Punjabi culture shines at Valley Gardens

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This article was published 17/08/2017 (3283 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Punjabis in northeast Winnipeg are celebrating their culture with the help of a local community centre.

Bulla Arts International, a local culture and personality development school founded in 2015, has been offering classes in traditional Punjabi folk and creative dance out of Valley Gardens Community Centre (218 Antrim Rd.) since early 2016.

“We teach them the Bhangra and Jhoomar and Gidha and other creative dances,” said Diljeet Brar, director of Bulla Arts International.

“What we do is we mentor students through dance, music, language, journalism, theatre, film and other educational and recreational action,” Brar continued. “Our motto is ‘let’s invest in our kids to make this Earth a beautiful place to live’.”

Named after Punjabi philosopher, poet, and humanist Bulle Shah, Bulla Arts International offers a variety of courses for children aged five to 15 in West Kildonan and East Kildonan. Brar said he will be offering programming in the south end of Winnipeg soon, because so many families travel from that area of the city to attend courses in East or West Kildonan.

“We started with two students, and now we have over 200,” Brar said, adding that the support of the community has allowed the organization to continue to thrive and grow.

Currently, Valley Gardens hosts eight one-hour long Bulla dance classes a week for “between 75 and 100 students.” Occasionally, Brar will organize other classes for the students at Valley Gardens.

“We also go out and shoot at locations for photo and video shoots to develop communication skills in front of a camera,” Brar said. “We also organize fine art workshops for the kids. We invite artists from India to display their art. Kids ask questions and learn about their art and history.”

Brar said that the Punjabi community in Winnipeg might not be very large, “but the desire to connect their kids to their roots is very big.”

To celebrate and showcase the work the students do throughout the year, Bulla Arts International hosts an annual talent show in July at Pantages Playhouse Theatre (180 Market Ave.). This year, Brar estimates over 1,200 people came out to watch the show.

In April the organization also takes part in Vaisakhi, a traditional time to celebrate the wheat harvest in India. Brar added that the celebration is symbolic.

“What we do is we seed something in little minds so we can harvest a bumper crop of brilliant minds after a few years,” he said.

Bulla also annually awards three members of their community for youth leadership.

“We pick students from our community who have achieved something in their respective fields,” Brar said. “We recognize those kids as role models for the next generation.”

For more information or to register for Bull Arts International programs, email bullaartsinternational@gmail.com or call Brar at 204-290-0346.

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