SUB-DANCES OF BHANGRA

Bhangra has developed as a combination of dances from different parts of the Punjab region. The term

"Bhangra" now refers to several kinds of dances and arts, including Jhumar, Luddi, Giddha, Julli, 

Daankara, Dhamal, Saami, Kikli, and Gatka.Jhumar, originally from Sandalbar, Punjab, comprises an 

important part of Punjab folk heritage. It is a graceful dance, based on a specific Jhumar rhythm.

Dancers circle around a drum player while singing a soft chorus. A person performing the Luddi dance

places one hand behind his head and the other in front of his face, while swaying his head and arms. 

He typically wears a plain loose shirt and sways in a snake-like manner. Like a Jhumar dancer, the 

Luddi dancer moves around a dhol player.Women have a different but equally exuberant dance called 

Giddha. The dancers enact verses called bolis, representing a wide variety of subjects - everything 

from arguments with a sister-in-law to political affairs. The rhythm of the dance depends not only 

the drums, but also on the handclaps of the dancers. Julli is a dance associated with Muslim holy men

called pirs and is generally performed in their hermitages. Typically the dancers dress all in black,

and perform Julli in a sitting posture, but it is sometimes also done around the grave of a preceptor.

Julli is unique in that one person, alone, can perform the dance if he so desires. Daankara is a dance 

of celebration, typically performed at weddings. Two men, each holding colorful staves, dance around 

each other in a circle while tapping their sticks together in rhythm with the drums.Dancers also form 

a circle while performing Dhamal. They also hold their arms high, shake their shoulders and heads, and

yell and scream. Dhamal is a true folk-dance, representing the heart of Bhangra. Women of the Sandalbar

region traditionally are known for the Saami. The dancers dress in brightly colored kurtas and full 

flowing skirts called lehengas.Like Daankara, Kikli features pairs of dancers, this time women. The 

dancers cross their arms, hold each other`s hands, and whirl around singing folk songs. Occasionally four

girls join hands to perform this dance.Gatka is a Sikh martial art in which people use swords, sticks, 

or daggers. Historians believe that the sixth Sikh guru started the art of gatka after the martyrdom of 

fifth guru Guru Arjan Dev. Wherever there is a large Khalsa Sikh population, there will be Gatka 

participants, often including small children and adults. These participants usually perform Gatka on 

special Punjabi holidays.In addition to these different dances, a Bhangra performance typically contains

many energetic stunts. The most popular stunt is called the moor, or peacock, in which a dancer sits on 

someone`s shoulders, while another person hangs from his torso by his legs. Two-person towers, pyramids,

and various spinning stunts are also popular.