Team VP

ABOUT US

Our Teachers

Our Performers

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About Us

VP was formed in 1999, and is based in the heart of east London/Essex. Our team has been going for over 15 years and is made up of world-class professional Bhangra Dance Instructors, Performers and Choreographers.

We perform at private events, weddings, birthday's, festivals, corporate events and Christmas parties, from any large to small-scale occasion. VP stands for Virsa Punjab, which means 'preserving our rich heritage'. We aim to spread our culture and heritage from the northern Indian state of Punjab through our colourful, vibrant & energetic performances. Our ambition is to continue performing at high profile events to pass on our legacy to the new generations of today.

Bhangra is a vibrant form of folk dance and music that originates from the Punjab. A recent surge in recognition has been seen, with mainstream genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae adopting the rich Bhangra vibe.

What does it mean to be a VP Bhangra dancer? It means sharing the excitement, passion and adrenaline rush when performing live on stage with the rest of the team!

To date our troupe have made appearances at a number of high profile events including: The 2012 Olympics, Welsh Parliament Assembly, and The O2 Arena, not to mention numerous television performances: The One Show, Paul O’Grady, Children In Need and most recently The Only Way Is Essex!

VP Bhangra have performed at:

History Of Bhangra

Bhangra Is a form of music and dance that has been spreading joy for many centuries, although a specific time has never been established. It has been said that Bhangra originates from the farmers who sang whilst tending their fields, sowing the seeds and cutting the crops at harvest time to take to the markets.

Many of the movements of Bhangra are centred on the whole aspect of tending to the land and the growing of crops.

As Punjabi people have migrated to different parts of the world, they have taken with them their rich heritage - making Bhangra available to the masses.

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Our Teachers

Rocky

Experience: 4 +
Favourite Teaching style: To bring energy, laughter and enjoyment to every student's experience.
Favourite Bhangra Move: Jhoomar (Slow elegant sway step).
Highlights as a teacher: Watching the students reflect their unique personalities as well as overcoming challenges and help scaffold their learning experience in an engaging and supportive manner.

Suraj Gadar

Experience: 4 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: One to one - ensuring the development of knowledge and understanding of the lesson / Group session - building confidence and personality in a team environment.
Favourite Dhol Beats: Enjoy freestyle group sessions, mixing basics beats with personal skill and experimentation - at all different skill levels.
Highlights as a teacher: Hearing improvements and progression over time and hearing individual styles develop.

Rees Rency

Experience: 15 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: To teach groups and individuals of all abilities by being concise, gradually reaching their target and of course by having lots of fun.
Favourite Bhangra Move: Fluid & fast moving
Favourite Dhol Beats: Love to experiment with Freestyle traditional Bhangra dance beats
Highlights as a teacher: Watch the students grow over the years from beginners to performers, in turn creating an academy for us to spread our culture and the joy of Bhangra dancing.

Tej Samra

Experience: 6 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: Looking at new innovative ways to keep students engaged as well as ensuring everyone has a good time and makes "gains!"
Favourite Bhangra Move: Jandu Singha (side to side bhangra step)
Highlights as a teacher: Seeing students work outside of classes on things which have been taught in previous classes and bring that enthusiasm to classes wanting to show what they have been working on.

Gurpreet Rattan

Experience: 6 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: Teaching the children means you always have to be unpredictable to keep their attention. Creating enjoyable tasks makes their experience fun at the same time they learn routines. My favourite challenge for them Is to take what they know and making them use their own creativity to create something amazing.
Favourite Bhangra Move: Being the muscle behind big lifts and acrobatic moves.
Highlights as a teacher: Seeing the quiet, shy students that hide in the corner become confident and sociable individuals. Proud parents are at the end of each session is always a bonus.

Prabjeet Soni

Experience: 15 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: Always encourage kids and adults who are afraid of getting involved in the class at the beginning and see them grow as a dancer and also in their personal and social life.
Favourite Bhangra Move: Standing on top of the double stand. (Acrobatic Bhangra Move)
Highlights as a teacher: Love the feeling of being part of the growth that team VP has seen over the past 15 years.

