“Dance is a universal language,” says Gurdeep Pandher.
“When we come together and move, that creates joyful positive uplifting energy, which helps to break down barriers,” he says of his philosophy. “When we move and dance it helps us bring out our other wonderful energy which sometimes stays hidden. That helps us to find better connections with other people.”
Pandher rose to fame during the pandemic, becoming a social media sensation and a beacon of positivity when people needed it most. From his cabin in the Yukon’s wilderness, the Sikh-Canadian shared videos of him dancing bhangra, along with messages of unity, healing, and positivity.
As a result he has made many media appearances, gone on tour, visited classrooms, met with elected officials and received many accolades and awards for his role as an ambassador for fitness, joy, community and multiculturalism. He said the newfound popularity did surprise him and he is very grateful for the outpouring of support.
Bhangra dancing – Punjabi folk dance – was part of celebrations in his village while growing up in Siahar and he joined in enthusiastically from a very young age. Later, he took professional dance classes and has been dancing ever since.
Bhangra has roots in the agricultural communities to celebrate food, harvest and the relationship to the land. After harvesting crops during the Vaisakhi season, or the Khalsa Day, people used to attend cultural festivals while dancing bhangra. Vaisakhi festivals were the main occasions to dance bhangra.
Many of the main bhangra moves have origins in specific farming activities and the dance was performed by farmers while they were doing agricultural chores in order to make to make a tough job tolerable, and even fun.
Pandher said he leaned toward art from a young age – reading, writing, dancing. He was in Grade 6 when he wrote his first poem. By Grade 10 he had written hundreds of stories, a full novel and a play.
“[Art] has broadened my horizons. It helped me to see the world in a different way,” he said.
Pandher immigrated to Canada in 2006 and since moving to the Yukon in 2012 he has had a renewed passion for dance, providing Bhangra lessons at many locations in Canada.
He said dance can make people forget their differences and has meaningful outcomes.
“I found that people respond better to these positive messages. They actually work. They are not creating joy temporarily, they are leaving long lasting impressions. They are creating goodwill in society in different communities and ethnic groups,” said Pandher. “When we are positive we open our heart more, connect more and the tension is lessened, and discrimination.”
“In society, we all have a responsibility to focus more on togetherness and positivity because at the end of the day we are all humans,” he said, believing an overload of negative messages can make people feel fearful and disconnected. “I think it’s the responsibility of all the citizens of the world to keep those connections and then beautiful outcomes can happen. It is so good for society and future generations. When there is division and polarization, everybody suffers. It’s very hard to live life in negativity.”
Through collaborations with artists from other cultures and ethnic backgrounds, Pandher says he has seen how quickly connections form.
He wrote in a Toronto Star OP/ ED article: “If artists from different backgrounds can create beautiful art together, we, as Canadians, can also engage in conversations to find common ground and true belonging with each other.”
- Practiced at social and religious celebrations, there are more than 300 types of bhangra dance movements. When Pandher comes to Creemore, he will be introducing participants 12 and older to some of the basics during a dance class at the Creemore Legion beginning at 11 a.m. on Oct. 5. Tickets cost $20 and are available via phahs.ca and at the door for $25. Later that afternoon, Pandher will be at Creemore Village Green at 2 p.m. for a free Dance for Joy session, open to everyone.