About Us
Bhangra Nation is a non-profit organization comprised of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds with a common ambition to promote and create the awareness of Bhangra dance and music around the world. The name "Bhangra Nation" symbolizes the unification of all countries to create and implement the awareness of Bhangra worldwide.
Mission Statement
Bhangra Nation's philosophy is to enhance the knowledge of Bhangra and promote the concepts, history, and symbolic representation of Bhangra.
Understanding The Art of Bhangra
Bhangra is one of the most significant traditions of the Punjabi culture. It symbolizes the imagination, talent, potential and charisma of the people of Punjab. Bhangra is a folk dance that originated in the state of Punjab, India. Historically, it was a dance that celebrated the ever-important harvest time and illustrated the sowing of seeds, hoeing, cutting of wheat and the selling of crops. This folk dance has been popular within the villages of the Gujranwalla, Gujrat, Shekhpura, Sialkot and Gurdaspur districts. Simple and vigorous, bhangra is a dance of enthusiasm and gaiety.
Bhangra dance is typically performed as a team, it is a complex art that involves co-ordination, timing and technique amongst the various team members. Traditionally, Bhangra is accompanied by the pulsating rhythm of the Dhol, Algozeh (double flute), Chimpta (chimes), Tumbi (single stringed instrument) and the singing of traditional folk songs. The Dhol is an integral part of many Bhangra performances. This large, wooden, two-sided barrel drum played with two thin curved cane sticks, provides distinct treble and bass sounds. The resulting pulsating rhythm, in conjunction with Bhangra, brings together the elements of music and dance into its most expressive form.
Bhangra and Pop Culture
Bhangra and the Dhol have gained immense popularity worldwide and both have successfully harmonized into the western mainstream. The music, vibrant talent and colourful displays of this art form have enlightened events with its symbolic representation of the harvest. Today, Bhangra is playing a crucial role in the music industry alongside reggae, garage, techno, house, rock, pop, rap, hip-hop, rhythm & blues. For the first time, at the 2002 Brit and EMMA awards, Bhangra performers received awards for their contribution towards the music industry. This recognition marks the beginning of Bhangra's pervasive role in the global economy, as it has reached levels never attained before.
Our 13th Celebration!
The Executive Committee is pleased to announce the 13th celebration of Bhangra Nation from November 13th to November 22, 2009. Bhangra Nation will showcase the 12th annual International Bhangra Festival with teams in attendance from Canada, USA, England and India. Since its origin in 1997, Bhangra Nation World Bhangra Competition has progressed from an event of 600 to a celebration of thousands. Bhangra Nation is the oldest and longest running Bhangra Festival in the world.
Celebrating both Modern and Traditional Bhangra
Traditional Bhangra and modern-day Bhangra are very different dances. In the villages of the Punjab, dancers would culminate in the fields and surround a dholi (drum-player) and sing traditional punjabi lyrics called bolis. These bolis were the foundation and inspiration for the dancer's choreography and often the dancers would tell a story using their movements and songs. Today's bhangra infuses the sounds of the west with the east and therefore, the formations, transitions and even lyrics have a faster tempo than traditional bhangra. Recognizing value, Bhangra Nation understands the need to evaluate traditional teams and modern teams on different criteria and thus hosts two different competitions in the same evening: the Professional and Freestyle Bhangra Competitions. As a result, BN awards more than $10,000 in prize money; more than any other competition in North America.
Financial Sustainability and Lasting Impact
Bhangra Nation is proud to have received the financial support of TELUS and Loblaws/ President's Choice for the last three competitions. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario based Government Organization are also supporting Bhangra Nations vision to promote community affairs. Vision TV is the national media sponsor and we are proud to be the only festival in Canada to have their support. With more than 12 years of experience, we have learned from our experiences to financially sustain and maintain our activities. We have excellent relations with those contemporaries that are experts in Bhangra and we can call on them to support our organization on a continuous basis.
