McMaster's Punjabi Association wins first place at the OPA formal

McMaster's competitive co-ed Bhangra team wins first place win at the Ontario Punjabi Association annual formal

The Ontario Punjabi Association annual formal occurred this year on Jan. 19 at the Pearson Convention Centre. At the formal, the McMaster Punjabi Association's competitive co-ed Bhangra dance team competed against teams from York University, University of Toronto, University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, Western University, Brock University and the Toronto Metropolitan University. MPA finished in first place and received a cash prize of $1,500.

Bhangra is a popular type of folk dance originating from the Punjab region of South Asia. In its original form, Bhangra was performed around the spring harvest season. Today, the folk dance is popular throughout South Asia and the diaspora. It is frequently performed at weddings, birthday parties and festivals.

The OPA formal has been running for over 20 years and this year was their first back in-person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The yearly convention consists of a dance competition, performances from influential Punjabi artists and typically has over 2,500 attendees. This year, Sukha, Chani Nattan and Inderpal Moga performed at the formal.

The winner of the dance competition is typically determined by the crowd favourite, and the MC picks which group they think is the most deserving. To have a good chance at winning, the competitors need to create choreography that actively engages the audience.

“The whole point of it is to get the crowd going and get them hyped up. So it took a lot for us to bring out our creative side because, of course, we can put together a routine that sticks to the basics, but [it also needs to] get everyone hyped up,” said Mehar Kaur, the events coordinator for MPA.

The MPA team started practising in October, and, according to Kaur, their practices were not always smooth-sailing. They had to overcome many obstacles, such as the limited dance practice spaces at McMaster University.

“But we learned a lot about hard work and perseverance, especially because, in the week leading up to the formal, almost our entire team ended up getting sick and we actually had to replace someone the day before. So it was really tough on us,” said Kaur.

However, this did not discourage them and Kaur noted that this experience instead made them more resilient while representing McMaster at the formal.

“We came out of it stronger and we didn't think that we would win, but we really put Mac on the map,” said Kaur.

Despite the smaller size of the Punjabi community at McMaster, the MPA's win has helped inspire a greater sense of community and helped them connect with the larger Punjabi community.

“[McMaster] doesn't have as big of a Punjabi community, I'd say, compared to other universities. This year we went to show that even though we're smaller compared to other universities, we're still here and still doing our best to share the love for this dance with our community,” said Muskaan Natt, one of the co-presidents of MPA.

They attribute their win to the amazing choreography from their captains, but added that they were also encouraged by the unified chants of “MPA” from the crowd. MPA’s win not only solidified their place in the OPA but has also strengthened the connections between McMaster's Punjabi community and the larger diaspora community in Ontario.