Well, well! What can I say after attending my first (and not my last) bhangra competition. The initial purpose of the project was to share and celebrate bhangra and Punjabi culture with the world. To capture the process, energy, colours, rituals and performances. And to put some context on ‘pat the dog’ and ‘screw the light blub’ cliches that are now world famous. You’ll pretty much hear ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’ by Panjabi MC anywhere in the world (and I mean anywhere), as I’ve mentioned here and not know anything of, or about Punjabi and bhangra culture. The video below explains precisely the origins of bhangra and how the competition was curated.

Firstly thanks to Mr Naujawani for kindly allowing me access and for trusting me to produce this feature post. As a newcomer to bhangra comps’ I came into this free of expectations and they were definitely exceeded. The event lives up to it’s billing as ‘The UK’s most welcoming University team bhangra competition!’. Furthermore you experience a large aspect of what Punjabi culture is. The energy of Punjabi people is felt on all corners of earth and this event was no exception. You don’t have to Punjabi to compete, you just have embody the spirit of bhangra. Punjabi’s have been making bhangra music in Britian since the 70s/80s and as a result has seen the birth of UK Bhangra as it’s own genre. So it’s no surprise that competitions such as this have emerged and are increasing in popularity.

The photographs capture the process from beginning to end. You’ll get a real insight into the journey that goes into competing and generally performing as a bhanger dancer. One of key elements of bhangra is energy. Energy is so important that it is one of two main categories that judges score the dancers on. I wanted to share this energy that came across throughout the day. Energy, passion and style feature strongly in these photos and rightly so as they’re stereo-typically associated with being Punjabi. Shout-out to the crowd who were the 12th man on the night. Rapturous noise and applause during all the performance made it that extra special. I could passionately ramble on but I’ll let you enjoy the photos and say my thank you’s.

Thanks to the organisers for putting on a safe, enjoyable and professional event. Thanks to the audience for supporting and creating an atmosphere. Obviously a massive thanks to ALL the dancers/performers and backstage staff, wouldn’t have happened without you.

• City University London
• Liverpool Bhangra Society
• Luff Bhangra
• Queen Mary’s
• St George’s Bhangra Team
• Uni of Warwick Bhangra Team
• Exhibition Guest – Vasda Punjab
• Host – Sahib Pooni (Interview)

I highly recommend attending or getting involved. More info via these links – Capital Bhangra Facebook or NachDaPunjab.co.uk

Anyone wanting res-hi images of themselves or their team please contact me on Facebook via my personal page or fan page. There are few that were left out in order to avoid duplication. Apologies if I was not able to capture you during the course of the day.

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