The Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC) will be putting on its 9th annual City of Bhangra Festival on May 28th through June 6th at various downtown Vancouver venues and SFU’s Surrey campus. The festival will have seven events comprised of 350 performances, all centered on the Punjabi folk dance.
Anita Lai, general manager of VIBC, says the founder of City of Bhangra Festival, her longtime friend Mo Dhaliwal, wanted to create a space where Metro Vancouver’s South Asian community could come together and celebrate the arts.
“VIBC started out in the living room of Mo Dhaliwal’s parent’s home in Abbotsford, B.C., says Lai. “Mo, along with his friends Alan Gill and Robin Rathor, saw that there weren’t very many South Asian organizations in Metro Vancouver that connected people through the shared experience of the arts and culture of the local South Asian population.”
Lai explains how Dhaliwal further developed his vision for a more broad-based South Asian organization by focusing on bhangra as a way to connect people; he expanded what was originally a three hour exhibition of bhangra competitive dance into a ten day festival with community-accessible programming.
“He wanted to create an inclusive community movement that represented the face of B.C., one that is truly diverse and rich in culture and arts, all while elevating the profile of bhangra. It’s a family event with great food and a great atmosphere,” Lai says.
Lai explains that another one of VIBC’s aims is artistic innovation, which is at the core of the City of Bhangra Festival.
“We create events around artistic collaborations between local artists and international artists of different genres, and it is through these collaborations that more connections are made within the community that span across ethno-cultural and artistic boundaries,” Lai says.
Connection and inclusivity
Lai herself first got involved in VIBC through Dhaliwal. She was looking to change professions and saw an ad posting for the position of general manager.
“I am friends with Dhaliwal, so when the job posting went up, I jokingly applied, and he took it very seriously. And after a few phone calls and conversations, I was hired, she says”
After a few months of working at VIBC, Lai began to appreciate the organization’s involvement in the community, especially their participation as cultural partners in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and EKTA, a program that connects Punjabis from Pakistan and India through concert. Lai says VIBC’s City of Bhangra Festival is just one the organization’s events that create inter-ethnic dialogue.
“VIBC was involved in so many important conversations around identity and providing the perspective of first and second generation Canadians. I was able to understand that we were visibly creating the space for South Asian arts, history and dialogue, while creating inclusive spaces for the entire community.”
Audiences will have a chance to connect with their community at this year’s festival, which runs from May 28 to June 6, with over 10 hours of free programming and two days of a free backyard party sponsored by the Vancouver Art Gallery. DJ Lajit, DJ Reminsce, and Seti X will cross genres with their mix of R&B, Hip Hop and bhangra. Jaz Dhami, DJ Rekha and DJ Anjali are also expected to wow audiences this year with their genre blend of electronic music and bhangra. There will also be performances from Shava, a Finnish bhangra group, and Lady Ra, an Ontario-based DJ.
For more information, visit www.vibc.org
