This is my Wisconsin Life.
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>> Bhangra is a traditional
North Indian dance that
originated in the state of
Punjab.
It was originally created to
celebrate the harvest there.
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>> The University of Wisconsin
School of Bhangra dance team
launched in 2006.
>> At first it was just a team,
that just wanted to have fun,
but at the same time we want
to be able to compete.
So the attitude kind of shifted
over the years.
>> Over the years
Harmanjot Singh's attitude
toward Bhangra also shifted.
>> My parents were both born
and raised in the state
of Punjab.
They eventually moved to
Burlington, Wisconsin.
My mom wanted me to get more
involved with my culture.
So freshman year of high school,
she got me on a team at the
local temple, and at first I
hated it.
She made a deal with me
and, like, "I'll let you play
sports if you come to
dance practice."
Consideringmy love for sports,
I kinda had to do it.
I would always be shy to dance.
She would tug me onto the dance
floor, and I would just throw my
hands up and walk away then.
If you shrug your shoulders it
adds a little bounce into it.
When I got to college, I started
appreciating the dance.
I'm like, "Oh, maybe it wasn't a
bad thing that I started dancing
in high school."
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>> That shy boy became the
co-captain for the UW
School of Bhangra.
>> I've never been in a
situation where I had
14 people look at me and ask me
what to do.
It kind of means a lot to me
that I'm on this team and
guiding people and teaching them
how to dance.
I see a lot of people just--
Just throwing their arms around.
So it needs to get better.
The first year I was captain
they kind of took it personally.
They would describe me as a
tough person in practice.
It's choppy.
You guys should be paying
attention to that, because it's
very important.
When you come into practice you
have to be serious, but outside
of practice we're all friends
and we like to have a good time.
It's a good cardio workout.
For someone that's never done
Bhangra before, they leave
practice drenched in sweat.
And that's what I like.
>> The team works up a sweat
three times a week.
>> We're college students,
we have exams coming up and
at the same time we have the
commitment to the dance team.
And being competitive is not
easy.
It's stressful.
Like, when they're tucking,
they do this.
That doesn't look good.
We just recently put ourselves
on the map these past years
competing.
And we just want to let people
know that, just because we are a
small team, we can dance with
those bigger and better teams
out there.
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Bhangra is actually a
complicated dance.
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You look at synchronization,
or you look at the energy level.
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[crowd cheers]
Pay attention!
Shhhh!
>> Backstage, Harmanjot has many
hats, coach, captain,
choreographer and dancer.
>> Have energy!
Kill it!
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[cheers]
I want the audience to know
that we are having a
blast on stage.
We're entertainers.
We feed off the audience,
so when they cheer we give
them even more.
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We have one stunt where I go
on someone's shoulders.
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It was an honor to perform at
the Kohl Center on the court.
Even though it was just a
two minute performance we really
had fun with it and really
enjoyed the opportunity we had.
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The main focus in our group was
to spread the Indian culture,
especially being on a campus
where there really isn't that
much diversity.
We really strive on being a
diverse group.
We have a white guy on our team.
He really finds it fascinating.
I like meeting people like that
that just want to engage in
other cultures.
I really do put my heart and
soul into it.
And not just me, everyone on
this team, that they love
to dance.
We all share the passion of
dancing.
>> Through Bhangra dance
Harmanjot discovered his
culture, his passion and an
appreciation for his mother's
wisdom.
>> Being a part of this team,
I really realized that what my
mom has been trying to drill
in me, you need to be
a part of your culture.
I never realized that until
I started on this dance team.
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>> Announcer: The Wisconsin
student dance group,
School of Bhangra.
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