bhangra dancers call
judges. Judges are those that judge every competition and choose a winning team at the end.
They are people that have been dancing their whole lives and have been a part of so many
occasions that they have experienced it all. They have the knowledge of each aspect that should
be accounted for when performing a Bhangra dance and therefore they are known as the experts
of Bhangra dance.
I went to a practice of a Bhangra team, Gajjdi Jawani, to check out how they hold
practices and each communicates to one another. I observed that coming into the studio they
practice in, each person comes in with a water bottle and places it on the stands, takes off their
shoes, and proceeds to the open area. One by one each dancer walks in, does the same, and starts
to stretch their arms and legs. When the practice start time hits they all take their positions and
there is a captain and coach that start talking to the dancers. They speak with authority and make
sure each dancer understands what they will be practicing or going over today. Then they play

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music on the computer when their dholi is not present at their practices. The coach would
stand on the side and watch while the coach would take turns dancing and helping the coach
watch. Each dancer begins to dance and every dancer does the same moves in different
formations. They displayed high energy throughout the entire routine which lasted eight minutes
with each face lit up with expressions that make them seem so happy and not tired at all while
they dance. Once they finished the eight minutes, they breathed for 3-5 minutes while the
captain and coach would critique each individual and begin to dance again. They only get one
break in three hours for water because the coach claims it helps build better stamina which is
what Bhangra is all about. At the end of practice they all do a huddle and the captain talks about
upcoming performances and any specific announcements that relate to the next few practices or
even competitions or events a month in advance. Then they do a loud team cheer with their
hands in chanting their team name and head home. There was so much positivity through the
whole practice coming from each dancer. There was definitely team spirit throughout the
practices that held each member together throughout the practice. The motivation I saw in each
member was to look like the best Bhangra dancer in the entire practice as well as whatever
upcoming event they were practicing for. I feel as though I went to this practice at a time that
they had an upcoming competition or performance and they may not act the same way if they
had nothing coming up for them in the near future. This Bhangra team was a team that I was a
part of for the longest time so it was easy to get access to their practices and even though in this
observation I was a fly on the wall, I have been part of this process as a Bhangra dancer myself.
After interviewing a Bhangra dancers and observing a Bhangra dance practice, I have
realized that you need dedication and hard work to be a part of this discourse community. You
can be of any age and gender, but you need to have the knowledge of each movement, rhythm,

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words, phrases, and especially a great instructor that is experienced and knowledgeable in every
aspect. There needs to be a positive vibe that is set during practices to make sure they run
smoothly and motivate each member to dance well and feel each part of the music. Mr.
Bulchandani said, There needs to be technique in each dancer to transition from one step to
antother and pay attention to their formations at the same time. This shows that there has to be
skill as a dancer to multitask while dancing. There is dedication evident because each dancer
walks in on time and immediately starts to stretch. This shows that this is a discourse
community.
Bhangra dancers is a discourse community because there are specific words, phrases, and
moves that play a part as being a Bhangra dancer. They have a specific goal, which is to express
their love they have for their culture and tradition through high energy dancing. One needs to
have Bhangra training from an experienced professional to learn each aspect of the dance
including the many instruments and movements used in this dance form. This is a very unique
discourse community and one will not understand the terms used as a Bhangra dancer unless you
are one yourself.

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