‘Bhangra is here’: VanCity Dance hosts Allegiance screening for its Season 3 appearance
The Surrey bhangra group was highlighted on Episode 5 of the CBC series
The Surrey police procedural show featured bhangra performers from VanCity Dance in its latest season. (Submitted)
VanCity Dance, a bhangra group from Surrey, will premiere an episode of CBC’s police procedural television drama Allegiance on March 27 in Vancouver.
Live cast, crew, and members from the group will attend the viewing for Episode 5 of the series’ latest season, titled “Nakhra,” featuring VanCity dancers. The free event will also offer an opportunity to celebrate and honour bhangra’s growth on Canadian television.
“It was a great feeling for us to be able to contribute to how South Asian culture is displayed on TV and being able to be the people that get to influence that,” VanCity Dance co-founder Karan Virdi says. “We’re happy that they reached out to a local bhangra team that could help them with this.”
Allegiance, set in Surrey, debuted in 2024 and is available to watch on CBC Gem. The series’ three seasons follow Sabrina Sohal, played by Supinder Wraich, from standout rookie cop to growing into her place at the station.
The episode “Nakhra” covers a mysterious death at a bhangra dance competition, with a promise from the killer that there will be more. “Nakhra” means attitude or dramatic tendencies in Punjabi.
VanCity Dance was featured because of one of the series’ writers, Gavan Cheema, he says.
“[Cheema] used to be a bhangra dancer, and we used to dance with her — we went to the same academy growing up as well,” Virdi says.
He adds that the TV show’s co-executive producer and writer, Anusree Roy, brought bhangra into the Allegiance world.
Virdi adds “it was surreal being part of such a big production” and community feedback was great for bhangra’s first big screen showcase.
Whether it was the red-carpet experience or having their own hair and makeup, Virdi says VanCity Dance had a great time on the show.
Members from the bhangra group were involved in a few background roles as actors and dancers, while some also danced as doubles.
This was the group’s first time being featured on TV, though VanCity Dance has performed alongside big names in the Punjabi music industry like Diljit Dosanjh and at the 2025 Juno Awards.
Celebrating their 10-year-anniversary this year, the bhangra group started as a competitive team in 2011, Virdi says. In 2016, Virdi along with his co-founders decided to open a school and share their learnings with the greater community.
The screening aims to bring together the cast and crew from the TV show, VanCity Dance members, friends and family, and community members to celebrate the episode.
“We’re going to have a bhangra performance there to bring some energy and hype to the event and show everyone what bhangra looks like at a higher level,” he says.
The event will also include food and drinks and opportunities to network and discuss the intersection of South Asian culture in TV and media, Virdi says.
He adds that being represented on the show means a lot to the school and people teaching bhangra.
“It means a lot for everyone that puts in so much effort into bhangra awareness,” Virdi says. “It’s like, ‘Bhangra is here. Bhangra is real. We see you.’”
For more information and tickets, visit www.bit.ly/40AVk8C.
