Bhangra at White House? Obama Rocks!

[Kanvar]

lol i thought this thread was some stupid youtube video with clips of obama spliced with bhangra music, but shit was i entirely wrong

as much as it pains me to say this....congrats empire.

 

[Ashveer]

just that usually westerners who havent seen bhangra have a greater appreciation for pure folk bhangra because it's so different and not remixed with things they might've already seen or heard. the effect of a live dhol, singer and band can't be replicated with a cd.

Check youtube.

 

[bhangramunda]

Just wanted to congratulate Empire for being asked to perform for such a prestigious audience. Have fun and get autographs btw, I wonder what the back of their outfits will say ' O B A M A' is only 5 letters...maybe a '!' - spoiler alert...I think I got it figured out...of course u gotta change the mix too..

I really hope to watch this live. Also, I heard it's not going to be *in* the White House, but on the lawn, due to a large turnout...but w/e that's pretty amazing. Congrats again! Take video, and pictures.

p.s. Bonus points if u can incorporate Bo or some secret service folks into the routine
-Chris

 

[Vick]

Yea, it's on the south lawn which is right in front of the white house I believe...It's usually where Obama's helicopter lands... You can see it from that one fence where everyone takes pictures, but the tent is pretty well covered, you can't really see anything on the inside... You might be able to hear the music though... Since it's an official state dinner, I doubt you will be able to get anywhere close to the white house...

And to those that want to see a folk routine in the white house, please man... It's all about entertainment in there, folk bhangra would just stink up the environment...

 

[Underground Gabroo]

why would you want to do a modern hip hop infused mix/DANCE when you were invited to perform a traditional folk dance? if they wanted to see "you make my head go round right round" they can go to BET and see it...

 

[Meistro]

Yea, it's on the south lawn which is right in front of the white house I believe...It's usually where Obama's helicopter lands... You can see it from that one fence where everyone takes pictures, but the tent is pretty well covered, you can't really see anything on the inside... You might be able to hear the music though... Since it's an official state dinner, I doubt you will be able to get anywhere close to the white house...

And to those that want to see a folk routine in the white house, please man... It's all about entertainment in there, folk bhangra would just stink up the environment...

actually vick, how awkward would it be to see young men in loincloths and flapped turbans dancing to "party like a rockstar" and have gun shot effects and "hey yo empire tell em where we at". Sure, WE understand what empire is trying to do because we see them do this in competitive settings.... but ppl like Oprah and brad pitt are gonna be like wtf? Bhangra is appealing enough to american ppl WITHOUT that american stuff in the routine. If it works for them at competitions then by all means do it, but the white house asked for an ethnic dance, now why would you throw in random hip hop beats? To empire fans, their ideas are entertaining, now for a non indian audience, reverse that. They would really appreciate the true essence of bhangra and the music.

 

[Underground Gabroo]

that is truly well said meistro... having a live band on stage would be more proper... most "outsiders" love the dhol when they hear it, and i can almost bet that if a team like gabroo shokeen were to go with raju on the dhol, or heeray with slammer on the dhol, it would have a much more positive impact instead of us doing hip hop, stuff they've heard and seen...

 

[Underground Gabroo]

p.s. I bet having a live dholi slamming the beats would make Obama get up and do Dhamaal with PM Singh, that's what the dhol does to you regardless of where you are or how tired you are...

Congrats to Empire for this feat, I just would have loved to see Traditionality...

 

[Meistro]

Congrats to Empire for this feat

ultimately I think this is what we are all implying. who knows! maybe oprah will invite them on her talk show since obama's first state dinner is such a historical event!

 

[Kanvar]

wheres the link?

 

[abhigames]

Yea, it's on the south lawn which is right in front of the white house I believe...It's usually where Obama's helicopter lands... You can see it from that one fence where everyone takes pictures, but the tent is pretty well covered, you can't really see anything on the inside... You might be able to hear the music though... Since it's an official state dinner, I doubt you will be able to get anywhere close to the white house...

And to those that want to see a folk routine in the white house, please man... It's all about entertainment in there, folk bhangra would just stink up the environment...

actually vick, how awkward would it be to see young men in loincloths and flapped turbans dancing to "party like a rockstar" and have gun shot effects and "hey yo empire tell em where we at". Sure, WE understand what empire is trying to do because we see them do this in competitive settings.... but ppl like Oprah and brad pitt are gonna be like wtf? Bhangra is appealing enough to american ppl WITHOUT that american stuff in the routine. If it works for them at competitions then by all means do it, but the white house asked for an ethnic dance, now why would you throw in random hip hop beats? To empire fans, their ideas are entertaining, now for a non indian audience, reverse that. They would really appreciate the true essence of bhangra and the music.

