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Half and Halves

"Half and Halves" is a groundbreaking dance production that celebrates the often-overlooked history of California's Punjabi-Mexican community. Created through a collaboration between San Francisco's Duniya Dance and Drum Company and the Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco, the production merges traditional Punjabi Bhangra with Mexican Folklorico to tell the story of cultural convergence that began in the early 1900s. Through twelve captivating pieces, the performance traces the journey of young Punjabi men who immigrated to California due to economic hardship and Mexican families who fled north during the Mexican Revolution. The dance series explores themes of loss, resilience, celebration, and community-building, incorporating live music from both cultural traditions and featuring testimonials from descendants of these "half and half" marriages.

"Half and Halves" is available for in-person presentations, virtual screenings, community engagement excerpts, lecture-demos, residencies, talks and lectures, dance workshops and master classes. For more information about upcoming performances or educational programs, reach out to Joti@DuniyaDance.com.

Performance Info

Half and Halves in the Media

Two people standing in an art gallery, a man on the left in white clothing and a woman on the right in a red traditional outfit, both smiling and dancing in front of a colorful framed painting of a woman with dark hair resting her head on her hand.

Excerpts of Half and Halves at Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis

Joti recently traveled to Indianapolis with Zenón Barrón, the Artistic Director of to present excerpts and share insights from their collaborative work "Half and Halves: A Dance Exploration of the Punjabi-Mexican Communities of California" at the Eiteljorg Museum

Sweethearts dressed in traditional Mexican attire performing a folkloric dance on stage, holding wooden castanets above their heads, with colorful costumes and a dark background.

LATINA: The History of California's Punjabi-Mexican Communities

The performance, entitled “Half and Halves,” was organized to commemorate the community of Punjabi-Mexican families that emerged from the conditions faced by immigrant populations in early 20th century California, including immigration restrictions, racial segregation, and anti-miscegenation laws.

Group of performers in colorful traditional Mexican folk costumes on stage, some wearing sombreros, clapping and smiling after a dance or performance.

USC: Two Halves, One Whole: Punjabi-Mexican Dance

The dances tell a story, “from loss of homeland and family, to the experience of being bullied, to the death of passing generations. But there’s joy too—the celebration of the harvest, marriage, and the newly-constituted communities those marriages helped to forge.”

“The collaboration is not simply working to preserve and promote a history, but also to build new connections between the communities involved."

Black silhouette of a cat with a yellow stripe across its tail.

"a powerful and thought-provoking dance performance that explores the experiences of the Punjabi-Mexican community in California”

The word LATINA written in large red capital letters