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Few people would think to blend Indian folk dance with current hip-hop grooves, but N.C. State’s Bhangra dance team has given a new twist to this very traditional Indian dance from Punjab. Customarily performed to celebrate the harvest, this dance, fused with new styles and contemporary beats, has made N.C. State Bhangra truly unique.
Bhangra first came to the University in 2006 when Vinay Patel and Nishant Shah organized Indian students interested in dancing. Now, the team is comprised of 12 dancers, led by team captain Chirag Thakkar, a senior in mechanical engineering.
”It’s a great team with amazing dancers,” Thakkar said. “I am really confident about them.”
Thakkar’s confidence stems from the team’s merit. They have won various prizes, including runner-up for N.C. State’s Best Dance Crew and 3rd place at a competition in Chapel Hill.
Like any other team, N.C. State Bhangra always faces heavy competition. Currently, their main competition is UNC Chapel Hill’s team, known as Bhangra Elite.
“It is fun to compete with Bhangra Elite,” Saloni Juneja, a dancer and senior in international studies, said. “They are our biggest competition, but it’s a healthy competition.”
The style of Bhangra the team practices stems from a northwestern Indian folk dance.
”There are eight segments of Bhangra,” Kanwar Johal, a current Bhangra dance team member, said. “Mirza, Punjab, Dhamal, Jugai, Shike, Khande, Bedi and Fuminyaar. Each segment has its own set of dance moves.”
Although the team’s style is traditional, the dancers also inject it with a fashionable twist.
“I think they’re a great team with good technique and high energy,” Karishma Desai, a sophomore in communication media, said. “They have become more innovative now and even found a way to fuse in ‘The Dougie’ with traditional Bhangra steps.”
Though the team practices to the rhythm of Punjabi folk music featuring beats from the dhol, a large wooden drum, and from the guitar-like iktar, the Bhangra team incorporates hip-hop beats and tracks into its routines.
However, the team still dresses in traditional clothes for the dances. The women don the salwar kameez and head covers, while the men wear the chaadra dress, vest and pags, a Indian turban.
Bhangra dance not only requires rigorous practice, but athletic ability as well. From drops to squats to kicks to jumps, the team incorporates dynamic and vigorous movement into an energetic performance. Their routines, usually lasting from 6.5-7.5 minutes, remain upbeat, spirited and athletic throughout. Despite the team’s zeal, the dancers manage to pay very close attention to precision and to their formations. Keeping all this together, the team can perform and more importantly, entertain.
N.C. State Bhangra isn’t limited to dance competitions. The team has performed at many events including weddings and cultural celebrations. They are currently preparing for an exhibition at Virginia Tech. The team hopes to make it to two prestigious competitions: Elite 8, an invitational that only the top eight teams of the country attend, and to Bhangra Blow-out in D.C..