Ravi reached out to me sometime in May. He complimented the studio and introduced himself as a PhD student from Prague who stays for a month in Tsukuba to work in KEK and would love to give a workshop on Bhangra dance. Ravi started dancing in Bhangra at the University and fell so much in love with it that he practised every day for three years. After moving to the Czech Republic, he found a studio for practice, but before long, many people had joined him, and he started teaching Bhangra once a week.
After watching the videos on his Instagram, I knew it was something we must organise. And oh my, it was worth it!
Bhangra is a traditional dance originating from the Punjab region in northern India. As Ravi explained, the dance has been a way of celebrating life since ancient times. A birth, a wedding, a good harvest – every major occasion was honoured with the dance. This is how our brain works: we lift our arms in the air when we are happy, but in the same way, we get happy when lifting our arms. We jump when we rejoice – and rejoice when we jump. Swinging from left to right with a rhythmic drum beat generates a powerful positive energy flow that is almost palpable!
One of the essential parts of the Bhangra dance is the smile. I thought I would be too consumed by coordinating my body to manage a smile. But the moves come so naturally, and the bounce is so enjoyable that it is difficult not to smile. My 7-year-old daughter, who joined the first half of the workshop, confirmed afterwards: "At first, I was told to smile, but in fact, I couldn't stop smiling!"
After leaving the studio on June 2, I was charged 100%. Ravi was also very happy with our feedback and suggested organising another jam before he left. We fixed the date on June 9.
Many of the first workshop participants joined again, and we also had some new participants. It was crowded and fun! The steps got more challenging this time, with rotations and detailed handwork. But we made it nonetheless!
While waiting for Ravi's return to Tsukuba, we are thinking of holding regular Bhangra jam sessions at YODA once or twice a month. What do you think about it? Would you join?
By the way, check out the video from the first workshop. We will add the video from the second workshop later, so check out our Instagram and stay tuned!
With love 🤍
Katya
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