A smile and dance, Gurdeep Pandher spreads positivity through traditional dance

Gurdeep Pandher talks Bhangra and going viral Michael chats with the social media sensation about why his videos have struck such a chord online and what inspires him to dance.

WINNIPEG — A Yukon phenomenon, Gurdeep Pandher, has risen to viral fame with videos of traditional dance in unorthodox locations, raising the spirits of his viewers while spreading a message of positivity while the world struggles with the pandemic.

“My philosophy is to make people happy,” said Gurdeep Pandher. “I feel like during this time the best gift you can share with the world is your smile, your joy, your happiness.”

His moves come from Bhangra dance, a traditional Punjabi dance popular in Sikh culture. His viral videos not only highlight the dance, but the very untraditional northern locations where many take place.

He has danced alone on hilltops in the Yukon wilderness, blended Bhangra with Celtic music, danced with school kids and on boats. While his moves may look simplistic the dance is not. Pandher said he dances daily and studied the form as a teenager in a professional school.

“When you do things over and over you start to get better and better,” he said.

Pandher said Bhangra as a dance comes from farmers a long time ago when the job was predominantly manual labour. The farmers would dance after working the fields all day to spread joy, and dance after harvest to celebrate positivity.

As part of his message Pandher preaches the science of happiness. The idea being you keep yourself focused, and not fall into the traps of distraction like social media. He said by limiting your scrolling to single daily sessions your mind remains clear. Another important aspect is how you finish your day.

“At the end of the day do something to find joy. It could be dancing, it could be running,” said Pandher. “Something which could make you active, make you positive, so that you are outside in the fresh air. You are seeing things from a fresh perspective.”

Combined, these things encompass Pandher’s science of happiness. It’s an outlook on life that has captured worldwide attention, with his videos gathering over 26 million views on social media.