Singer to fuse Bhangra with African music
Sukhvinder Singh plans to fuse Punjabi folk with the Mauritian Sega dance for a festival in Mauritius.
A popular exponent of Punjabi folk dance and music plans to fuse his art with the Mauritian Sega dance for a festival in Mauritius that the Indian prime minister is also expected to attend.
Sukhvinder Singh, who is currently touring South Africa with his troupe, said: "Both African and Punjabi forms are full of energy and vibrancy. Punjabi culture has a beat to it, just like the African culture. And once we start performing we get deeply involved in it, just as the Africans do."
"Fusing the two cultures will be a good experiment as culture itself is an ever-changing phenomenon."
Singh said he was thrilled to bring Punjabi culture and its unique music to South African audiences. His troupe has been enchanting audiences all over the country with Bhangra, Gidha, Dandia, Jindua, Sammy and traditional harvest dancing and singing.
Wherever they have performed, expatriate Punjabis and some locals have joined in enthusiastically. At the Mayfair Cultural Centre here, the audience lamented that the two-hour performance was "too short".
"We are all very fond of our culture. There is hardly a day when we do not sing or dance, so it all comes naturally to us," Manjeet Kaur, part of the troupe, said.
Their six-concert tour ends Thursday in Durban.