In the long-term, the community benefits from having an event that showcases culture, as we always include local talent, female troupes and youth groups in our festival alongside other professional organizations from around the world. In fact, Bhangra Nation is considered the launching platform for their success today. BN provides an opportunity along with local artists a forum where they can present their talent.
Community support
The Bhangra Nation Festival is supported by the South Asian community across Canada. We have received endorsements by the City of Vancouver, City of Mississauga Parks and Recreation as well as key members of the South Asian community. Numerous Governemnt officials have endorsed Bhangra Nation for there efforts to expose South Asian Arts and Culture. The Honorable Primem Minister of Canada Paul martin, Ujjal Dosanjh, Herb Dhaliwal, Nina Grewal, Sukh Dhaliwal, Ruby Dhalla and Navdeep Bains and many more politicians continue to endorse our efforts as being needed and vital for a healthy community. We also have supported the following community organizations in Toronto: Heart an Stroke Foundation, Peel Children's Aid Society, CAMH, the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Daily Food Bank.
Worldwide Presence
Bhangra Nation is the only Bhangra Organization that has international offices that operates as separate entities with the identical mission and mandate as Bhangra Nation. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, India and the United Kingdom, Bhangra Nation is able to provide marketing exposure of there mission and mandate globally. This allows companies to expose there contribution to Bhangra Nation.
Giving back
Bhangra Nation believes in giving back to the community upon whom we rely so heavily upon for support of our philosophy, mission and event. As such, we give back with organizational activities rooted in arts and culture, awareness, integrating sports and leisure which are dedicated towards encouraging youth participation.
Bhangra Nation is a non-profit organization comprised of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds with a common ambition to promote and create the awareness of Bhangra dance and music around the world. The name "Bhangra Nation" symbolizes the unification of all countries to create and implement the awareness of Bhangra worldwide.
Mission Statement
Bhangra Nation's philosophy is to enhance the knowledge of Bhangra and promote the concepts, history, and symbolic representation of Bhangra.
Understanding The Art of Bhangra
Bhangra is one of the most significant traditions of the Punjabi culture. It symbolizes the imagination, talent, potential and charisma of the people of Punjab. Bhangra is a folk dance that originated in the state of Punjab, India. Historically, it was a dance that celebrated the ever-important harvest time and illustrated the sowing of seeds, hoeing, cutting of wheat and the selling of crops. This folk dance has been popular within the villages of the Gujranwalla, Gujrat, Shekhpura, Sialkot and Gurdaspur districts. Simple and vigorous, bhangra is a dance of enthusiasm and gaiety.
Bhangra dance is typically performed as a team, it is a complex art that involves co-ordination, timing and technique amongst the various team members. Traditionally, Bhangra is accompanied by the pulsating rhythm of the Dhol, Algozeh (double flute), Chimpta (chimes), Tumbi (single stringed instrument) and the singing of traditional folk songs. The Dhol is an integral part of many Bhangra performances. This large, wooden, two-sided barrel drum played with two thin curved cane sticks, provides distinct treble and bass sounds. The resulting pulsating rhythm, in conjunction with Bhangra, brings together the elements of music and dance into its most expressive form.
Bhangra and Pop Culture
Bhangra and the Dhol have gained immense popularity worldwide and both have successfully harmonized into the western mainstream. The music, vibrant talent and colourful displays of this art form have enlightened events with its symbolic representation of the harvest. Today, Bhangra is playing a crucial role in the music industry alongside reggae, garage, techno, house, rock, pop, rap, hip-hop, rhythm & blues. For the first time, at the 2002 Brit and EMMA awards, Bhangra performers received awards for their contribution towards the music industry. This recognition marks the beginning of Bhangra's pervasive role in the global economy, as it has reached levels never attained before.
Our 13th Celebration!
The Executive Committee is pleased to announce the 13th celebration of Bhangra Nation from November 13th to November 22, 2009. Bhangra Nation will showcase the 12th annual International Bhangra Festival with teams in attendance from Canada, USA, England and India. Since its origin in 1997, Bhangra Nation World Bhangra Competition has progressed from an event of 600 to a celebration of thousands. Bhangra Nation is the oldest and longest running Bhangra Festival in the world.
