Bringing Bhangra back

BY ARWEN LAW, STAFF WRITER

IN THE COMING YEAR, THE Bhangra club will be dancing its way back into Gables after its discontinuation two years ago.

While Gables has many clubs to offer its student body, Bhangra is one of the only groups that represents South Asian culture and offers diversity within the school. An energetic and upbeat dance style, Bhangra consists of a fluid choreography to Punjabi music.

“Once I joined, I encountered a great amount of people in the community enjoying the lively style of dance,” junior Christina Del Castillo, a member of the club, said. Chemistry and forensic science teacher

Mohammad Khan took over as the club’s sponsor since his predecessor, Khushnuma Driver, left Gables in 2022. Bringing the dance group back into the spotlight proved to be a lengthy but worthwhile process.

“The students came up to me and asked me if I wanted to undertake this position. Being of South Asian descent, I accepted, seeing that all the students were extremely into it,” Khan said.

Transferring to Gables her sophomore year, senior Hamyail Bokhari immediately loved the folk dance group. Looking forward to becoming one of the group’s captains, Bokhari was crestfallen by the group’s discontinuation in the 2021-2022 school year.

Without losing hope, Bokhari was able to recruit 15 members to the group, making it eligible for reinstitution as a Gables club. Still hoping for additional members, the Bhangra club was showcased at the 2023 club fair, allowing the group to reach out to the entire student body.

“This club is one way that I can showcase my culture’s beauty and vibrant energy at this school,” Bokhari said.

The Bhangra dance group, which is open to any student, requires a great amount of energy, enthusiasm, jumping and some flexibility, making it fun yet great exercise. The club captain leads the dance routine; however, contrary to how the club operated previously, the leaders will now be emphasizing collaboration with the members when organizing all the shows and performances. In addition, the music will continue to be in the Punjabi language with a prominent drumbeat but will now be combined with modern pop music to make it more contemporary.

Performing only twice before their hiatus, the club plans to organize more performances this year at school events such as Bridge 4 Peace. Within the performances, the club mixes two to three routines that include the fusion of Bhangra, Bollywood and contemporary dance moves.

The dance club, expecting to welcome new faces, will come back with many improvements and offer new cultural experiences for any student who joins. With its reinstitution and revamping, this club hopes to enhance the cultural representation at Gables for all of its students.