So you know how there are times when you get stuck in the rain, and there comes a point where…read moreyou're so soaked you can't get any wetter?
I assure you: If you endure a night of Nonstop Bhangra (every 3rd Saturday at Rickshaw Stop), it will be one of those times. If not, you are DEFINITELY doing something wrong!
God, it had been waaaaayyy too long since I've danced like that! Bhangra, the energetic song and dance that fuses traditional Punjabi music and contemporary beats, is not only one of the coolest types of world music I've heard (THE DHOL! It just makes you wanna shake what your mama gave ya!); it is a workout in and of itself. I don't know how the Dholrhythms Dance Troupe women do it and appear to have barely broken a sweat... for everyone else in the room, it's seriously like covered from head to toe, soaked to the bone in nothing but pure perspiration, baby!
The thing I find most cool about this event is its welcoming, unpretentious air and super diverse crowd. Sure, I'll admit that a couple times in the beginning of the night I got a few giggles out of watching some interesting looking folks do their Indian version of cutting a rug. But somewhere along the line, I realized that hey, it's all about trying something different and having fun doing it. Which is why the Nonstop Bhangra Collective bothers to put on such an event, complete with a crash course in Bhangra 101.
Which is why everyone who goes, regardless of age, gender, race, creed, weight, or rhythm, lets go of themselves completely, and becomes but a drip of perspiration in this sweltering, steamy sweatbox of a nightclub. It's a pretty sweet experience.
Which also brings me to my peeves about it, which is mostly an objection to its venue the Rickshaw Stop. While covering yourself in sweat can be fun, getting covered in everyone else's sweat as well... is just kinda gross. Later into the night, I accepted the communal sweat-factor and it was fine, but I really just kept wishing that the room were a little bigger. I think the following of bhangra in SF has outgrown Rickshaw, folks. I suggest we find a larger place.
Secondly, while I'm all about supporting cultural groups like Nonstop Bhangra and Dholrhythms, I really cannot fathom why this event costs 15 FREAKIN' DOLLARS... especially since the drinks at Rickshaw are on the pricier side, the coatcheck is like $5 an item, I took a 10 dollar cab ride in the cold just to get there...blah blah blah, rob me much?! I mean, with all these costs added up, I may as well pay for gas and drive to a Indian House party somewhere in the South Bay.
Well, not really. The event is great, I just wish it didn't cost me an arm and a leg.
Complaints aside, if you love to have a great time in a cultural context and whether or not you have any sense of rhythm, I highly suggest you experience Nonstop Bhangra. In honor of my 100th review, I decided it deserves its own listing :).