Robson Square, Orpheum, and other places Jan. 16-20
Tickets through Ticketmaster, $20-$55, but most events are free
There are something like 500 performers in this year's International Bhangra Celebration and 12 events, which feature dancing, singing and partying and include four outdoor concerts in Robson Square with dancers and singers from across the Lower Mainland, Victoria, Seattle and California.
People including Madonna, Britney Spears and Craig David are among those who've become attracted to Bhangra and influenced its change, remixing it with other forms of music including Bollywood, rhythm and blues and hip-hop.
Bhangra is a Punjab-derived form of music and dance that began somewhere around the 14th century when wheat farmers danced and sang songs about village life to while away the time.
This agricultural celebration, which soon spread across divisions of class and education, has taken root in Vancouver in its now-third such festival which runs Jan. 16 to 20 right downtown in Robson Square for the free events and at the Orpheum for the two that are ticketed.
The Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration has grown from its original one day into five.
Says celebration spokesperson Sukhi Ghuman, "The first one sold out its one-day event. The second one, which ran three days, also sold out.
The response from the public has been amazing."
Each evening includes a live music concert featuring local groups like Signia and Harj Uppal. One of the dozen events is an original stage production called bhangra: authentic, which looks at the art of Bhangra with a scripted play involving dance, music and singing.
It's on Jan. 19 at the Orpheum Theatre, 8:30 to 10 p.m.
The final event, Jan. 20 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
and also at the Orpheum, is the Bhangra Competition. This is the big one. Ten of the top Bhangra dance teams from across North America will compete for a first prize of $5,000.
Teams included are those from Florida, San Jose, Los Angeles, Virginia and Vancouver.
Flown in will be two of the United Kingdom's biggest Bhangra stars, DCS Band and Juddy D. In last year's competition, a full house of 2,800 people came to the Orpheum.
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