Friday, January 13, 2017

Friday night Bhangra with Justin Trudeau

I decided to have India food for dinner tonight, so it's a good time to watch Justin Trudeau dance the Bhangra.

I should say this is three years before he became Prime Minister - he was still just the MP from Papineau at this point. But you know he would have no problem doing this as the Prime Minister either. You can't watch this video on my blog though, you have to go to Youtube by clicking the video.






And I found ANOTHER version from a different camera! Whoohoo!





According to Wiki:
The origins of traditional Bhangra are speculative. According to Dhillon (1998), Bhangra is related to the Punjabi dance 'bagaa' which is a martial dance of Punjab.[2]
However, the folk dance of Majha originated in Sialkot and took root in Gujranwalla, Sheikhupur, Gujrat (districts in Punjab, Pakistan) and Gurdaspur (district in Punjab, India).[3][4][5] The traditional form of Bhangra danced in the villages of Sialkot district is regarded as the standard.[6] Although the main districts where traditional Bhangra is performed are in Punjab, Pakistan, the community form of traditional Bhangra has been maintained in Gurdaspurdistrict, Punjab, India and has been maintained by people who have settled in Hoshiarpur, Punjab India[7] after leaving what is now Punjab, Pakistan.
Being a seasonal dance, traditional Bhangra is practiced in the month leading up to the festival of Vaisakhi. During this month, the harvest, especially wheat crop, is reaped. Local fairs mark the festival of Vaisakhi. After days of harvesting and at Vaisakhi fairs, Bhangra is performed, as a dance of men alone.

If there is anything more adorable than Justin Trudeau in traditional garb dancing his multi-ethnic heart out, I can't imagine what. He isn't necessarily the most graceful dancer - there is definitely something of a geek in the man - but you have to love him just for his child-like, good-sport enthusiasm and his gesture of solidarity with non-European culture. Sigh...