Paper short abstract:

This paper examines transformations in the performance and transmission of the dance form of Bhangra in global diasporic locations, noting how memory, nostalgia, and preservation vie with new forms of dance mobility and sociality that is structured for cultural continuity.

Paper long abstract:

Bhangra, a performance tradition originating from the Punjab, in north-western India raises significant questions in relation to its metamorphosis from harvest folk dance to its British emergence as an urban pop form. Memory, nostalgia, and preservation vie with new forms of dance mobility and sociality that is structured for cultural continuity. Using evidence from current ethnographic fieldwork with Bhangra dance groups in west London, I question the impact of the transnational flows on Bhangra's music and dance forms and its hybridisation with western instruments and rhythms that are facilitated by the constant movement of peoples as well as the power of digital networks. Bhangra's place in the global youth culture, as well as its presence in Bollywood film dance is investigated, noting as Anjali Gera Roy has stated: 'While Bhangra might perform traditional ritual in community functions and festivals, it performs modernity as Indian dance music in India's growing club culture' (2010:188). How is bodily performance being changed or adapted in both transmission and performance? The paper examines the connection between dance and place and Bhangra's relocation, or displacement from its original folk setting and attempts to understand the meanings and knowledges that its emplacement in new environments may bring.

Roy, A. G (2010) Bhangra moves. From Ludhiana to London and Beyond. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.