Jogi Bhangra Dance

Parent Category: Class Description

Category: Bollywood Dances

Jogi Bhangra Dance 

Jogi is a happy, expressive, crowd-pleasing Indian, a.k.a. Bollywood, style dance. It is fast paced, high energy & too much fun! If you are interested in Bollywood style dancing, this is a great dance with which to get your feet wet or get back into swing of things.  Check out the video below to see the choreography you will be learning. Scroll down further to read a bit more about the background of Bollywood & Bhangra dance.  

Props required: None

History and Background Information on Bollywood and Bhangra dance

The term 'Bollywood' refers to India's film industry that is located in Mumbai (aka Bombay). Bollywood movies, like the old American musicals, feature big production numbers with lots of dancing and singing. The main plot of the movie is frequently interrupted when the main actors start to sing and dance, and everyone around them joins in. While Bollywood choreographies are based on classical Indian dances, including many regional folk dances, recent films are heavily influenced by modern dances such as hip hop and belly dance. Consequently, Bollywood dancing is the commercial name for modern Indian dancing. It evolved from combination of classical Indian dance and folk dancing such as Bhangra, and was merged with Latin and Arabic/belly dance style moves.

One particular form of dance and music, Bhangra, has enjoyed tremendous international success. It is one of the most entertaining and energetic dances you'll see. Bhangra originally is the traditional folk dance and music of the Punjabi region in northwestern India. Originally a harvest dance from Punjab, it became popular in the 80s and 90s in Great Britain through immigrants, where it quickly merged with other music forms, with DJs melding the sounds of the sub-continent with hip hop beats and R&B. So today, this infectious dance form combines sheer energy and strength with complex group choreography and a keen attention to rhythm and melody.