Cornell Bhangra, now in its 10th year, brings the traditional folk dance and music of northern India and Pakistan into the 21st century, with heavy bass lines, high-energy movement, colorful handmade costumes and original routines.

"We try to fuse traditional elements with our own unique choreography and creativity," says Abhinav Koul '07, president of Cornell Bhangra, a group of about 100 students, before a recent mixed-team rehearsal in Barton Hall for a collegiate competition in Washington, D.C.

The teams, comprising 28 members, enter two or three competitions each semester; Mundey (the men's team) placed third at a Boston event in November.

"Last year, our girls' team was only half Indian, so it's very diverse -- you don't have to be Punjabi or Indian," says Aruna Bharathi '08, the group's secretary and a choreographer; Harman Singh Narula '07 choreographs the men's team.

Cornell Bhangra is gearing up for its big show, Pao Bhangra 6, with 10 different exhibition teams, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Barton Hall. One of the largest events on campus, Pao Bhangra's audience topped 2,000 last year. Proceeds from the annual show help with travel expenses.

The group also performs several times a year at other on- and off-campus events, conducts workshops for prospective members and engages in intense rehearsals -- some routines can take weeks to perfect.

Bhangra originated as a Punjabi folk dance celebrating the harvest. Modern Bhangra is a fusion, somewhere between classical Indian and popular music, according to Nausheen Rokerya '07, a women's team member and president of the Pakistani Students Association.

"Out of all the South Asian dances, Bhangra is probably the most universally known," Rokerya says. "It's got its own appeal. It's definitely a major aspect of mainstream music in Pakistan."

Most of the costumes and accessories, the musical beats (or dole) and the singing of couplets are traditional, while the modern form is faster-paced, Bharathi says.

"What we're known for is having a lot of energy onstage," she says. "There are a lot of stunts, like neck spins, and patented moves -- playing drums upside-down, that's all ours."

Bhangra's popularity has grown outside of India and Pakistan -- there are more than 100 independent and collegiate teams in the United States and Canada, and more than 80 people tried out at Cornell last fall for a handful of open spots, Koul says.

"It just looked too fun," says Vivek Yedavalli '07, who joined in 2005. His favorite part? "Lifting people up. I've never dropped someone; I take pride in that."

Pao Bhangra 6's April 7 show will include Cornell's current and alumni teams and exhibition teams from Columbia, New York, Northwestern, George Washington and Virginia Commonwealth universities and SUNY Geneseo, plus Rochester Kids Bhangra and Cornell's Absolute Zero break dancers.

Tickets are $9 in advance at Willard Straight Hall Ticket Office, at http://www.bhangratickets.com or from Bhangra members; $11 at the door and $15 VIP. For information, see http://rso.cornell.edu/bhangra/PB6/.

Two related events on April 7 include Vaisaki Mela, the Cornell Sikh Association's free celebration of Punjabi culture, noon to 4 p.m. on the Engineering Quad; and Punjab Offline, a dance party, 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, Ithaca.