Jameshowlett179011 at 12:45, 5 March 2026

2026-03-05T12:45:20Z

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{{short description|Folk dance originating from the Punjab}}
{{about| dance genres|the popular music genre|Bhangra (music)}}
[[File:Bhangra-dance.jpg|alt=|thumb|right|250px|Bhangra dancers in [[Punjab, India]]]]
'''Bhangra''' is a type of traditional [[folk dance]] of [[Punjab]] area of the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/63998/bhangra|title=Bhangra – dance}}</ref> According to Manuel (2001), bhangra is especially associated with the vernal [[Vaisakhi]] festival, performed during harvest season between April and the first quarter of May.<ref>{{cite web |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.47339|year=2001 |last1=Manuel |first1=Peter }}</ref>

In a typical performance, several dancers execute vigorous kicks, leaps, and bends of the body—often with upraised, thrusting arm or shoulder movements—to the accompaniment of short songs called ''[[boliyan]]'' and, most significantly, to the beat of a ''[[dhol]]'' (double-headed drum).<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Vora|first=Shivani|date=2012-01-12|title=A Wedding Dance That's Also a Workout|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/arts/dance/bhangra-the-wedding-dance-thats-also-a-workout.html|access-date=2021-05-01|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Struck with a heavy beater on one end and with a lighter stick on the other, the ''dhol'' imbues the music with a syncopated (accents on the weak beats), swinging rhythmic character that has generally remained the hallmark of bhangra music.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|date=Jan 23, 2016|title=Bhangra classes offered for high school credit in B.C.|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bhangra-classes-offered-for-high-school-credit-in-b-c-1.3414587|access-date=May 1, 2016}}</ref> An energetic Punjabi dance, bhangra originated with Punjabi farmers as a cultural and communal celebration; its modern-day evolution has allowed bhangra to retain its traditional Punjabi roots, while broadening its reach to include integration into popular music and DJing, group-based competitions, and even exercise<ref name=":6" /> and dance programs in schools and studios.<ref name=":7" />

== Origin ==
Bhangra has its origins from the historical [[Sialkot District]] which is considered to have its purest or standard version as well as neighboring districts of [[Gurdaspur]], [[Gujranwala]], [[Gujrat Division|Gujrat]], and [[Shekhupura]] of the [[Majha]].<ref name="Dhillon"/><ref>Ballantyne, Tony. ''Between Colonialism and Diaspora: Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=R9PXaUmk-sAC&q=gurdaspur&pg=PA128]</ref> The community form of traditional bhangra has been maintained in Gurdaspur,<ref name=":5">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_nmZjCerzi4C&q=bhangra+gurdaspur&pg=PA85|title=Land of Five Rivers|first=Khushwant|last=Singh|date=23 May 2017 |publisher=Orient Paperbacks|via=Google Books|isbn=9788122201079}}</ref> where farmers performed bhangra to showcase a sense of accomplishment and to welcome the new harvesting season in pre-partition times,<ref name=":5" /> and has been maintained by people who have settled in [[Hoshiarpur]], Punjab, India.<ref name="Dhillon"/> Traditional
bhangra is performed in a circle<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gRNTUme_a-4C&q=bhangra+pakistan+harvest&pg=PT38|title=Teens in Pakistan|first=J. M.|last=Bedell|date=23 May 2017 |publisher=Capstone|via=Google Books|isbn=9780756540432}}</ref> and is performed using traditional dance steps. Traditional bhangra is now also performed on occasions other than during the harvest season.<ref>{{cite book |last=Black |first=Carolyn |title=Pakistan: The culture |date=2003 |publisher=Crabtree Publishing Company |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=J3adRL3lQwMC&q=bhangra+festivals++pakistan&pg=PA26 |isbn=9780778793489 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rRYZAQAAIAAJ&q=bhangra+pakistan+harvest |title=Pakistan Almanac|date=23 May 2017|publisher=Royal Book Company|via=Google Books}}</ref> According to Ganhar (1975), bhangra has been imported<ref name="Ganhar">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N9IXAAAAIAAJ&q=bhangra|title=Jammu, Shrines and Pilgrimages|first=J. N.|last=Ganhar|date=23 May 1975|publisher=Ganhar Publications|page=166|quote=Bhangra dances are a special feature of Baisakhi celebrations but ''bhangra'' is an importation from the Punjab and is more secular than religious."}}</ref> into [[Jammu]] which is danced on Baisakhi. Other Punjabi folk dances such as ''[[Giddha|giddhā]]'' and ''[[Luddi|luḍḍī]]'' have also been imported into Jammu,<ref>Harjap Singh Aujla Bhangra as an art is flourishing in India and appears to be on the verge of extinction in Pakistan [http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/aujla-14/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405171628/http://apnaorg.com/articles/aujla-14/|date=2016-04-05}}</ref><ref>Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Mohinder Singh Randhawa (1959) Farmers of India: Punjab Himachal Pradesh, Jammy & Kashmir, by M. S. Randhawa and P. Nath [https://books.google.com/books?id=hVZIAQAAIAAJ&q=bhangra++jammu]</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=12 May 2012 |title=Gidha Folk Dance |url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/gidha-folk-dance/ |quote=Like bhangara folk dance this folk dance is also an imported folk dance from Punjab to Jammu region.... With the influence of the Punjabi culture in lower Jammu (upto Jammu city) it seems as if this dance is very much a part of the cultural heritage of this region. Late Vishwanath Khajuria is right to say- “Because of very cordial relations with the neighbouring state Punjab the inhabitants of the lower Jammu region have adopted this dance as their own dance."}}</ref><ref>Balraj Puri (1983). Simmering Volcano: Study of Jammu's Relations with Kashmir [https://books.google.com/books?id=o_ILAAAAIAAJeg&q=bhangra++jammu]{{Dead link|date=November 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hāṇḍā |first=Omacanda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljjfOf95bxMC&q=folk+dances++jammu+punjab |title=Western Himalayan Folk Arts |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=Pentagon Press |isbn=9788182741959 |page=108 |quote=The dances of this tract have imbibed some of the traits from the popular dances of the neighboring plains. The boisterous ''Giddhaa'' and ''Luddee'' dances of this area are but the Pahari variants of their Punjabi archetypes.}}</ref> which shares Punjabi influences<ref>{{cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&q=dogri+gidda&pg=PA1675 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature |date=23 May 1988 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=9788126011940 |via=Google Books}}</ref> and an affinity with Punjab.<ref>Manohar Sajnan (2001). Encyclopaedia of Tourism Resources in India, Volume 1 [https://books.google.com/books?id=vdMNBxOsvrUC&dq=dogri+bhangra&pg=PA138]</ref>

