Swirling dresses in burgundy, lavender, olive and gold. Twirling
turbans, sashes and vests in orange and white. Dazzling flashes of
azure, rose and cobalt amid the steady beat of the dhol drum.
The colorful world of bhangra, an increasingly popular type of
Indian dance, will come to UCLA tonight when the UCLA Bhangra Team
graces the steps of the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at 6
p.m.
Poonam Jolly, team captain and third-year computer science and
engineering student, says that the vibrant costumes reflect the
lively spirit of the dance.
“Bhangra is much more upbeat than other types of Indian
dances. It’s also less religious … than the other
dances,” Jolly said.
Bhangra music and dance originated in the Punjab region of
Northern India as an exclusively male art form, but it eventually
opened up to women, she said.
The dance, which is now performed at occasions such as weddings
or parties, started out as a harvest-festival celebration.
“Every year the farmers of the Punjab region would
celebrate the successful harvest through bhangra dance,” said
Aneet Singh Toor, president of the bhangra team and fourth-year
biochemistry student. “The main instrument they used for the
celebration was the dhol drum, which brings dancers to their
feet.”
The team hopes to bring everyone to their feet tonight at the
Fowler Museum. The team’s performance is part of the Fowler
Out Loud Series, which provides UCLA students and faculty with the
opportunity to enjoy live music, dance and performing arts from all
over the globe. The program also gives student groups such as the
UCLA Bhangra Team a chance to share their culture with the campus
community.
“It serves a dual purpose: to give students a place to
perform and give students a place to watch performances,”
said Selina Traylor, director of the Fowler Out Loud series.
“It’s also our attempt to bring the UCLA community to
the Fowler Museum and draw them in so they can appreciate whatever
we have going on here, like the exhibits.”
When selecting groups to perform as part of this season’s
lineup, Traylor knew she wanted to bring the bhangra team back to
the museum. The group previously had performed there in March
2004.
“When I was looking back at older calendars I noticed that
there had been a couple of articles written on the team,”
Traylor said. “One newspaper had called the UCLA bhangra
event at the Fowler the top pick that week of dance events, so that
kind of stood out to me.”
The team will also help others to learn more about bhangra by
teaching the audience some dance moves after the performance,
making the event more interactive. It will also extend an otherwise
short session that is typical of a collegiate bhangra
competition.
“When they do these competitions, they come up with a
dance routine that only lasts 10 minutes,” Traylor said.
“We want people to come out and enjoy the show, and if the
show’s only 10 minutes, it may not be as much fun as if
it’s a little bit longer with some audience
participation.”
Tonight’s Fowler performance is merely a stepping stone
for the team. Jolly, Toor and the rest of the team are gearing up
for the annual Bruin Bhangra competition, which is scheduled to be
held in May in Long Beach. The competition started in 1998 and was
first held in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
“Bruin Bhangra is the biggest collegiate bhangra
competition in the nation,” Jolly said.
The team raised enough money at the event last year to be able
to give back to the global community.
“We raised $10,000 and donated $5,000 to Habitat for
Humanity and $5,000 to UNICEF, specifically to help with Hurricane
Katrina and South Asian tsunami relief,” Toor said.
“Last year was the first year we were able to do such a
thing, and we want to continue this tradition.”
According to Toor, the team focuses on three goals: giving back
to the greater community, competitions and the UCLA campus. Their
focus will be on the third tonight as they prepare to perform for
their fellow students.
“I hope that people will come who have never seen bhangra,
and that they will remember that there is a diversity of cultures
out there. We want to give students an opportunity to learn about
other world cultures, especially South Asian cultures,” Toor
said.