This will be good.

The visa process will be much easier if :

- The organizers can  provide detailed wirtten documentation outlining that they want to invite a specific bhangra team from punjab to compete and showcase their talent amonst other teams in Noorth America . The documentation should include a description of the competition and its history.

- The organizers will have to list the exact competition dates, and the hotel arrangements (check in and check out dates ) that they will have made for the visiting team.

- Resume's of the members of organizing committee and that of visiting dancers from Punjab will be a very vital attachment.

- The visiting team wil have to include a dossier of their past perfomances, winnings and active participation.

Hope you find this useful

You defintaely want to provide the visa officers with more information than required otherwise they tend to think " eh taan munde kabootar ne, inna ne Canada land karan ton baad udd jana"

Thanx a lot for all the replies.. This seems to be useful information.. And yes, we also understand that the embassy ppl shud get enough information so that they don't think us to be "kabootars" and take us to be "dancers".. And if we come, Jessy u'll have ur share of Sweets.. no worries.. and we have got a lot of time to plan everything.. So, if i can get some proper information abou which competitions r going to be held at what time, we can plan our visit in a better way and approach the authorities likewise.. So, our first need for the time being is the date of the competitions..

By now, i know that Pao Bhangra is going to be held on 24th of April and Warrior Bhangra is going to be held on 17th of April.. So, for now it seems that we should plan about late April. But what i wish is that it would be great if we get to participate in maximum events during our visit and it would be great if it happens arnd late March and early April.. If we get Visas, there would be no problem in getting Visa at least for 15 days. So thats what m planning right now.. But again, if we have proper information, only then we can proceed towards the Embassy.....!!

By now, i know that Pao Bhangra is going to be held on 24th of April and Warrior Bhangra is going to be held on 17th of April.. So, for now it seems that we should plan about late April. But what i wish is that it would be great if we get to participate in maximum events during our visit and it would be great if it happens arnd late March and early April.. If we get Visas, there would be no problem in getting Visa at least for 15 days. So thats what m planning right now.. But again, if we have proper information, only then we can proceed towards the Embassy.....!!

Bhaji I highly suggest you try attending a more well known and established competition. Pao Bhangra is an exhibition competition and Warrior bhangra is having their first show this year. I honestly don't think DAVIET should worry about Modern Vs traditional competitions because you will definitely steal the festival either way. If you can make it here in early february, DDA would be the perfect show for your team, however, between March and april you have:

- Bhangra Bash (Seattle, Washington)
- Giant Bhangra (Visalia California)
- Socal Bhangra (Los Angeles, California)
- VIBC (Vancouver, British Columbia)


......add onto this list so that they have more options.

Bhaji I highly suggest you try attending a more well known and established competition. Pao Bhangra is an exhibition competition and Warrior bhangra is having their first show this year. I honestly don't think DAVIET should worry about Modern Vs traditional competitions because you will definitely steal the festival either way. If you can make it here in early february, DDA would be the perfect show for your team, however, between March and april you have:

- Bhangra Bash (Seattle, Washington)
- Giant Bhangra (Visalia California)
- Socal Bhangra (Los Angeles, California)
- VIBC (Vancouver, British Columbia)


......add onto this list so that they have more options.

I really appreciate ur advice Veere.. But before making any plans, we need to have all the information needed. Like ur advice is a gud one.. And along with that, we are looking to participate in more than one competitions. And yes, preparing everything (files, resume, etc.) for the visa process needs ample time and information.. The moment we have all the required info, we will be on to making the documents.

Bhaji I highly suggest you try attending a more well known and established competition. Pao Bhangra is an exhibition competition and Warrior bhangra is having their first show this year. I honestly don't think DAVIET should worry about Modern Vs traditional competitions because you will definitely steal the festival either way. If you can make it here in early february, DDA would be the perfect show for your team, however, between March and april you have:

- Bhangra Bash (Seattle, Washington)
- Giant Bhangra (Visalia California)
- Socal Bhangra (Los Angeles, California)
- VIBC (Vancouver, British Columbia)


......add onto this list so that they have more options.

Sat Sri Akal.. Copy to All... Thankyou for ur kind advice Meistro veere.. Thinking upon ur advice and taking things into account, we have come to the conclusion that we would be more than happy if we could get 4 or 5 competitions between mid Feb. to late March.. And yes, also talking about all aspects :

1) Competitions : By now, this much is clear that we are looking ahead to compete between mid Feb and late March.. So, we would be looking forward to compete in at least 4 or 5 competitions so that we can have not just a gud outing, but a gr8 outing.. Secondly, to accomplish this, we need to have enough on --    > What the competiton is ?    > When is it going to be held ?    > How to apply for it ?  and   > What facilities could we get from the organisers ( like transport, stay n all ) ?

2) Sponsorships : Major problem after the Visa process would be to get some sponsorships for our team so that we would be able to manage our expenditures and everything. If we could get some sponsorships in the form of Cash, Transport support, Stay, etc., we are ready to give something in return, like we can through a performance for our sponsors or if they demand a co-ed performance, we can do that too, if girl dancers are made available.. But yes, we need to get some time for that too, and for that we need to have a very well-planned schedule.. And for that, we need gr8 support from u ppl..

3) Tha major thing -- Visas.. Acknowledgement letters from competition organisers and doziers of the competitons will play a vital part. For that too, we need to know about competitions so that we can accordingly apply for them and can get the required documents.


                                          Above all, we require a great deal of support and help from u ppl so that we are able to finalise our visit and apply for Visas as soon as possible. Looking ahead to get a positive response from u ppl.. And by now, nothing is final. We would be happy if we could meet our requirements within the time period of mid Feb. to late March, but we can surely make some adjustments in this specified time if we get some good Competitions.

                                          And no offences Arjun.. We are still looking ahead to perform in Pao Bhangra if we both could make some adjustments in our schedules.

Take Care.. Enjoy.