Lok Nach Bhangra Documentary

[Basim]

Just wanted to take a moment to throw up this short (6 min) documentary that's worth a watch. It includes lot of great footage from Punjabi bhangra performers that's well edited & has subtitles for non-Punjabi speakers!


A lot of great fundamentals mentioned here. Thanks to my friend @Arjun Barua for the initial share on facebook.

Enjoy,

~ Basim

 

[katie.harvey]

hi, non-punjabi bhangra dancer here - what are taviti and ghungroo? thanks for sharing basim!

 

[Basim]

Hi Katie. So the terminology can seem overwhelming, but let me see if I can help with these terms:

Ghungroo - small metals bells sewn together with a piece of yarn/string (or sewn on a piece of fabric) that is wrapped around the ankle of a dancer. Ghungroo are also used in various forms of classical Indian dancing including kathak, bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, etc.

Google images of how they look: https://www.google.com/search?q=ghungroo&tbm=isch


Sometimes, male bhangra dancers wear two pieces of jewelry around their neck.

Kaintha is the bigger gold-colored necklace which hangs lower and has like a circular or heart-shaped pendant.

Taveet is a short necklace, more like a choker, tighter around the neck with a rectangular/cylindrical pendant.

Here is a picture that shows both: http://rifac.in/rfcadm321/uploads/images/FullSizeRender 11 (1).jpg


Here is some more basic info, terminology as it relates to bhangra outfits for both men & women: http://www.baisakhifestival.com/baisakhi-dress.html

If you just google the approximate spelling of such terms with the term "bhangra," you'll likely get a decent understanding. You can also try searching here on BTF since I'm sure someone has asked about it over the many years, lol.

Hope this helps,

~ Basim

 

[katie.harvey]

thanks for clarification! I know most of the outfit pieces for bhangra but not classical and i guess I have always thought both necklaces were kainthe!