Partap Singh is among the dancers who in the past year have been with Karpe on both small and large stages around the country. – What if I screw up and screw up on stage. What if things go to hell? Of course, all those thoughts hit you before you go on. But when you are in action on stage it is the best experience ever, he says. – Being able to dance bhangra on a stage in front of so many people has been a surreal experience, says the 27-year-old. Video taken by Lorette Mugeni. The newly graduated engineering student says he has always loved dancing. It all started with rocking in front of the TV when he could barely walk. Partap had never thought that the joy of dancing would give him the opportunity to stand on stage, side by side with his childhood idols. Never had a cheerleading squad It hasn’t always been easy to stand out. Partap says that his childhood was marked by bullying. As a practicing Sikh, the turban is an important part of his identity. The headgear meant that he often received many unpleasant reactions both from students and people on the subway, to and from school. The hardest part was not quite knowing where you belonged, he says. Photo: Balsharan Kaur / news – My brother and I went to a private school where we were two of very few multicultural people. Children can be very mean and anything different is automatically uncool. There were many of the children who want nothing to do with me, he says. The adventure with Karpe Despite the bullying, he has had many fine role models who showed him that being different is okay. Among them Carp. When Bilal from the dance group Quick Style asked if he wanted to be a dancer at the Karpe concerts, it seemed like an all too good dream, says Partap. Join the other dancers at the Karpe concert. Photo: Ida Barg Fuglén – The first time I was flown to Trondheim, and on the way back I was almost in tears. I never thought as a kid that we would get to the level where several thousand people are cheering us on. He believes today’s youth are more positive about what is different, and want to be unique to a greater extent than when he was younger. – Because me and the guys in Quick Style look different from the majority. It’s so sick that we as immigrant children are being lifted up, says Partap with a smile. A clear highlight Chirag Rashmikant Patel from the duo Karpe says that Partap has been with them for a year. – The reactions among the audience when Partap has done his solo parts have been a clear highlight of the Omar sheriff show, says Patel. Chirag says their aim was not to be a role model. Photo: Tom Øverlie / news P3 He emphasizes, however, that it has not been their goal to be role models, because that word is too “heavy”. But Chirag believes at the same time that they may have shown young people with an immigrant background that it is possible to choose a slightly different path and still make it happen. Dare to stand out Partap himself wants to use dance to reduce xenophobia and create more understanding and unity among people. He found it incredibly fun that the inbox on social media is filled with Norwegian youth who want to learn bhangra. Video from Partap’s Instagram. – The whole thing Karpe stands for and works for is to show that we don’t just bring dung and shit, that we actually contribute to something good in society. Partap plans to invest even more in dance in the future, and hopes he can inspire more young people to dare to stand out a little and stand out from the crowd. Today he is part of the dance group Northern Bhangra. They both perform and hold bhangra courses and workshops. The group receives more and more inquiries, both in Norway and abroad, from people who want to learn the dance. Partap has tried other dance forms, but says there is nothing that can compare to bhangra. Photo: Balsharan Kaur / news – The dream is that bhangra will one day become a professional dance form, with its own world championships and competitions, he says with a smile. So even though he has finished dancing for Karpe, the dancing adventure is not quite over yet. Hi! Do you have thoughts about the case you have read, or tips on what my next case should be about? Feel free to send me an e-mail!
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Partap Singh (27) went from being bullied for his culture to dancing with Karpe – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
