Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Of Museums and Martinis

It’s Friday and you get a message from a friend – “Happy hour at the museum tonight?” Normally, that would garner a response like, “Is the name of the bar Museum?” or “Girlfriend's already drunk!”. Well, if you have been to the Rubin Museum, then you’ll know that a happy hour at a museum is possible!

The Rubin Museum of Art is a small place that focuses uniquely on Tibetan/Himalayan art. Every Friday night, part of the museum turns into a lounge where a DJ plays worldly eclectic beats and a mixologist serves up fun cocktails like a Watermelon Mojito or Pomegranate Margarita. There’s even a small food menu comprised of fusion South Asian tapas like naan pizza and coriander shrimp.

When I first visited this place, my friends and I were so engrossed in the eating and drinking part of the experience that by the time we were ready to check out the museum, it was closed! It was kind of shameful. Recently when I went back, I made sure not to make the same mistake again. Once we had a drink in hand, our group proceeded to walk around and check out the exhibits. The one we saw, which is still ongoing, is called Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics. It was definitely interesting!

Funky cocktail drinks at the Rubin Museum
DC has its fair share of museum happy hours too, like those at the national Smithsonian museums and at private galleries. Phillips After Five is a happy hour held on the first Thursday of every month at the Phillips Musuem. The gallery organizes an enjoyable and interactive happy hour with live music and tours, making it easy for people to meet and appreciate modern art! There was something so bourgeois, yet fun, about sipping a glass of wine and discussing a Picasso painting with friends that I can’t wait until my next visit!

So if you’re the type of person who typically finds museums too educational or feel the need to add some culture in your life while still socializing, a happy hour at a museum might just do the trick. It’s certainly different from the usual weekend routine!

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

My Top Bhangra Tunes


I recently took a dance/fitness class in DC, where the instructor led us through a choreographed set of high-energy moves to bhangra music. What made the class so much fun was the high-octane music that really got me shaking my bootay! Bhangra music never fails to get me pumped up and excited, even on a bad day.

For the non-desis out there who don’t know what I’m talking about, bhangra is a highly energetic form of dance that originates from the north Indian state of Punjab. It’s gotten a fair amount of exposure in the West in recent times with hip-hop artists like Jay-Z performing to Punjabi MC remixes. After a particularly beat-bouncing dance class recently, I started thinking about which bhangra songs are my favorite. So here is my list of top, hip-shaking bhangra songs which I wanted to share. Who knows – you might discover a new favorite song from this list or, if you’re a newbie, get educated on the power of bhangra! So here goes…

7) Sadi Galli (Lehmber Hussainpuri)
The beat of this song is undeniable and can make any person want to dance. My dance instructor from Dhoonya Dance, a Bollywood-inspired dance school, taught us such great moves to this song that I can’t help but break into a dance whenever I hear this song at a wedding or bhangra party!

6) Aaja Nachle (Bally Sagoo)
This song makes me reminisce of my early college days and reminds me of the wedding scene in Monsoon Wedding when everyone goes crazy on the dance floor. This has got to be one of Bally Sagoo’s best!

5) Aashiq (Punjabi By Nature and Miss Pooja)
The music video may not be amazing, but the lyrics are certainly interesting. Lines from the song, such as  “I am more beautiful than angels, no one is like me and everyone is in love with my mischievous eyes”, can definitely boost your ego, if your ego is easily boosted…

4) Door Ne Khulni (Manni Sandhu)
I love this song as it picturizes  the quintessential chill-with-friends-at-a-house-party, followed by the character’s plight when his mom doesn’t open the door when he gets home. Watch what happens in the video!

3) Na Na Na Re (Daler Mehndi)
No bhangra list is complete without a throwback Deler Mehndi song! This ‘90s song still manages to get me going on the dance floor.

2) Morni (Punjabi MC)
The girl in this song has some mad accessorizing skills and the song ain’t bad either! Punjabi MC has to be in this list after my friends and I saw him live in an exclusive (100 people only) concert. We mixed and mingled with him, and subsequently gave him our numbers since he wanted to come party with us later!

1)      Amplifier (Imran Khan)
Imran Khan reigns number one on my bhangra list! While Amplifier is his most famous song, his other songs, such as Hey Girl, Bounce Billo, and Ni Nachle, all vied for the number one spot. 


Imran Khan is also an amazing live performer. Check out this picture I took at his concert!
So that wraps up my top Bhangra dance songs! What would you add or remove from this list?

For DC peeps who are interested in coming out to dance parties, check out the United States Department of Bhangra (USDB) parties, held every month at the Black Cat! Or join me in one of the Dhoonya Dance bhangra classes. I might just see you there next time!

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