[SIZE=small]Soniadewett - please read my last post, I think you've missed it or read it in another language.
Nikhil - I appreciate the comments and you raise an interesting point. I think there is a little more to my views being conservative though; we need to consider conservatism in a different light when it comes to forms of culture. I do think conservatism falls out of the fabric of current social trends. However, insofar as one's desire for one's culture to carry on and stand the test of time is concerned, while it may be conservative in the base sense of the word I don't think it should be seen in a negative light - it's tied to pride of one's origins and identifiability of roots.
That being said, I certainly don't have any agenda/ulterior motives beyond expressing my opinion. As to what I'd like to see done, you have me in a bit of a fix because I haven't given this thought. What I want is a connection of bhangra with Punjabi folkloric culture to remain steadfast in future generations. How to achieve this is problematic. I don't think it can be done to be quite honest - this thread's brought forth a huge number of "go with the flow"; "appreciate the change"; "enjoy the novelty of modern bhangra" type of comments. I'm expressing my opinion that traditional bhangra is a question of ethno-centricity given it harks back to culture. I'm not proposing any changes because I just haven't given this much thought, my initial view is that nothing can be done given the views I've seen on here. What I don't want to see - and I know this is controversial so please take my preemptive apologies - is non-Punjabis stating what bhangra is or what it should be because simply that is an aspect of a culture disparate to and not woven within them.
It truly seems to be a case of ride on with the waves or be left floundering in the ocean.
[/SIZE]
Swi - it is a fair inference. I should have qualified it and it should be read with my last post; my qualification would be along the lines of if I were to see a bhangra show with an expectation of it to be an exhibition of Punjabi culture, I would want to see Punjabis dancing it.
Saab - I am completely unfamiliar with edpreet hosono, could you fill me in?
Harman - yes, evolution of thought, traditions, practices and beliefs are impossible to stop. Yet when the practicing of a culture is exercised by members outside of this culture and the resulting creation is termed that culture itself - ie: calling it an exhibition of bhangra - you don't have an evolution, you have a fundamental erosion of culture because the constitutive basis of culture - traditions which we associate with a certain community - is gone. If the music changes - fine; that's evolution. If the dance moves change - fine; that's evolution. If, as envisaged by Kinnell, more and more and more non-Punjabis dance bhangra and - this is key - term it bhangra, then it is no longer an exhibition of Punjabi culture. It merges into a grey area between culture and a social phenomenon until the cultural root tying it back to historical Punjab all but vanishes.
This is the crux of what I am getting at - in order to have a true exhibition of culture, the members of said culture must be those who are professing it. Anything else and you have an imitation of art, but not an intrinsic showcasing of the art itself.
Govind - the relevance is quite basic, actually. Harman is arguing a different point to myself. He is looking at tradition on the basis of, for example, dhamaal and jhumaar looking nothing like the moves which teams nowdays showcase. I am looking at tradition more antecedently in the context of broader culture, noting that without an identifiable subset of a community to whom such 'moves' and features of dance are endemic, you don't have a culture. Therefore, irrespective of dance moves being different if you don't have persons representative of the group to which such customs are tied - Punjabis - what you are exhibiting is an imitation of a culture, but not the culture itself. My problem is that everyone seems to term the former as "bhangra".
Comtondajatt - all good bruv. I hope what I've written above elaborates on the evolution vs. erosion question you had, if not let me know. I do think, however, that bhangra does have somewhat of a more pertinent and lasting character to Punjab which is why I like to see it as a means of showcasing its culture.
