Limelight: Chowl Bhangra

By Sonia Pothraj     10/5/11 7:00pm

 

"BRUAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Have you ever heard this high-pitched exclamation from an enthusiastic Indian man? If so, you have already been exposed to the world of bhangra, a traditional northern Indian dance form. The extent of bhangra knowledge for most people is the phrase "screw in the light bulb and pat the dog" mimicking the dance's hand movements. However, there is more to this dance form than meets the turban. Within Rice exists a group dedicated to the performance and spread of bhangra in the college community and the greater Houston area.

Bhangra is a South Asian dance form that originated in the northern state of India known as Punjab. It is based off of music from a Punjabi folk drum, folk singing and numerous single-stringed instruments. With upbeat rhythms, bhangra exudes energy and consists of a great deal of high intensity and explosive moves with artistic style.

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The Rice Bhangra team, also known as Chowl Bhangra, is self-described on the Rice Clubs Central website as, "a competing team that performs the traditional dance of bhangra" in both competitive and entertainment-based settings.

Captained by Will Rice College seniors Punya Narain and Anand Shah, the group has already set multiple goals for this year.

"The team is trying to grow and become a more consistent presence at Rice and in the bhangra community in Houston and the U.S.," Shah said. "In the past, our activity has kind of fluctuated from time to time, but we want it to become a more regular group that attends competitions all across Texas and the U.S. We've already increased the number of dancers on our team, we're hoping to get brand new outfits, and travel to several competitions."

For this year, Chowl has expanded its team to include six boys and eight girls, four more members than previous years. The team's members (excluding captains) include: Hanszen College senior Amanda Kupchella, Hanszen College freshmen Anjana Ganti and Thresher staff writer Sonia Pothraj, Baker College freshmen Lavanya Rao and Preeti Prakash, Will Rice College junior Tanvi Sharma, Hanszen college junior Vinita Israni, McMurtry College junior Kiran Pathakota, Jones College junior Mihir Mongia, Ravi Shah (Baker '11), Will Rice sophomore Onkur Sen, and University of Southern California graduate Zain Shauk.

Chowl's first performances for this year are quickly approaching. The team will be performing at the halftime of a Rice soccer game Oct. 14 and at the Baylor College of Medicine Oct. 22. Chowl will also be doing a dance for the fall South Asian Society show, Dhamaka, on Nov. 19.

Not only does the team perform as entertainment at Rice, but also to go turban to turban with the bhangra teams of other universities. Chowl will be competing at Jhalak at the University of Texas at Austin on Nov. 12 as well as at Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Feb. 18.

Yet despite the competitive nature of Chowl, the team places importance on creating a light, open atmosphere.

"We create an environment of fun and excellence. We are trying to create the best routine we have ever done, which requires hard work and commitment, but we also want to have fun with what we're doing," Narain said. "I know that bhangra practices are my favorite part of the week, and that's because bhangra is fun, and dancing with my friends makes it even better!"

 This atmosphere is supported by Rice as a university as well as its faculty and staff.

"Rice has really been tremendous in helping us as a club. The new sponsor, Dr. Novotny, has been tremendously supportive and her enthusiasm has been really amazing," Shah said. "We've also performed at Rice in the past and will continue to do so in the future, and that helps us become more visible not just at Rice, but also in the Houston community which helps us publicize our group more. Rice has always given us a place to practice and improve our dance."

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