bhangra
noun
bhan·gra ˈbäŋ-grä 
-grə
: popular dance music originating chiefly in the Punjabi community in Britain and marked by features of traditional Punjabi music and of disco
Bhangra meshes traditional-style Punjabi songs and drumming with electronic rhythms, bringing a modernized taste of the old country to dancers with Indian and Pakistani roots.
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Instead of writing songs for stand-alone bhangra dance extravaganzas in films, the musical’s score is being woven through the script to help explain the characters’ emotional journeys. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 Before the ceremony were performances by two Indian folk dance groups, which were set to Irish music as well as bhangra. New York Times, 15 July 2022 In the background, revelry could be heard, and bhangra. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 Performances on campus of bhangra, traditional Punjabi dance, seemingly brought the university’s entire Punjabi community together: to dance and, ultimately, to just be among one another, Tehranian said. Anumita Kaurstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022 There is singing, bhangra dancing and Sikh martial arts called gatka. Simranjit Khalsa, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2022 Among those in the cast is a member of the U.C. San Diego bhangra team (Da Real Punjabiz). New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 Rehana Lew Mirza stumbled upon the world of collegiate bhangra dancing. New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 Winner of the 2019 Richard Rodgers Award, this new musical celebrates the high stakes world of U.S. intercollegiate competitive bhangra, which is a Panjabi folk dance, and an Indian-American girl who wants to shake things up. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2021 See More
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 Before the ceremony were performances by two Indian folk dance groups, which were set to Irish music as well as bhangra. New York Times, 15 July 2022 In the background, revelry could be heard, and bhangra. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 Performances on campus of bhangra, traditional Punjabi dance, seemingly brought the university’s entire Punjabi community together: to dance and, ultimately, to just be among one another, Tehranian said. Anumita Kaurstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022 There is singing, bhangra dancing and Sikh martial arts called gatka. Simranjit Khalsa, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2022 Among those in the cast is a member of the U.C. San Diego bhangra team (Da Real Punjabiz). New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 Rehana Lew Mirza stumbled upon the world of collegiate bhangra dancing. New York Times, 23 Mar. 2022 Winner of the 2019 Richard Rodgers Award, this new musical celebrates the high stakes world of U.S. intercollegiate competitive bhangra, which is a Panjabi folk dance, and an Indian-American girl who wants to shake things up. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Panjabi bhaṁgṛā, a kind of folk dance
First Known Use
1987, in the meaning defined above