The Search for the ‘Essence’ of Bhangra through Panjabi heritage

This research examines the concept of Bhangra from my perspective as a practitioner and supported by ethnographic research. The thesis explores the foundational elements that constitute the art form of contemporary Bhangra. It looks at the historical developments of dance, of music and of spiritual essence. It suggests a time at which these elements fused together in the form of Malkit Singh’s ‘Gur Naal Ishq Mitha’.

This historical development is also represented in an interactive online timeline that charts other pioneering artists, poets, saints and Gurus who have contributed to its evolution. A performance was devised that pulls together all the elements explored within the thesis culminating in an experience that encapsulates the diverse nature of contemporary Bhangra within the Panjabi diaspora.

Now published as Bhangra: Mystics, music and migration by University of Huddersfield Press: http://unipress.hud.ac.uk/catalogue/books/bhangramysticsmusicandmigration.php