Taranpreet Dhindsa

“My name is Taranpreet, I am from Punjab, India, and I am 18 years old. My life is really good. I live with my mother, father, brother, and sister. We are in a shared house; there are around 10 people living with us, but we are the only family.”

Taranpreet wants to be a dentist. She used to wear braces and loved the sounds and atmosphere of the dental office. She wanted to be able to use those instruments. She enjoys music and dance. She learned Bhangra in school in India, watching her uncle dance and feeling the desire to learn.

"We came because of my father; he has been living and working here for about 5 or 6 years. I came first with my brother in 2020, during COVID time. I couldn’t go to school because of the restrictions, so I just stayed in the house for a whole year. My sister and mother stayed in India and only arrived last November, 2022.”

During this period, without her mother and sister in Portugal, Taranpreet told us that she felt sad and missed them a lot. She had to take care of household chores and cook for her father and brother when they came homel.

“In Portugal, the hardest thing is not being able to speak the language. I can’t communicate with most of the people. I don’t understand what they say and they don’t understand me.”

We met Taranpreet in early 2022 at Escola Secundária de Odemira. She didn't speak Portuguese and felt isolated from the group. Having watched the first BOWING performance, she really wanted to be part of the project. She says she was very lucky to be in that class.

"I first had BOWING at school, and I remember I cried in that class because you were trying to speak only in Portuguese. I couldn’t understand anything, everyone was very friendly but I felt unable to speak to anybody.”

On a day of celebrations at Odemira school, Taranpreet danced with friends, a choreography from a Punjab music video. It was a moment that Matilde observed.

"I like to watch videos, copy the dances and teach them to my friends."

That's where the idea of bringing that dance to the BOWING BACK performance was born. Taranpreet danced it alone and was later joined by the group of young people. During rehearsals she taught and led the moment, where the Mercado Municipal de Odemira was filled with energy.

"I can’t listen to that song anymore though… We rehearsed it so many times!"

Taranpreet also led another Bhangra dance in which everyone participated.

"My favorite moment was having everyone dancing Bhangra in Mercado de Odemira. Everyone learning it and practicing it. It was a really new thing for the Portuguese, and I saw everyone enjoying it."

Despite not seeing herself as a leader, Taranpreet took on a role of strength and responsibility within the group by teaching the dances we presented. She was very confident, demanding and precise in her movements.

"My teachers tell me I am a very different person when I dance. I agree because when I dance I don’t think about anything else. The other day I was sick and I went to the doctor in Odemira with my mum. The doctor asked me to remove my face mask, and when I did it, she recognized me and said: 'Ah! I know you! You did BOWING, and you were dancing!' My mum was so proud."