==Development==
The 1950s saw the development of traditional bhangra in Punjab, which was patronized by the [[Maharaja of Patiala]], who requested a staged performance of bhangra in 1953. The first significant developers of this style were a dance troupe led by brothers from the Deepak family of [[Sunam]] (Manohar, Avtar and Gurbachan) and dhol player Bhana Ram Sunami.<ref name="Booth2">Gregory D. Booth, Bradley Shope (2014). ''More Than c1RSVbOFJc607QbAoIOwCg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sunam%20bhangra&f=false]''</ref> Free form traditional bhangra developed during stage performances which incorporate traditional bhangra moves and also include sequences from other Punjabi dances, namely, Luddi, Jhummar, Dhamaal, and Gham Luddi. The singing of Punjabi folk songs, boliyan, are incorporated from [[Malwai Giddha]].<ref name="Dhillon2">{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Iqbal S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=edbfAAAAMAAJ&q=martial |title=Folk Dances of Panjab |date=1998 |publisher=National Book Shop |isbn=9788171162208 |pages=69, 90}}</ref> Bhangra competitions have been held in Punjab, India, for many decades, with Mohindra College in [[Patiala]] being involved in the 1950s.<ref name="Booth2" />

==Perceptions==
Though it has been referred to as a "[[Jats|Jat]] art," it may have had less specific origins, instead originally being a geographic West Punjabi regionalism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mooney |first=Nicola |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k1B2vdLBizIC&dq=bhangra+is+a+jat+art&pg=PA261 |title=Rural Nostalgias and Transnational Dreams: Identity and Modernity Among Jat Sikhs |date=2011-01-01 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9257-1 |language=en}}</ref> Men from Eastern Punjabi originally viewed dancing as effeminate ; an activity limited to women's dance like the Giddha, or specialized male dancers (ਨਚਾਰ ''nachāră'') who were not considered respectable.<ref name=brard>{{cite book |last1=Sidhu Brard |first1=Gurnam Singh |title=East of Indus: My Memories of Old Punjab |date=2007 |publisher=Hemkunt Publishers |isbn=9788170103608 |page=312 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUdYFH9skIkC&pg=PA312 |quote=Bhangra was originally the male song and dance among some rural tribes of western Punjab, while in the eastern Punjab giddha was either exclusively the girls’ song and dance during the [[Teeyan]] festival, or the performance at a wedding house as described above. In fact men in the eastern Punjab villages used to consider it unmanly to dance, and dancing was considered an effeminate activity. The only time they saw a man dancing was when the ''nachaar'' men dressed in female clothes with lipstick, face powder, long skirts and artificial pigtails and veils, entertained in the shows. Those dancers were not considered respectable in the rural Jat culture.<br>But after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, when some refugees the custom of bhangra dances from western Punjab, it quickly caught on in the cultural shows and on college campuses. In Pakistan, then they may have abolished the bhangra but it now thrives in Punjab and India.... Nowadays the distinction between bhangra and giddha is disappearing, as urban boys and girls dance together in the bhangra style at weddings and parties, just as they all dance to the film music and to popular tunes.}}</ref>

