Bangash attan is a form of Attan performed by the Pashtun Bangash tribe.
How to dance Bangash attan[]
Bangash attan, like other forms of attan, consists of very few moves and is thus pretty easy to learn. However it is hard to achieve perfection of the moves and to be able to keep up with the increasingly faster beat.
- First, the music will start playing. If in a traditional setting, a music band with the ever important Dhol, will set up in the middle of the stage and start playing.
- Dancers will gather in a circular line with a resonable distance between the dancers. If a music band is playing, it will usually be the centerpoint of the circle, with the dancers gathering around it.
- NOTE: The lead dancer, usually the best dancer in the group, will stand first in line. Do not stand in front unless you're the lead dancer! Instead, take a place behind the lead. The best dancers usually stand first in line, with the worst furthers back.
- You don't have to join the line at the back, it is perfectly possible to join in the middle. Just wait for people to make space. Likewise, one does not have to join at the start of the dance, but may jump in later.
- Depending on the song, the moves will be done in different sequence. It is important to listen to the beat of the Dhol and look at the lead dancer to find out which move is to be performed. The typical sequence of moves is:
- Forward step. This move is always the first to be performed. It is a "warm-up" move and may initially be repeated for minutes before going on to 2.. However, when the warm-up phase is finished, and one full sequence has finally been completed, the forward step is usually only performed three times in a row.
- Full turn. This move is usually performed three times in a row,
- Half turn. This move is usually performed once,.
- Repeat sequence, starting from 1. again.
- The above sequence is repeated numerous times, slowly going at a faster and faster pace. At some point the sequence will usually stop, and instead Half turns will be repeated exclusively until the end, as always going at a faster and faster pace. This is the last "sprint" and only usually only the best dancers are able to keep the pace.
- Please note that one may leave at any point during the dance. As the beat and pace of the dance gets faster and faster, dancers will usually start to step away from the circle as each one realizes/admits he cannot keep the pace. This filtering process leaves only the best dancers still standing at the end.
Examples[]
This video shows the initial Forward steps, transitioning into Half turns and finally Full turns at the end (a somewhat different sequence than the one described above):
This video displays a sequence consisting exclusively of Half Turns:
