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[puneethv29]

.

 

[Shahrukh]

not being punjabi wont be a problem, when i was on vcu, a majority of the dancers were not punjabi.


dont be afraid to tryout, bhangra is a beautiful thing, it defntly helped me in a lot of way INCLUDING my gpa. Yes you will always have people who are very "punjabi elite" but most of them arent in college teams, so you dont need to worry about that. Some of the best dancers on the circuit started with zero experience, you gotta just go in with your head up and the heart to push and to kill it at tryouts.


hope this helps if you have any questions feel free to pm me


goodluck!

 

[Pswaich]

Bhangra is a punjabi folk dance, but that does not mean its limited to just punjabis. The only thing that matters is if you are willing to learn, along with how much time and dedication you put into learning it. Good luck with your tryouts!

 

[squashes]

not being punjabi wont be a problem, when i was on vcu, a majority of the dancers were not punjabi.


dont be afraid to tryout, bhangra is a beautiful thing, it defntly helped me in a lot of way INCLUDING my gpa. Yes you will always have people who are very "punjabi elite" but most of them arent in college teams, so you dont need to worry about that. Some of the best dancers on the circuit started with zero experience, you gotta just go in with your head up and the heart to push and to kill it at tryouts.


hope this helps if you have any questions feel free to pm me


goodluck!

+1

I agree with Shahrukh 100%
A majority of dancers at UNC are also not punjabi (we even have non-indians on the team btw) and plenty come in with zero bhangra experience too for that matter.

Furthermore, if you are putting effort into really learning the culture and traditionalism of bhangra then there is no need for you to feel any shame from any "punjabi elitists" you may run into that try to belittle you. (which, you inevitably will)

In my opinion such people are an inhibition/detriment to their own culture. They should be proud that punjabi culture is spreading and should be encouraging and helping others who wish to learn. Instead they act like the poser-hipster equivalent of bhangra: all snide remarks and too-cool attitudes so that they can feel superior (even though they too had to learn from someone).

In my experience anyone who is truly learned in bhangra and who actually cares about punjabi culture (judges especially) is always more than happy to help teach anyone who is genuinely interested and who puts forth the effort required.


tl;dr
Don't worry, not being punjabi is no big deal. Dedication is what pays off in the end regardless.
Good luck with your tryouts!

 

[J Wong]

Some of my friends tell me that they felt really welcome and I've heard other stories where the "non-Punjabis shouldn't try Bhangra" attitude exists and people get made fun of for not knowing, let's say, the names of moves, or for having bad pronunciation, etc.

I am non-punjabi and non-desi for that matter but regardless of what other people may think, if you show genuine love and respect for bhangra and are willing to devote yourself to it (even if you may not know how to do certain moves or what moves are called) you will end up leaving those types of people behind because bhangra is about community (it was a way to bring people together) and those who do not respect that don't get anywhere.

In response to your questions, experience is good because it helps you more than it helps anyone else (you don't have to learn as much) but ultimately, its about potential. If you are willing to devote yourself through the many hours, cuts/bruises, and frustrations, then you will succeed.

Aside from everything I just said it ultimately boils down to: TRY OUT.

Story of encouragement: When I tried out for VCU Bhangra I can tell you that I was nervous because I feared that I wouldn't make the team and was no where close to the skill level of VCU Bhangra dancers before me. Ultimately, my love of bhangra and my drive to succeed pushed me to make that initial body movement to get up and go for it. In the end, I made it.

 

[reppinsteelcity]

You should definitely try out. I am also non-Punjabi and non-desi. All of the teams I have been affiliated with were made up of a very diverse mix of amazing dancers and people. Importantly, everyone was very welcoming, patient and willing to teach. You also have to remember that even when you are trying out for a collegiate team, bhangra culture will be new to a lot of people (non-desi and desi). I don't think there's any harm in trying out! Go for it!

I was really nervous about trying out for Steel City. My only real dance experience prior was step and raas, both of which have nothing to do with bhangra. Ultimately, all the hard work and hours were worth it because I came out with a wonderful, lifelong set of friends from the Pittsburgh bhangra community. It's something you can take with you wherever you go, and is a fun way to connect with people! Keep that in mind. Good luck with your decision.

 

[smehta]

you'll be fine, you're way over thinking this.

 

[Hoya Singh]

^ agreed I'm actually the only Punjabi dancer on my team so most of the people on our team were only introduced to the culture after joining the team

 

[smehta]

^ I go to Georgetown my man, we should link up

 

[coca-cole]

I completely agree with J Wong and reppinsteelcity. I'm also non-Punjabi and non-desi and in my experience people have generally been impressed with my dedication to learning as much as I can and pushing myself to keep improving and progressing despite not having direct cultural ties to bhangra. Like they both said, willingness to put in time and effort is what is most important. I tried out for WashU assuming I wouldn't make it because I wasn't Indian, but making the team showed me that ultimately potential and drive mattered more than my background.


Plus, if people do make fun of you they probably won't have the courage to do it to your face and it just gives you the opportunity to prove them wrong



Bottom line: listen to smehta and everyone else and just try out. And if you don't make it (like me my freshman year), try out the following year. Best of luck!

