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Say It, Credit It, Keep Learning
We began with a claim: bhangra is not a thing. Let us finish by seeing what follows from it.
What we found
Bhangra is a word that was shaped by its journey into English, and whose meaning shifted from an action to a name.
It is a celebration that began among farming communities in Punjab, linked with harvest and with Vaisakhi.
It is a place on a map that was cut in two in 1947, and whose heritage belongs to both sides.
It is part of a family of dances that includes giddha, jhumar, luddi, sammi and kikli.
It is a sound, carried by the dhol and its companions, and remade by British Punjabis in Southall and Birmingham into a music that went round the world.
It is not Bollywood, though the two meet in the cinema.
It is a fitness opportunity, one that works best when we are honest about whether we are teaching a dance or leading a workout.
And it is a responsibility that falls on everyone who takes part, whatever their background, to describe it accurately, credit it generously and respect the people it belongs to.
The three habits
If you want to keep it simple, keep three habits.
Say it. Pronounce the word properly. Name the place correctly. Be specific.
Credit it. Name the people, the music, the teachers and the traditions. Credit turns a borrower into a guest.
Keep learning. Listen when you are corrected. Read, listen to and learn from Punjabi musicians, dancers and historians. Let your class change as your knowledge grows.
A last thought
The dance began in a field, among people who had finished a long season of work and wanted to celebrate. Everything since, the stages, the studios, the bands, the films, the fitness classes and this book, is a branch growing from that. We are not owners. We are carriers.
The best thing you can do with something you have been given is to pass it on a little better than you found it. If this book helps you do that, it has done its work.
Now put some music on and move.