Bhangra is a type of traditional dance form of the Indian subcontinent, originating in Sialkot in the Majha area of Punjab. The dance was associated primarily with the spring harvest festival Baisakhi. In a typical performance, several dancers executed vigorous kicks, leaps, and bends of the body to the accompaniment of short songs called boliyan and, most significantly, to the beat of a dhol Struck with a heavy beater on one end and with a lighter stick on the other, the dhol imbued the music with a syncopated swinging rhythmic character that has generally remained the hallmark of any music that has come to bear the bhangra name.
Giddha is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The dance is often considered derived from the ancient dance known as the ring dance and is just as energetic as bhangra; at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace, elegance and flexibility. It is a very colourful dance form which is now copied in all regions of the country. Women perform this dance mainly at festive or social occasions. The dance is followed by rhythmic clapping and a typical traditional folk song is sung by the aged ladies in the background.
Giddha varies from other forms of traditional Punjabi dance in that it does not require the two-headed barrel dhol drum to be performed. Instead, women stand in a circle formation and clap rhythms. A lead woman will recite a boli (lyrics) with a refrain that the entire circle then repeats. The whole form of a giddha song is worked through in this call and response form. Giddha details stories of women's lives.
