The Bhangra Project - Past Events

Swindon Mela - 27 July 2008
Bristol Do - 27 September 2008

Children of all ages got stuck in with paints, block prints, flag making and design-your-own bhangra style fabric.

3 August 2pm FREE
EDF Bristol Harbour Festival 2008, Lloyds TSB Amphitheatre, Bristol

The UK’s most successful dhol drum group brought their raw energy and pumping rhythms to Bristol for an explosive performance of drum and bass, tabla, hip hop and bhangra all mixed with a Celtic twist. Led by the unstoppable Johnny Kalsi (Afro Celt Sound System) the group brought Bristol Harbour Festival alive!

3 August 12.30pm FREE
EDF Bristol Harbour Festival 2008, Lloyds TSB Amphitheatre, Bristol,

The classic bhangra dance style was displayed in this nonstop 30 minute dance performance with sparkling costumes, elaborate routines and pumping bhangra beats. ‘Pump up the Bhangra!’.

27 September 3.30pm FREE
Bristol Do

The up for it crowd were movin’ and groovin’ as they learnt some crucial bhangra steps from respected Kent based bhangra troupe 4x4.

27 September 3pm FREE
Bristol Do

Kent based UK bhangra legends 4x4 descended on Bristol for a show of the finest bhangra dance moves and live percussion. The troupe, which has performed all over the world, was established in 1984 and have expanded from 4 core members to over 70 with their own youth clubs, a dhol group and a bhangra group.

11 October 2008 4pm FREE
Stapleton Road Street Fair, Bristol

Dil Kush Drummers taught some essential bhangra rhythms on the dhol drum.

11 October 3pm FREE
Stapleton Road Street Fair, Bristol

Dhol is the heartbeat of bhangra music and Bristol’s very own dhol drumming group demonstrated this in a lively outdoor performance.

14 November. 10pm -3am. £8 adv
Warehouse Club, Bristol

London based 11 piece band B-Funk brought a fusion of dub, drum n bass, funky house and bhangra to Bristol’s club land. The heavy weight collective of live musicians and DJs played juicy live sounds for a night of ‘get up and move’ grooves. Team Dips rocked the house as well with their powerful dhol playing.

15 February – 6pm. St Georges Concert Hall
18 February – 7.45pm The Brewhouse

The amazing Bhangra Latina performance had the crowds dancing in the isles at St Georges in Bristol and the Brewhouse in Taunton in February. The fusion of salsa and bhangra was explosive and gave way to some beautiful new compositions led by Artistic Producer Kuljit Bhamra and Latin pianist Alex Wilson. The two dancers, one bhangra one salsa, also spiced up the show with some seriously hot moves and even gave a short workshop in the middle. A fantastic evening and one the highlights of The Bhangra Project.

Take Note Music Festival, South Gloucestershire
14 February
Staple Hill Library – Time TBC - FREE
15 February
Bradley Stoke Library – Time TBC - FREE

Bristol's very own ‘Dancedelic’ bhangra stars perform at South Gloucester's Take Note Music Festival. The band fuse traditional bhangra and classical Indian music with an upbeat global music sound creating cutting edge dance tunes that aim to ‘elevate the crowds to euphoric states of pleasure’!

Around since the 80s the band has earned themselves a well established place in the UK bhangra scene. They’ve supported acts such as Peter Gabriel, Dhol Foundation and Fundamental and performed at Mela’s, festivals and large bhangra events across UK.

26 April 7.30pm
Colston Hall

The king of bhangra comes to Bristol! One of the most famous bhangra stars ever, Malkit Singh is internationally renowned for hits such as ‘Tookat Tootak Tootiyan’ and ‘Gur Nalo Ishq Mita’.

Awarded an MBE earlier this year for services to Punjabi music, Malkit is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest selling bhangra artist of all times. His music has been featured in numerous films and he has collaborated with hip hop, house and Bollywood artists.

Malkit has released over 20 albums and has a huge following both in UK and internationally. This is a rare opportunity to see a living legend!

13th May 2009
Watershed 12.30 – 4.30pm

Do you want to know more about bhangra culture, its history and current positioning in UK? Have you always wanted more support in programming bhangra in your venue, festival or event? Do you want to develop your knowledge and understanding of bhangra in the South West Region?

