I’ve watched some of a Shaba Jeyasingh DVD and went to Kaash, which was pretty cool. Quite short, but very innovative. And back then, when ‘Asian’ was only just becoming cool (I think it was the year of the Indian Summer on ch4) I was very proud of the show, just cos three desis did it. Modern dance is generally lost on me and I’m no fan, but Khan’s classical training meant I could understand what he was doing. Which I can’t say for most modern dancers.

Don’t know much about Darshan Singh Bhuller.

All I was saying is that I hate (and I mean HATE) British Asians who think the way they were raised is the same all over India. Even when they visit, they go to their ancestral village and are never exposed to people outside their family circle.

They don’t want young girls getting the wrong idea; that lifes all about dressing skimpy and buying accessories at every available opportunity of your life, for that is life.
Just buying stuff, and then buy more stuff and then buy some more.

In this case they missed the point of a Barbie doll; and just figured we cover it up so girls think they should cover up too.

You forgot the t.v and internet dudes; whose gonna cover them up. hmmmm.

Just cover it up, the problem will go away.

Did you see the South Bank Show on Akram Khan? They interviewed his Dad – a really sweet old school Bengali who said he would dance at weddings and stuff – then they showed a video of him as a six year old boy freaking out like Michael Jackson in the middle of some big Bengali family get together – and he was grooving to some Bangla pop song and he was burning the dance floor up! What a dude.

There are many asian dancers in the UK, and wonderful things are created – like the collaboration between Akram Khan, Nitin Sawhney and Anish Kapoor – which are cultural ‘things’ in their own right and are of world class. It is a shame that some ‘asians’ do not look beyond their own particluar cultural backyard.

The tumbhi isn’t perhaps per se as popular as the dhol.

The dhol seems to symbolise skill, masculinity & culture for the punjabi lads. Unbelievably, after organising a few do’s, it astounding the number of asian gals who’ll stand around the young ‘dashing’ dholks.

The thing that is good to see is that it is the youth and teenagers who are DEMANDING to be taught this stuff. They see Panjabi MC and hear the music and want a piece of that – they feel pride in their bhangra culture because it gives them something to feel a part of – British Bhangra culture makes them feel good and have a British identity.

When the youth think of something as cool it thrives, you dont have to persuade them of its value. And learning dhol, bhangra and the dancing is seen by young Punjabis as the COOLEST thing out there.

Another effect it has is that Punjabi folk songs, idioms and poetry and language gets adapted and preserved in British life. The kids want to know Punjabi not because they are forced to learn it at Sunday School at the gurdwara, but because they want to speak and sing in it because it’s cool and part of the whole music scene.

It is – and many people sneer at young Punjabis because they hear some tacky bahngra song and think it is all that but the culture is amazingly alive and thriving.

If you are a young Punjabi in the UK it is simply the COOLEST thing in the world to know how to play the dhol or the tumbi – the two most basic instruments of bhangra. It is viewed not only as cool and funky but sexy too.

And all the dhol and bhangra troupes have lots of girls there too! The biggest one from Birmingham run by Gurcharan Mall is mixed about one third girls and two thirds boys. In 21st century Britain for this culture being kept alive organically BY THE YOUTH is amazingly healthy.

And some of the bhangra dance moves are extremely athletic and vibrant – almost like break dancing.

On this subject, the rise in the number of young dholaks (dhol players) is phenomenal, I mean dhol learning classes have waiting lists!

Akram Khan is a modern dancer and like Shobana Jayasingh does all these fusion style modern art dancing – Dharshan Singh Bhuller is a ballet dancer.

There are dozens of bhangra dancing troupes across the country – you might sneer at it but at least Punjabi youth are doing something, young boys and girls who are active in learning a folk dance in modern British society because they think it is cool. Bhangra-giddha – the actual dances – has a whole culture and ethos with the instruments and different rhythms and moves are tied closely to the Punjabi culture. Seeing teenagers in Birmingham and Leicester and London having fun and performing might not be great art but it is healthy and lively and vibrant.

Dharshan Singh Bhuller

Shobana Jayasingh

Three desi’s who are quite well known as ‘upper end’ dancers on the artistic level

I’ll retract my “most Indians can’t dance” line. I think the average Indian isn’t too shoddy. But we lack the upper end of the spectrum. I haven’t seen any high-profile Indians who can REALLY dance, bar perhaps Prabhu Deva. But even then, that’s more ‘unique’ than ‘great’.

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