Bhangra!

Well, after six weeks in Punjab, we have finally learned our state dance! Bhangra is the traditional male folk dance in Punjab and it is known for its amazing beat and high energy moves. Gidda is the more delicate dance for women, and we had learned a bit from Minti Chachi, but were yet to try real bhangra.  Anupam at the Newsline office told me about a guy she had written an article about who had taught and performed bhangra all over the world.  This Mr Tehal Singh, according to her, was the bhangra master. So I gave him a call from the office on Wednesday, and had Nidhi explain that the Indian Express was calling for bhangra lessons for their NRI reporter. He agreed to come that very day, and when we asked him to bring music he said that he would bring a dhol player instead (big drum which gives the beat). So at six o clock Tehal and the Dhol player arrived at our door ready to teach. We decided to dance in the backyard where there was a lot of space and soft grass.  Lindsay, Crissaris, and I lined up and the beat began. We then began the most aerobic dance I have ever experienced.  It was straightforward but we sometimes had difficulty coordinating left and right, etc, as we tried to match Crissaris with her rhythm. After an hour of jumping up and down with our arms raised to the sky, we were exhausted but so charged! If we did this every day, it would be amazing! We also attracted a crowd from the neighboring building balcony and the people who worked at Kuku Chacha's office- must have been quite the sight! The instructer came again Thursday and we were less tired, and we hope to see him today as well. The plan is to start a bhangra aerobics group at Yale, and perhaps film a music video- let's see how it goes! I think our instructer thought we were okay, and he seemed to be having fun, so perhaps we will manage it. We also will attempt to learn the Dhol, but this might prove difficult.