Celebrating both Modern and Traditional Bhangra
Traditional Bhangra and modern-day Bhangra are very different dances. In the villages of the Punjab, dancers would culminate in the fields and surround a dholi (drum-player) and sing traditional punjabi lyrics called bolis. These bolis were the foundation and inspiration for the dancer's choreography and often the dancers would tell a story using their movements and songs. Today's bhangra infuses the sounds of the west with the east and therefore, the formations, transitions and even lyrics have a faster tempo than traditional bhangra. Recognizing value, Bhangra Nation understands the need to evaluate traditional teams and modern teams on different criteria and thus hosts two different competitions in the same evening: the Professional and Freestyle Bhangra Competitions. As a result, BN awards more than $10,000 in prize money; more than any other competition in North America.
Financial Sustainability and Lasting Impact
Bhangra Nation is proud to have received the financial support of TELUS and Loblaws/ President's Choice for the last three competitions. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario based Government Organization are also supporting Bhangra Nations vision to promote community affairs. Vision TV is the national media sponsor and we are proud to be the only festival in Canada to have their support. With more than 12 years of experience, we have learned from our experiences to financially sustain and maintain our activities. We have excellent relations with those contemporaries that are experts in Bhangra and we can call on them to support our organization on a continuous basis.
In the long-term, the community benefits from having an event that showcases culture, as we always include local talent, female troupes and youth groups in our festival alongside other professional organizations from around the world. In fact, Bhangra Nation is considered the launching platform for their success today. BN provides an opportunity along with local artists a forum where they can present their talent.
Community support
The Bhangra Nation Festival is supported by the South Asian community across Canada. We have received endorsements by the City of Vancouver, City of Mississauga Parks and Recreation as well as key members of the South Asian community. Numerous Governemnt officials have endorsed Bhangra Nation for there efforts to expose South Asian Arts and Culture. The Honorable Primem Minister of Canada Paul martin, Ujjal Dosanjh, Herb Dhaliwal, Nina Grewal, Sukh Dhaliwal, Ruby Dhalla and Navdeep Bains and many more politicians continue to endorse our efforts as being needed and vital for a healthy community. We also have supported the following community organizations in Toronto: Heart an Stroke Foundation, Peel Children's Aid Society, CAMH, the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Daily Food Bank.
Worldwide Presence
Bhangra Nation is the only Bhangra Organization that has international offices that operates as separate entities with the identical mission and mandate as Bhangra Nation. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, India and the United Kingdom, Bhangra Nation is able to provide marketing exposure of there mission and mandate globally. This allows companies to expose there contribution to Bhangra Nation.
Giving back
Bhangra Nation believes in giving back to the community upon whom we rely so heavily upon for support of our philosophy, mission and event. As such, we give back with organizational activities rooted in arts and culture, awareness, integrating sports and leisure which are dedicated towards encouraging youth participation.
- At the BN Studio in Toronto and a recent expansion in Vancouver in 2008, we offer Bhangra, Giddha, Music and Dhol classes. Every week qualified instructors provide 6 - 10 hours of support and training relative to South Asian Music and Bhangra, giddha, tumbi, algozeh and educational video lessons on a volunteer basis.
- We hold fundraising events for the homeless and Daily Food Bank
- We conduct Bhangra Exhibitions across Ontario to promote South Arts and Culture.
- We annually host The Mississauga Bhangra Festival: Bhangra Nation Fest
- We were float sponsors in the Vancouver and Toronto Baisakhi parades in 2007 and 2008
- We produced popular posters for public education and awareness campaigns.
- We have established relations with Bhangra Historians, BNFDA, and the Punjab Arts council
- We have provided opportunities for self-development to students, volunteers, community placement students, Ontario Works participants, and Elizabeth Fry participants as volunteers and project coordinators.
- We have strengthened bridges between various communities and institutions such as the police, boards of education and municipal government.
- We expanded our Philosophy into United States of America, India and United Kingdom. We have the world wide recognition are the only World Bhangra Event recognized.