Sumit Josh

Experience: 4 Years +
Favourite Teaching style: Making the students mix their beats in the group drumming, showing off their own flair and making it interactive and fun.
Favourite Dhol Beats: Favourite Beat: Playing the Chaal with a Sweet VP twist. Lehriyaan & Thamaal.
Highlights as a teacher: Hearing students play beats they have been practicing for a while and seeing how far they have come as an individual.

Our Performers

PRABJIT SONI

I've been part of the VP Bhangra family from the very beginning, when the group started in 1999. It has been an amazing journey. We have worked and performed alongside some of the biggest names in the Bhangra industry, not to mention mainstream artists. We have also been able to spread the Bhangra spirit coaching new students and university teams. Even after so many years, I still thrive off the energy and hype you get from the audience, the feeling is irreplaceable. It definitely has been a great learning experience for me and has helped me a great deal in both my personal and professional life.

ROCKY

Dancing has been a strong passion within my life since a very young age. I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to cultivate that passion through rich culture and music and that is what Bhangra has done for me. It has opened doors and experiences that I would have never imagine existed, as well as memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. The journey itself has been spectacular and to have shared these wondrous experience with your closest friends, makes it priceless.

Banni

I've been singing for VP since 2008, and feel very proud to be part of a team that has been growing from strength to strength over the years. I love the adrenaline from singing on big stages, being able to work with the dancers and sing their favorite songs and see them dance and express themselves is something that keeps me going.

Bittu

I started Bhangra with VP in Jan 2004 at the age of 24 and have never looked back. It has been an amazing experience working alongside professional people such as Paul O'Grady and Eric idle at the closing Olympics. I have found my best friends through VP and I am pleased to say that my children are also part of the VP family. Bhangra is in my heart and soul and it will never go!

Tej Samra

I've been dancing for over 6 years and joined VP in 2011. Since joining the team it has been a great journey with many highlights, such as being on the road with my brothers week in week out, being able to perform at some of the biggest venues and occasions such as the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Buckingham Palace, headlining at the Hammersmith Apollo and being lucky enough to see and coach the next generation of dancers both in and out of the camp for competitions, university societies and work shops.

Tirath Singh

I've been dancing for over 12 years and joined VP back in 2009. Prior to joining VP my journey started in the Punjab, India dancing for Weddings and on TV shows . Since joining VP, the experience has been great and the connection with the team has been so close that we're like a family. With VP I've performed at some of the biggest events such as the Olympics, BBC, ITV, Buckingham palace and have had the opportunity to perform in music videos with top Bhangra artists. It's an honour to be a part of Team VP.

Gurpreet Ratan

At first I started out as a Dhol student and then transitioned into Bhangra, all the way in 2002. I eventually left in 2003 and took a 6 year hiatus to just do kids stuff, but when I came back in 2009 I never looked back. As someone who doesn't even listen to a single bit of Bhangra, I still look forward to practice. I love the adrenaline from shows, being artsy, creative, seeing the progression of the children I teach and being a part of an amazing family.

Sanj

I've been with VP for three years now, as both a Dhol player and Bhangra dancer. For me, the whole experience has always been about having fun. A chance to meet up with your friends at the acadamy classes and just be creative, trying out new moves and routines has always been the highlight for me. The urgency and drive, in the run up to competitions, and just seeing everybody pull together behind somethting that their all passionate about is what makes it so worthwhile.

Kam

I've been dancing for over 10 years and joined VP back in 2012. Prior to joining VP my journey started in the Punjab, India dancing for my college team at both junior and senior levels. Since joining VP, I have been able to merge the UK style of bhangra as well as showcasing and inputting my traditional elements. The performance side of the Team is great as I never know what to expect or where I will be performing next. VP isn't just a team, it's a family.

Suraj

I have been with VP for 4 years and have been performing for 2 years. I love the high-energy atmosphere when performing as well as the team work aspect of a performance. It is good knowing that you have to work hard and work together to get a positive reaction from the crowd, this can be really fulfilling. I really enjoy being part of VP because of the friendly and family like nature of the team where everyone has a common interest, common goals and a love for the culture and activity.

Sumit

I've been performing with VP for the past 7 years and have been part of the team for 10 years. The buzz of getting into our outfit, tuning the Dhol and hearing the crowd creates an adrenaline rush you cannot get from anywhere else. No matter how many shows a week the team and I do, the same energy and buzz you get from the show never fades away! It's a great experience words cannot describe.

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