I recently went to the Bhangra workshop organized by Rooh Punjabi Dee Academy at UFV. It happened on 25th September, Wednesday at 12 pm. It was hosted by the UFV Student Union Society for Wellness Week.
Bhangra is a type of traditional folk dance that originated in Punjab. In a typical performance, several dancers execute vigorous kicks, leaps, and bends of the body – often with upraised, thrusting arm or shoulder movements – accompanied by dhol (a two sided drum instrument) or songs sung in Punjabi language.
Canada is a multicultural society and UFV is an international university where a lot of Indian students (especially from the Punjab region) study. So this might have been done to help connect these students to their roots and to bring a bit of their home here.
Bhangra is a really energetic dance form which provides a good workout and adrenaline and dopamine rush. In the beginning, when the instructor was teaching us steps we danced on the dhol but in the end when we had learned the steps we danced to a fast Punjabi song. It was easy for me to match the beat on the Dhol but the song was too fast for me so it was like I had two left legs in the end. It was fun nonetheless.
They provided us with water in between the session, which was nice. The instructor was from Punjabi background. He used various Punjabi puns throughout the session to make it more fun. His instructions were clear as well. Overall he was a really nice and fun instructor.
In the end, there were also goodies for us to grab like drawing graph books, pens, and a care kit with bandages and notepads.
Overall, the event was a success as a lot of Indian students joined the workshop, danced to their heart’s content and left mentally and physically energized.
I was told they are trying to do this event once a semester. So the workshop might pop up in February again. I had a lot of fun. It would be a good thing if they could make it a weekly thing! It would be four times the fun every month. But I am fine with this for now.