 

[Hoya Singh]

^ I go to Georgetown my man, we should link up

Yeah for sure dude I think we met on Saturday but who knows haha. btw you and the other JJ guys killed it, I haven't stopped watching that performance

 

[voxanimus]

a lot of the things you asked vary based on the team you're trying out for. the more established/famous the team, the more people will come out to tryouts. consequently, the caliber required to make yourself stand out amidst that increasing number of people also increases. to use an extreme example, if SGPD were to hold open tryouts, it'd be almost impossible for someone with no dancing experience to make the team, because an extremely large number of the even larger number of people trying out will have pretty extensive background experience. tryouts are a relative thing, and all it takes to make the team, in reductionist terms, is to be better than the other people trying out. another thing that factors into your ability to make a particular team is the number of dancers that team is looking to take on. obviously, the lower this number, the more difficult it is to make it. so, while there definitely are people who do it, i wouldn't advise going in cold to a tryout, unless you're confident in your ability or are aware of the level of the team you're trying out for.


that being said, what other people have said is completely true: dedication is much more important in making a bhangra team, and being a good dancer, than being Punjabi or being familiar with bhangra culture. if you want to try out in the future, spend time practicing: teach yourself routines from performance videos, and then record yourself performing them. watch those videos, and compare them with the ones you're trying to emulate. several people currently on collegiate teams have told me that they did this exact thing to teach themselves.


in short, do it. bhangra really is an amazing thing. just be aware that it takes dedication.

 

[Arjun Barua]

Story of encouragement: When I tried out for VCU Bhangra I can tell you that I was nervous because I feared that I wouldn't make the team and was no where close to the skill level of VCU Bhangra dancers before me. Ultimately, my love of bhangra and my drive to succeed pushed me to make that initial body movement to get up and go for it. In the end, I made it.

My story is much the same as Jordan's (J Wong), but he had a little bhangra dancing experience coming into VCU. I had NONE.


In fact, I had no dance experience at all. I would be the one at parties who would just hang out off to the side, watching everyone else dance and thinking to myself, "I wish I could do that." I had always enjoyed bhangra music, but my only knowledge of the dance form was what I had seen at the 2 competitions I had attended -- Southern Bhangra Stampede 2004 and Bhangra Blowout 2005. That's when I fell in love with it. So that fall, I just went out on a limb and decided to try out for VCU Bhangra. My performance was pretty lousy, but I have a feeling I won the captains over with my passion more than my actual dancing ability. I actually belted out the lyrics of the song as I danced to it, even though I didn't understand Punjabi! Lucky for me, the captains didn't either.




*Note: I don't actually recommend singing at tryouts, but that story was just to illustrate the power of confidence. Show off! Even if you have no idea what the hell you're doing...

 

[streetvelocity25]

Passion and Dedication over everything. Have a positive attitude and you will succeed in becoming a strong dancer.

 

[Mr. Mankiran]

If you can dance, that is all that matters man.

 

[walkertexasjr]

I agree with everything that's been posted here. It's well established by now that Punjabis don't have a "monopoly" on bhangra, certainly within the collegiate circuit. Personally, as a white boy with ZERO dance experience prior to trying out, I can't stress enough how much just wanting to show up and try out puts you head and shoulders above people that are only there because their friends dragged them, etc... I had actually never spoken to an Indian person before coming to college (no joke), but I just wanted to try something new. If you're passionate about learning half (if not more) of the work is already done.


Another thing that should be said, while prior bhangra experience can be helpful, don't make the mistake of thinking that you are automatically better than everyone else at the tryouts. Don't try and highlight your prior experience, don't try and show off, just put your head down and let your dancing and your attitude speak for you. Chances are however you dance now (style, form, etc.) is nothing like the way the team you're trying out for wants you to dance in the future. What they're looking for in addition to dancing ability is a willingness to learn/take constructive criticism and a good attitude.

 

[faysal]

you're worrying too much buddy, treat it like trying out for any other extra curricular activity be it a sport or form of dance or anything else. If you like it, just give it a go! collegiate teams are always the most diverse ethnically as it is.

 

[Mans]

Monta Vista bhangra... You live in the Bay?

 

[ban3rg]

Just do your bruahs and hoi's that really differentiated me and to this day I credit doing lalkaare as the only reason I ever made my college team. I messed up a couple times but my energy and enthusiasm impressed them enough to think I had potential...never had ANY dancing experience at all before that either I just went for it. You're already a great dancer haha you need to come dance w BK man there's no way you're tripping about college tryouts!!

 

[zwei Biere bitte]

Yeah man don't stress you'll do fine! I did pseudo-bhangra in high school (I went to Homestead and was on the Windian team if that means anything :]) and wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort in college. But then I saw tryouts posters during my first week at college and was like "Hey, that looks interesting..."


I made the team as a non-desi and was captain a year later. I only got that position because of my willingness to learn and my passion for dancing and the team itself; just bring a positive attitude and you'll do great.


BTW Good luck at Sapnay this year!!