After Partition, the dance was popularized by migrants from West Punjab through culture shows and college campuses, as attitudes began to change. As a result, the dance began to thrive in East Punjab, while being suppressed in Western Punjab.<ref name=brard/> The more vigorous bhangra would come to supplant the older, historically more popular ਝੁੰਮਰ ''jhummară'', though the eventual ubiquity of bhangra would trigger a revival of ''jhummar'' in recent years.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Schreffler | first = Gibb | title= "It's Our Culture": Dynamics of the Revival and Reemergence of Punjabi Jhummar | journal= Asian Music | year = 2014 | volume=35 | issue = 1 |pages=34–76 | doi = 10.1353/amu.2013.0025 | jstor = 24256904 }}</ref>

Bhangra connects to a much deeper set of [[Masculinity|masculine]] values.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Mooney|first=Nicola|date=2008-09-19|title=Aaja Nach Lai [Come Dance]|journal=Ethnologies|volume=30|issue=1|pages=103–124|doi=10.7202/018837ar|issn=1708-0401|doi-access=}}</ref> Most of these values are set through labour, industry and self-sufficiency in agriculture, loyalty, independence and bravery in personal, political and military endeavours; and the development and expression of virility, vigour, and honour are common themes.<ref name=":1" /> The use of a long staff, or ''khuṇḍā'', by the men are reminiscent of martial dances like the bagha, from which bhangra's roots are traced.<ref name="Dhillon">{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Iqbal S. |title=Folk Dances of Panjab |date=1998 |publisher=National Book Shop |isbn=9788171162208 |pages=69, 90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=edbfAAAAMAAJ&q=martial}}</ref>

''Bhangra'' referred both to formal male performances and to communal dancing among men and women.<ref name=":1" /> In the past 30 years, bhangra has been established all over the world. It has become integrated into popular Asian culture after being mixed with hip hop, house and reggae styles of music.<ref name=":2" /> Certain bhangra moves have been adapted and changed over time but at its core remains a sense of cultural identity and tradition.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=What is Bhangra |url=http://www.bhangra.org/about/bhangra-history/what-is-bhangra/ |website=Bhangra |access-date=28 November 2019 |archive-date=28 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128203520/http://www.bhangra.org/about/bhangra-history/what-is-bhangra/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Traditionally, bhangra is danced by men but now we see both men and women participating in this dance form. With bhangra competitions all over the world, we see all sorts of people competing in these events.<ref name=":3" />

== Women in bhangra ==
Nowadays, while bhangra was "traditionally not for women at all," many second-generation diaspora [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] women have connected with their culture through bhangra, though at the expense of the traditional women's ''giddha'', which has more of an emphasis on softer movements, acting, and storytelling. Bhangra is often adapted to suit women in this circumstance, in choices of moves, costumes, and props.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |last=Dhurandhar |first=Sunita |date=June 22, 2005 |title= Return to Bhangra: from dance clubs to gym clubs, young South Asian women reclaim a dance never meant for them |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Return+to+Bhangra%3A+from+dance+clubs+to+gym+clubs%2C+young+South+Asian...-a0133188357 |magazine=Colorlines |location= |publisher= |page=54}}</ref> This was concurrent with the rise in popularity of [[bhangra music]] abroad in the 1970s and 1980s, mixing with Western music genres. Women partaking in bhangra, seen as a powerful dance, is often motivated by modern notions of equality, often clashing with standards of authenticity and tradition.<ref name=":0" /> Like the men's ''jhummar'', bhangra's over-commodification has also prompted efforts to revive other women's dances like the ਸੰਮੀ ''[[Sammi (dance)|sammī]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schreffler|first=Gibb|date=August 2012|journal=Sikh Formations|volume=8|issue=2|pages=127–146|doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.702416|issn=1744-8727|title=Desperately Seekingsammi: Re-Inventing Women's Dance in Punjab|s2cid=144763946}}</ref>

