Bring it on: Princeton Bhangra Edition

Neon colors? Loud music? Impassioned exclamations of “bruuuaaaaaaaaaah!”? No, it’s not a rave. It’s Princeton Bhangra. The co-ed dance group, founded in the fall of 2011, specializes in energetic South Asian folk dance. Known for its rigorous movement and palpable enthusiasm, bhangra originated as a part of the harvest festival celebrations in the Punjab region of South Asia. Over the past 30 years, the style has garnered a rich and competitive following across college campuses in the United States, which has led to various fusions of bhangra with other styles, including hip-hop and reggae.

“Bhangra is beautiful. Watching bhangra videos on YouTube made me want to dance, so I wanted to be a part of a bhangra team and experience it myself,” Captain Aneesh Sahni ’14 said.

Princeton Bhangra is made up of a variety of students from a diverse array of backgrounds, but most cite a similar reason for joining the team: the contagious energy and fun apparent in every performance. Of the 30 dancers, only two had done bhangra before coming to college. Upon their arrival, Bhangra’s performances, workshops and impressive postering (you know what I’m talking about), gave them the bhangra bug.

“I joined Bhangra because dance is amazing, and this particular style is extremely energetic and easy to love,” President Jonece Layne ’16 said.

Don’t be misled — just because bhangra is easy to love does not mean it is easy to dance. Attracting such a diverse group of students, with varying experience, means that much of the company is starting from scratch learning bhangra technique and movement. Princeton Bhangra spends about eight hours a week practicing and will increase these hours leading up to performances and competitions. Due to the style’s demanding routines, Bhangra does not put on its own show. The term "hell week" would take on new meaning if the group were to produce shows each year. Many of bhangra's movements depend on constant bouncing and explosive bursts, which means dancers are constantly engaging in core-strengthening exercises. The dance has actually inspired a fitness regimen known as the "Masala Bhangra Workout."

“We don’t have our own show in part because competitions are a large focus of ours,” Sahni said. “And in part because bhangra is so cardio-intensive that we’d likely faint after a show.”

When Bhangra is not preparing for and participating in various shows on campus, including BodyHype’s January shows and “This is Princeton,” they are rehearsing and competing for competitions across the U.S. These competitions include “Bhangra in the Heights” at Columbia Universty, “Aa Dekhan Zara” in Madison, Wis. and, most recently, “T Dot Bhangra Competition” in Toronto, Canada.

Unlike many other dance groups on campus, Bhangra’s focus on competitions and traveling puts them in contact and in friendly opposition with groups from other colleges. The “T Dot Bhangra Competition,” held last weekend, featured 12 bhangra groups from both the United States and Canada. The competition was hosted by YouTube sensation “Superwoman,” who has made quite a splash as a female South Asian comedian and has over 1.5 million subscribers.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m excited that I talked to her and that she touched my shoulder,” Sahiba Singh ’16 said.

Superwoman was not the only exciting part of the Toronto competition; Princeton Bhangra got the chance to compete in its first year attending the popular event. They also won “Best Gimmick” by showcasing their company’s diversity. As Eminem sang, “Y'all act like you've never seen a white person before," Princeton Bhangra’s white dancers came forward for a show-stopping finale.

“T Dot promotes dance for anyone and everyone,” Layne said. “There is a shared appreciation for the culture and the art of bhangra between all of the teams that were there.”