Surrey organization brings Bhangra into B.C. high school curriculum<\/p>\n
Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, August 5, 2026<\/p>\n
Surrey\u2019s connection to the history of Bhangra in Canada is now helping pave the way for students to earn high school credits through the Punjabi Folk dance. <\/p>\n
The Royal Academy of Punjab Society has received approval from the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care to offer Punjabi Folk dance (Bhangra) as a Grade 10, 11 and 12 external credential. <\/p>\n
This approval will mean that eligible students can earn elective credits toward their B.C. Dogwood Diploma while studying Bhangra \u2013 an opportunity to the academy\u2019s general manager, Hardeep Sahota, has spent about a decade working to establish. <\/p>\n
Sahota shared with Peace Arch News that Bhangra\u2019s history in Canada stretches back to the 1960s. <\/p>\n
Despite this longstanding presence within the Surrey community, Sahota said there was not previously a formal pathway for students to receive credit for studying this dance. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know when you start something you\u2019re going to face a lot of hurdles. So this took me ten years to achieve this goal,\u201d he shared. <\/p>\n
Sahota\u2019s work toward formalizing Punjabi Folk Dance education began in 2012, when he became certified through the Canadian Dance Teachers Association. <\/p>\n
He went on to develop a syllabus for Punjabi folk dance and began working with the B.C. Ministry of Education. An initial program was developed in 2016, but it was eventually shut down and the program did not continue.<\/p>\n
Years later, while going through old emails and following up the work, Sahota discovered that the ministry was accepting applications again. <\/p>\n
This time, he returned to the process with years of additional experience and a more developed curriculum. Sahota shared that he created an expanded educational syllabus which will bring together the history and cultural education of Punjab with the dance itself and align it with the B.C. Ministry of Education\u2019s existing dance curriculum. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to follow a lot of steps to make sure that it aligns with the grade 10, 11 and 12 curriculum,\u201d explained Sahota. \u201cBuilding that connection took us a long time because a lot of people consider Punjabi Folk Dancing as just an entertaining dance.\u201d <\/p>\n
Sahota noted that there is a deeper educational structure behind the movements, including their history and meaning. \u201cThere is a systematic theme with each move, how it needs to be danced, what is the history behind it, there\u2019s a lot of components involved in it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While B.C. students have had opportunities to earn credits through other forms of dance including ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip hop, Sahota said Punjabi folk dance had not previously had the same pathway. The new credential opens that door for students across the province.<\/p>\n
For Surrey\u2019s South Asian community, Sahota said, the opportunity can offer students a way to learn about their cultural history while earning credits toward graduation. He however said that the program is for anyone interested in learning Bhangra, regardless of their background. \u201cThey have something new to learn about this culture and they have something new to try, something to gain from it.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Royal Academy of Punjab Society, which Sahota said is the only academy in the world with full-time staff dedicated to this work, hopes the provincial recognition will encourage more students and families to explore Punjabi folk dance.<\/p>\n
For Sahota, that starts with giving young people the freedom to pursue what interests them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say my message is to all the parents, let your kid try whatever they want to do in their life. If they want to do dance, let them do dance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n