Vibrant, colorful and expressive dance accompanies the energy of the emotional and artistic storytelling at the Gamecock Bhangra Club.
Gamecock Bhangra is a club that practices and teaches Bhangra, a style of traditional folk dance that originated in North India, particularly the region of Punjab.
Bhangra is very popular for ceremonious events such as weddings, celebrations, festivals and dance said Aastha Arora, a third-year biology student. Facial expressions, such as smiling, are important for the dance style said Muskaan Makkar, a fourth-year public health student who is the club's current advisor and former president.
The Gamecock Bhangra club used to be a more competitive dance team back in 2010, before becoming inactive over the years, Makkar said. Two other girls from Charleston attempted to start the club back up during COVID-19, but it was not able to take off, Makkar said. She said she took over during the end of her freshman year.
The current president of the Gamecock Bhangra club and logistics captain Sravya Sunkara, a third-year public health student, said she has danced in a multitude of styles, but wanted to take on the Bhangra style in college.
“I did a lot of community events growing up. So I’d like to say dancing is in my blood ... I’ve done classical. I’ve done Bollywood. But I wanted to explore a new avenue of dance that I’ve never really had before, and I feel like Bhangra was another style of North Indian dancing that I’ve never really thought about or explored before,” Sunkara said.
Makkar said she has always felt a connection to Bhangra and spoke about how much it meant for her in connecting with her family, especially her cousin who had created his own Bhangra teams in Charleston and New York.
"I've just always been connected to it I've learned it since I was a little kid, when you weren't that good. And then I think it was a way for me to connect with my family, like my cousin," Makkar said.
Arora said she began Bhangra as a way of connecting to her culture, as she did not grow up with the Bhangra dance style.
“I didn’t grow up around it that much ... I didn’t really have the Indian dance. I didn’t really know what Bhangra was … I think it's connected me back. And now, my grandparents also have videos of me dancing, and it makes them super happy,” Arora said.
Co-choreography captain, Aidan Reilly, a fourth-year psychology student, said joining the Bhangra club has brought him a lot of excitement.
“It's joy. It’s energy. It's having fun. That's the root of it. So, if you're not doing that, then you're not doing Bhangra,” Reilly said.
Riley also said that Bhangra is very diverse and places an emphasis on cultivating a welcoming environment.
"We have people from all over India and outside of India," Riley said. "So it's very much a dance form that is not restricted to time and place."
Sunkara said the Gamecock Bhangra Club works diligently towards all of its performances. The Gamecock Bhangra club has done two showcases at USC, as well as other performances in the greater South Carolina area, including India Fest in Charleston. The club hopes to hold another showcase next semester.
Sunkara says her vision for the Gamecock Bhangra club is to spread the word about what Bhangra is through performances the Bhangra team puts on in Columbia.
"I want the club to tell the world about what Bhangra is. So that's why we host performances. That's why we do workshops, and being interviewed by the Daily Gamecock. And I think that was like something that I don't think my team and I could have ever really thought about," Sunkara said.
The Gamecock Bhangra club hosts weekly practice at Strom Thurmond in room 127 from 9:30 to 11:00 p.m. Everyone is welcomed, regardless of dance experience. You can follow the Gamecock Bhangra Club on Instagram at gamecockbhangra.