Bhangra Nation is a cultural explosion and search for defining what it means to be a South Indian American.
Who will emerge on top and win the National Bhangra Dance competition? A simple premise asked by Bhangra Nation and answered through an explosive musical tale, which gives voice to the diasporic search for identity, amid navigating teen angst and relationships.
As layered as it sounds, Bhangra Nation does not hold back with its bold dance numbers and vibrant colours – we are thrown into the world of competitive bhangra dancing. At its heart this is a story of finding acceptance and belonging amongst peers and within yourself. The message of authenticity is clear and vividly explored – think Bring it on, Pitch Perfect, Glee or even High School Musical – but with an exciting and often educational Bhangra twist. Since its premier in San Diego in 2022, Director Stafford Arima has developed the show for its UK premier in Birmingham and does an excellent job in blending the well explored world of the American high school musical and the beauty and boldness of Punjabi dance and culture. The Book by Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew uses humour and has a real heart for making the generic high school characters recognisable but not overly cliché. New original music and lyrics by Sam Willmott partners well with Choreographer Rujuta Vaidya’s celebration of dance styles.
When Mary armed with her best friend Sunita’s fearless and incessant courage set out to create their own rival dance group to freely explore her south Indian heritage, she finds her acceptance of herself empowers others to do the same and she finds her reason for wanting to dance. The characters in the dance troupe feel all too familiar as a group of misfits finding acceptance together, the theme of identity is strong and comes at you from all angles. We can all recognise the familiar percussive tone of a dholaks (Indian drums), but little do we know of the cultural nuances to the music and dance stylings of Bhangra. What we as a multi-cultural audience may lack in knowledge is generously filled in through the telling of the story and characters who are haunted by their familial roots. The script does not lack in historical context and cultural nuances we are often left questioning what is central to the Bhangra culture and who is allowed to participate, as many of the characters navigate this for themselves.
The nuanced idea of cultural tribalizing and how people seemingly from the same place have different approaches to things is picked apart and characterised in the rivalry of Preeti, a devoted dancer and advocate for tradition played by Zaynah Ahmed, and Mary, her mixed race ex-teammate played by Jena Pandya Kathak. Mary has a haunting mirror scene where she searches for her mother’s reflection and heritage within herself. Her struggle to honour her heritage and navigate budding relationships is wonderfully contrasted by her best friend and co-captain Sunita’s radical approach to identity and challenging norms, played by Siobhan Athwal.
As The Birmingham Repertory Theatre audience, we are brought right into the action as the audience witnessing the Bhangra National dance competition, spectators on the campus quad and guests at the ‘Samosa Hut’ Restaurant. We are never left idle with the vast stage constantly being filled with new set pieces and dance numbers. What is clearly a large space to fill is never left empty with projections and sets rolling in and out to build the fast-paced world experienced by the American Michigan college student.
As Mary’s old team and now main rivals the ‘Tigres’ Dance troupe merges the contemporary and the traditional, so does the production as they do not skimp on value using imaginative projections to transport us across campus and all the way to an Indian village all in a flicker of a strobe light. Bhangra Nation at the Birmingham Repertory theatre is a cultural explosion and search for defining what it means to be a South Indian American.