This symposium and panel discussion will critically explore bhangra culture, its history and current positioning in the UK. The panel will consist of established bhangra artists, media professionals, producers and promoters working in the bhangra scene. The seminar will consist of a series of presentations, debates, a short film screening, a Q&A session and live bhangra music. The symposium is open to arts and cultural professionals as well as the general public.

Ticket price also includes an authentic Punjabi feast!

19 January – 20 March FREE
Bristol Central Library

An exhibition mapping 50 years of bhangra music, culture & style in UK. Exploring the traditions and heritage of bhangra music, the exhibition charts its movements from Birmingham, where Punjabi nostalgia first fused with Caribbean beats and dance floor styles, throughout the UK (with each region adding its own flavour to the pot), and eventually back to the Punjab in India - the original source. Also highlighted is its empowering influence on popular culture in British Asian society today.

The exhibition includes rare and exclusive photographs and club flyers, albums, authentic instruments, awards and costumes from Britain’s best-loved bhangra stalwarts, giving people unprecedented backstage access to the unstoppable world journey of UK bhangra music.

Bristol Central Library College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TL

30 January - 28 February FREE
Station

Local artist Tajinder Dhami presents two unique sound installations which explore new modes of sonic engagement with bhangra music, ‘Touch’ and ‘Quadraphonic'.
Reflecting on bhangra as a result of migration, enfoldment and the transformation of cultures, the artist engages with a diverse cross-cultural audio palette consisting of field recordings, electro-magnetic encodings taken in Northern India, studio recordings and generated digital sound's creating modern compositions which reference traditional and ancient structures. A range of sound artists have also been enlisted to produce remixes for the installation.
Tajinder is part of the emergent generation of ‘praxis researchers’; studio based academics exploiting the modalities of contemporary cultural engagement through ontological questioning.

Station Phoenix Wharf, Bristol
Gallery opening times 12 - 6 Friday, Saturday and Sunday only (also by appointment)

(special cut for Soho Road to the Punjab Exhibition)
19 January – 20 March FREE
Bristol Central Library

Everyone listens to music and dances in their head. Everyone reads faces. Everyone’s face dances.

Facedances are video portraits of people listening and dancing with their face to their favourite music. Some Facedances are still, some are animated, some are self-conscious, some exuberant.

Commissioned specially for The Bhangra Project, artist Jonathan Stone captures Facedances in areas around Bristol and shows us what they’re listening to and how their faces dance.

Watershed 1 Canon's Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
Bristol Central Library College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TL

19 January – 20 March 2009 FREE
Bristol Central Library

Mudslide is an artist’s book made of silk in which Baljinder Bhopal, Bristol based artist and writer, explores Punjabi culture and tradition including woman’s folk song and dance that lead to the formation of bhangra. Using text, imagery and embroidery, Baljinder looks at the concept of culture, displacement by migration and the struggle to hold families together. She also examines the paradox of how things constantly change and new cultural forms develop to make things look the same. The work pays homage to the generations of women who have struggled and surrendered in equal measure to the forces of the last century. Baljinder Bhopal has performed with Asian women’s writing group Vivida, Black Woman’s Writers group and Poeticize. She has one collection of poems published Transitions, has supported Linton Kwesi Johnson and held exhibitions at Folk House and Phoenix Arts. This exhibition is a new commission for The Bhangra Project.

Bristol Central Library College Green, BS1 5TL

16 - 20 February 2009
St Georges Concert Hall

An intensive week long song writing and music making project based on bhangra that takes place over several weeks in participating schools and culminates in a weeklong music workshop which takes place in Bristol. There will be the opportunity to develop ideas, music making and songwriting skills working with musicians, choreographers and producers. Run in conjunction with REMIX and Colston Hall.

St Georges Concert Hall Great George Street, Bristol, 16th – 20th February

15 February 2009
Take Note Music Festival

Local Bhangra legends lead a workshop for everyone in their ‘Dancedelic’ Bhangra style.

Take Note Music Festival, South Gloucestershire - 15 Feb Sunday 2009 Time TBC FREE