NBA India on Monday shared the video of the Bhangra performance on its Facebook page.
Indian American Bhangra dance group “Bhangra Empire” is winning hearts for their performance during an NBA game.
The group’s 32 performers -16 women and 16 men- took center stage at the half time of a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Their nearly 5-minute long performance at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, included a mix of peppy Punjabi and hip hop mix. It also included a desi style of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’.
NBA India on Monday shared the video of the Bhangra performance on its Facebook page and within hours it went viral. It has collected nearly 31,000 reactions and was shared close to 16,000 times within three days.
Bhangra Empire’s performance was part of NBA’s “Bollywood nights” celebration which intends to promote the game in India. However, this is the seventh year in succession that the dance group has been performing at the NBA game.
Bhangra Empire is a dance troupe established in 2006. It is based in California’s Bay Area and aims “to bring bhangra to the mainstream, one performance at a time.”
In 2009, they performed at the White House during a State Dinner, hosted by then US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on the visit of then Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.