Bringing joy, wonder: Yukon dancer draws millions of fans online
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(NewsNation Now) — Gurdeep Pandher, who has captured millions of fans with his Bhangra-style dancing, has brought joy and wonder during the dark days of the pandemic winter.
During one of his recent videos from the Yukon, the temperature was -40 degrees Fahrenheit, but there he was, clad in red boots, blue jeans, red flannel shirt and a turban, showing off dance moves that would have given John Travolta hip pains during his “Saturday Night Fever” days. He says he posts the videos because he knows dancing is a source of joy for many.
Pandher joined “NewsNation Prime” Saturday to talk about his dancing and the sensation it’s become online. He said, “Bhangra is a joyful dance. It’s a positive dance, a traditional folk dance of people from Punjab. By dancing Bhangra I just wanted to spread joy, hope and positivity because we all know there is so much going on in this world, people having so much gloominess due to the almost two-year-long pandemic.”
He wants to convey the message that no matter how hard your day is, at some point you can still find some joy. He gets letters from all over the world telling him how he’s helped people have a little happiness even on their worst days.
Pandher lives in a small red cabin in the Yukon with no running water. His outhouse can clearly be seen in the background of many of the videos. He was born in a small village in Punjab and wanted to live somewhere with a similar simplicity of life. He said the simplicity gives him a greater ability to focus on nature and life in general.
Far from just showing Bhangra online, Pandher has given lessons to the Canadian armed forces and Indigenous chiefs, and some of his videos show him welcoming other people to his remote abode for a session of dancing in the snow. He says, “I want to build cross-cultural bridges, because we all know there have been a lot of divisions in our society.”
As to his definition of joy, Pandher says, “Joy is peace of mind. It’s like meditation. You are calm and grounded. You’re not worried about the past or the future. You are just having a good moment.”
Surely, we could all use a few good moments now and then.