I don't agree completely. Using hip hop and whatever modern styles allows a generic non-Indian audience to connect with the performance with their own experiences. It also shows that although we know our roots, American South asians can incorporate both cultures and connect with the audience on that level. Honestly, doing a whole live performance might drag on for non-bhangra enthusiasts who cannot tell the difference between dhamaal from phumaniyaan. With a modern performance, at least the audience is engaged the whole time with a good blend of traditional and modern styles. Not saying, a good 1 minute live piece wouldn't be a bad idea though! But for performances like these, changing the mix, the dance, and the style every now and then is definitely a solid idea...and I think whoever researched the teams made a good decision by picking Empire (although VCU, and any other comparable team could have done just as well).

 

[Meistro]

Yea, it's on the south lawn which is right in front of the white house I believe...It's usually where Obama's helicopter lands... You can see it from that one fence where everyone takes pictures, but the tent is pretty well covered, you can't really see anything on the inside... You might be able to hear the music though... Since it's an official state dinner, I doubt you will be able to get anywhere close to the white house...

And to those that want to see a folk routine in the white house, please man... It's all about entertainment in there, folk bhangra would just stink up the environment...

actually vick, how awkward would it be to see young men in loincloths and flapped turbans dancing to "party like a rockstar" and have gun shot effects and "hey yo empire tell em where we at". Sure, WE understand what empire is trying to do because we see them do this in competitive settings.... but ppl like Oprah and brad pitt are gonna be like wtf? Bhangra is appealing enough to american ppl WITHOUT that american stuff in the routine. If it works for them at competitions then by all means do it, but the white house asked for an ethnic dance, now why would you throw in random hip hop beats? To empire fans, their ideas are entertaining, now for a non indian audience, reverse that. They would really appreciate the true essence of bhangra and the music.

I don't agree completely. Using hip hop and whatever modern styles allows a generic non-Indian audience to connect with the performance with their own experiences. It also shows that although we know our roots, American South asians can incorporate both cultures and connect with the audience on that level. Honestly, doing a whole live performance might drag on for non-bhangra enthusiasts who cannot tell the difference between dhamaal from phumaniyaan. With a modern performance, at least the audience is engaged the whole time with a good blend of traditional and modern styles. Not saying, a good 1 minute live piece wouldn't be a bad idea though! But for performances like these, changing the mix, the dance, and the style every now and then is definitely a solid idea...and I think whoever researched the teams made a good decision by picking Empire (although VCU, and any other comparable team could have done just as well).

you're not getting the point dude, Empire was asked by the dinner organizers to TAKE OUT all hip hop and american music from their mix.

 

[Underground Gabroo]

you're not getting the point dude, Empire was asked by the dinner organizers to TAKE OUT all hip hop and american music from their mix.

....

no way!!!!! seems like whoever organized this knows what they wanted in terms on a traditional dance... man i wish steve were still here in cali :-\

 

[abhigames]

you're not getting the point dude, Empire was asked by the dinner organizers to TAKE OUT all hip hop and american music from their mix.

well thats different lol.

 

[Tuckerrrr]

you're not getting the point dude, Empire was asked by the dinner organizers to TAKE OUT all hip hop and american music from their mix.

haha if this is true then even the obama administration is sick of modern "bhangra" - YES WE CAN!

 

[Meenu]

Watch Bhangra Empire on C-SPAN1 tonight from 5:00 to 7:00

 

[bhangramunda]

According to the CSPAN website, 9pm eastern is a 30minute segment that is live from the state dinner. There are a few other replays of events earlier in the day before/after. Does anyone know if Empire already performed?

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/schedule

-Chris

 

[nitinkapoor]

Watch it LIVE at www.whitehouse.gov/live

Word is that they would be performing around 6pm PST!

 

[T-Pardesi]

Got this link to live coverage:
Starting @ 8:15 EST.
(5:15 4 us West Coasters)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Bottom line, they cudda chose many other forms of dance to represent the Indian community.. All this internal squabbling is missing that point. Traditional vs. Modern, Live Music vs. Recording... they kudda just as easily got a Bharatnatyam dancer or a Kathak dancer... F-ing big ups to BE.... Go n make us ALL proud!!

 

[T-Pardesi]

Security must b a riot there... seeing all those guys in paags ... Probly security didn't want chimtas and khundas in the routines... :