← Certify with Pungra · Module 3 of 10 · 10 minutes

Applying Exercise To Music principles to Punjabi music

Start from what you already know

Pungra assumes you hold Exercise To Music Level 2. You already know how to cue, how to adapt a movement and how to keep a room safe. Nothing here replaces that. It shows how those skills work with this music.

Cueing to the dhol

Most dance music moves in phrases, commonly counted in eights, and in Punjabi music the dhol often marks where a phrase begins. Listen for the dhol first, because voices and the tumbi can hide the beat.

• Name the next movement a few counts before the change, so the class is ready on the first beat of the new phrase.
• Use the dhol as your cue to change, and not the vocal.
• Keep the same name for the same movement every time.
• Keep cues short. Show as well as say.

Counting and tempo

Choose tracks whose tempo suits each part of the class: gentler for the warm-up and cool-down, stronger for the main work, in line with the guidance you learned in your Exercise To Music qualification. Check each track’s tempo before class, and do not choose a track just because you like it.

Adaptations and modifications

Offer an easier and a harder option for every movement, and say both out loud before the movement starts. Examples: lower the arms, shorten the range, or take out the jump (see plyometrics on the Moves page). Adapt for newcomers, older adults, injuries and pregnancy. Choosing the easier option should always feel normal.

When a track changes feel

Some tracks change feel part-way through. Listen to every track all the way through before you use it, so a sudden change never catches your class out.

Practise

1. Choose three tracks you might use.
2. For each, note where the phrases start and where the dhol is clearest.
3. Plan the cue you would give and the easier and harder option for each movement.