Bhangra is a style of music and dance dating back to the 1980’s that blends folk music from the Punjab region of India with Western music, often American hip-hop. Punjabi instruments include the tumbi, dhol, sarangi, keyboard, and other Indian string and percussion instruments. Traditional Punjabi music is often associated with songs of folk romances, Punjabi heroes, religions such as Sikhism, or Punjabi festivals such as Visakhi, a harvest festival, or Lohri, a festival to celebrate the change of season. Punjabi immigrants in Great Britain were pivotal to the emergence of bhangra in the 1980’s, as young Punjabi DJ’s began to blend Indian folk music with Western songs. In the early 2000’s, the popularity of bhangra exploded in the U.S with songs such as Punjabi MC’s “Mundian To Bach Ke”, which was covered by U.S. rapper Jay-Z. Indian folk music also continues to influence American pop songs such as Selena Gomez’ “Come and Get It.” Bhangra lyrics today continue to uphold the excitement of traditional Punjabi folk lyrics, artists often using lines such as “balle balle” or “chakde phate” to uplift their bhangra tracks.

Bhangra has become particularly popular in U.S. colleges, giving rise to competitive college bhangra teams like Cornell Bhangra or UNC Bhangra Elite that often participate in bhangra competitions such as Bhangra Blowout in Washington D.C., Bayou Bhangra in Houston, and Best of the Best in NYC. These collegiate bhangra teams often take advantage of social media, using websites such as Bhangra Teams’ Forum and Youtube to create a network and spread bhangra dance and music far beyond college campuses. Many competitive bhangra teams and bhangra dance companies exist outside of colleges, including Boston Bhangra Inc. and SMD Bhangra Club. The styles of these teams vary from free form traditional bhangra to modern bhangra, often making use of bhangra costumes such as Punjabi tambas and kurtas for men and salwar kameez for women.

BollyX classes and routines often draw upon Bhangra dance techniques because it is a naturally upbeat, high impact dance form that lends itself well to fitness. Bhangra music also has a heavy beat that allows people to feel the music and dance along easily. Try a BollyX to experience Bhangra as well as other South Asian dance forms.