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The Closing Gala Dance Celebration for the 2012 HSBC City of Bhangra concluded a week long festivities at the HSBC Bank of Canada headquarters in Vancouver BC on June 10, 2012. Under the giant Swinging Pendulum, the energetic South Asian Bollywood-styled moves were presented by the HSBC Bhangra Team, a group of HSBC employees with no former training and took only weeks of practicing their dance moves to Punjabi-themed remix music by DJ Rekha. A convincing and winning act!

Gala Closing Bhangra Dance – A Video by Ray Van Eng

HSBC Bank Canada 885 West Georgia Street Vancouver

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New York-based Bikram Singh came to Vancouver to perform South Asian Indian Punjabi song and dance at Downtown Bhangra 2012. The event is organized by the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration (VIBC) Society and is part of the City of Bhangra Festival from May 31 to June 10, 2012. The HSBC Bank Canada sponsored festival offers free concerts and dance performances in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) and ticketed events at the W2 Media Café, the HSBC Pendulum Gallery and other venues. Featured performers included Anakh E Gabroo, A-Slam, Indanation, Bikram Singh, Luv Randhawa, UNC Bhangra Elite, Panj Girls etc.

Once again, it is Bollywood in Vancouver!

VIDEO – Bikram Singh at City of Bhangra 2012

Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver BC

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The Miss World Canada 2012 Gala Celebration included talent performances by contestants/delegates. Courtney Woodford from Triton, Newfoundland and Labrador sang an opera aria. Adding to the multicultural flavor of the evening, Poonam Punni and Nisheeth Proshanti danced to South Asian songs and music for some Bollywood-style entertainment. The night’s activities took place on May 13, 2012 at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond BC near Vancouver.

For the “Beauty with a Purpose” pageant (meant to emphasize both inner and outer beauty), Tara Teng of Langley BC was crowned the winner and will represent Canada to compete in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China for the Miss World 2012 title on August 18, 2012. Miss World Canada 2012 helped raise funds for Variety-The Children’s Charity.

VIDEO – Courtney Woodford opera singing


VIDEO – Poonam Punni and Nisheeth Proshanti South Asian act


River Rock Show Theatre – 8811 River Road, Richmond, BC

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The Vancouver Spring Show 2012温哥华春节欢乐晚 on Jan 15, 2012 at The Centre took the format of a variety show that featured a multicultural cast of singers and dancers. A notable one is a performance by
Shiamak Davars South Asian dance group.

VIDEO – Shiamak Davars Bollywood Dance

The Centre, 777 Homer Street, Vancouver BC

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The South Asian song and dance are getting more and more popular these days. Here is a performer that is very unique in this genre. Anita Lerche is from Denmark but she sings and dances Bollywood songs very well. In this video that I have photographed, she sang two very popular Hindi songs in the Punjabi language – Gori and Mela. The video has become one of Lerche’s most popular clips on Youtube which have attracted more than 7,000 views so far and going up everyday.

In May 2010, we had the Downtown Bhangra event in Vancouver or otherwise known as VIBC (Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration) and that was when this Danish Bollywood sensation came to perform. There was a Sawan Mela South Asian Summer Festival back in June too. I look forward to any South Asian shows in the future in this city. The next major South Asian festival in town would likely be desiFEST in April 2011. Can’t wait.

VIDEO – Anita Lerche’s Bollywood act in Vancouver

Vancouver Art Gallery, West Georgia Street, Vancouver BC

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RJ1200 Bollywood Game of Putting a Bindi on Aishwarya Rai’s forehead while blindfolded. RJ1200 is an Indian Language Radio Station Serving Vancouver. A bindi is a forehead decoration ‘dot’ very popular in South Asian countries. Of course, this contestant missed the mark. Aishwarya Rai is a big Bollywood movie star who is breaking ground in Hollywood as well.

Shyama Priya, Cree Nation Fancy Shawl Dancer & Eli Enns from Tofino, BC

The Polonez Polish Dancers are a popular act at the Surrey Fusion Festival.

Vietnamese Dancers in a 14-Hat Formation

Daddy Roy & The Messenger has that Jamaican sound at the Concord Pacific World Music Stage

A little sex appeal never hurts.

Not only is the Surrey Fusion Festival 2010 is FREE, there’s always some FREE drinks and other items to give away.

Audience did the Irish Circle Dance just like in the Leo & Kate blockbuster Titanic. Incidentally, the Oscar Winning soundtrack from the movie, “My Heart Will Go On” was played by Anaconda, a Peruvian musician at the Surrey Fusion Festival 2010 in this video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NwtTAlsMjM

Four Filipino girls did the Coconut Dance holding two halves of a coconut shelve.

Children Joins in The First Nations Kla-how-eya (Welcome) Grand Entry dance

Shyama Priya, a Cree Nation Fancy Shawl Dancer did her thing at the First Nations Grand Entry. It appears as if she was flying over trees in a forest.

Uzume Taiko, ancient Asia drumming art with a contemporary twist and lots of fun for these two band members.

All three Uzume Taiko drummers jumped up into the air before striking the Big Drum (Taiko) at the Concord Pacific World Music Stage, Surrey Fusion Festival 2010.

RCMP follows the First Nations at the Parade of Flags Opening Ceremony.

This group lead by a smiling Jamaican lady consists of Kenya, Korea and Mexico in the Parade of Flags Ceremony. Happy faces the whole bunch.

Taiwan, not China, has a big presence at the Surrey Fusion Festival 2010.

Anaconda Playing ‘El Condor Pasa’, a Peruvian song of the Andes made famous by Simon and Garfunkel in 1970. Anaconda the flutist musician often performs at Granville Island in Vancouver.

Dianne Watts, Mayor of Surrey BC.

Yoga Exercise.

BC Hydro Sustainability Playground.

Distinctive Indonesian Double Umbrellas.

Judo demo

An estimated 70,000 people showed up for the Surrey Fusion Festival 2010.

Oh yeah, the food like this spicy South Asian chicken.


VIDEO LINKS—

Best Multicultural Music and Dance
Opening Ceremony Parade of Flags
Uzume Taiko Power Drum

King George Highway & 100th Ave. Surrey BC, Vancouver Canada

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Enjoy the front-row seat view of a performance by Danish Hindu Punjabi sensation Anita Lerche at the Downtown Bhangra on May 07, 2010. Bollywood Indian song and dance, not in Mumbai India, but on the streets of Vancouver BC Canada. Lerche is a singer/songwriter from Denmark. She is the first non South Asian performer to have released a solo album in the Punjabi language. A perfect follow-up to the excitement created by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. With SFBC dancers and dhol drummer Menpel Rana. This is the seventh year of the Downtown Bhangra, a new form of Vancouver entertainment that is growing in popularity.