Raaniyan Di Raunaq is India's first all-women's bhangra competition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCoy |first1=Maya |title=Raniyaan di Raunaq is America's First All-Women's Bhangra Competition |url=https://www.kajalmag.com/first-womens-bhangra-competition/ |website=Kajal Mag |date=23 May 2019 |publisher=Kajal Media LLC |access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref> Even with the abundance of female bhangra performers, many see this dance form as only masculine.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/08/08/raniyaan-di-raunaq-americas-first-all-womens-bhangra-competition-shakes-up-status-quo/|title=Raniyaan di Raunaq, America's first all-women's bhangra competition, shakes up the status quo|last=Sinnenberg|first=Jackson|date=August 8, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Many women that compete in bhangra shows are judged according to a criterion that is made for male performers.<ref name=":3" /> Raaniyan Di Raunaq has customized a bhangra competition just for women or for those who identify as transgender or nonbinary.<ref name=":3" /> This competition has coveted a safe space for women to have the ability to compete and be judged equally.

== Innovations and adaptations ==
In recent years, bhangra has also been performed in innovative styles, including a variant termed ''“Bhangra on Skates”'', in which traditional bhangra steps are executed while skating.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jan 24, 2025 |title=Local skater Janvi spins her way to Guinness World Records |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/local-skater-janvi-spins-her-way-to-guinness-world-records/ |work=The Tribune |quote=introducing Bhangra on skates.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=Aug 10, 2020 |title=Chandigarh ਦੀ 12 ਸਾਲ ਦੀ ਜਾਨ੍ਹਵੀ ਸਕੇਟਸ ’ਤੇ bhangra ਪਾਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ [12-year-old Janvi from Chandigarh performs bhangra on skates] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6Sq4eTFZM |work=BBC Punjabi}}</ref> This form has been showcased in [[Chandigarh]], [[India]], through performances by freestyle skater Janvi Jindal..<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jul 26, 2020 |title=12-year-old skater from Chandigarh dances her way into India Book of Records |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/12-year-old-skater-from-chandigarh-dances-her-way-into-india-book-of-records/story-N6SFuWjlN6SGpwKg8oFBIM.html |access-date=8 Sep 2025 |work=Hindustan Times |quote=youngest to perform Bhangra on skates}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=Jul 23, 2025 |title=World at her feet: UT skater spins her way into record books |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/world-at-her-feet-ut-skater-spins-her-way-into-record-books/articleshow/122860894.cms |work=Times of India |quote=youngest to perform bhangra on skates.}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:North American Live Bhangra Team.jpg|North American live bhangra team ''Johr Jawani Da''
File:Punjabi Pengra Drummer.JPG|Punjabi bhangra drummer (Jhelum, Pakistan)
File:Punjabi Folk dance Gaidda Boliya and Bhangara 37.jpg|Bhangra
File:Bangda dance.jpg|A group of students performing bhangra (dance) (India)
File:Bhangra punjab.jpg|Bhangra dancers
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Bhangra Empire]]
*[[Dhol]]
*[[Folk dances of Punjab|Punjabi folk dances]]
*[[Giddha]]
*[[Music of Punjab]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*Dhillon, Iqbal Singh. 1998. ''Folk Dances of Panjab''. Delhi: National Book Shop.
*Pandher, Gurdeep. 2016. [https://www.gurdeep.ca/bhangra/bhangra-history/ "History of Bhangra"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225065304/https://gurdeep.ca/bhangra/bhangra-history/ |date=2022-12-25 }}. History of Bhangra, Gurdeep Pandher.
*Schreffler, Gibb. 2010. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/815758055 ''Signs of Separation: Dhol in Punjabi Culture'']. University of California, Santa Barbara.
*Schreffler, Gibb. 2013. [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19472498.2013.808514#.Ufx7cKU8x8s "Situating bhangra dance: a critical introduction"]. 'South Asian History and Culture' 4(3): 384–412.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bhangra}}

{{Dance in India}}
{{Punjab (India)}}

[[Category:Punjabi culture]]
[[Category:Folk dances of Punjab]]
[[Category:Punjabi words and phrases]]
[[Category:Dances of India]]
[[Category:Dance in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Bhangra (music)]]
[[Category:Desi culture]]

Bhangra dance - Revision history

Jameshowlett179011 at 12:45, 5 March 2026