Bhangra competition graveyard

[mrchicity]

It's kinda sad that some of the competitions that used to be huge fixtures in this circuit are gone, so I wanted to make a list of fallen competitions to remember some of the good (and potentially bad) times. Help add to this list if you can (this isn't in any sort of order):


Apna Virsa Apna Punjab (folkest competition in the US, based out of Virginia)
Toronto Bhangra Youth Festival (TBYF)
International Punjabi Folk Festival (IPFF)
Bhangra Allstars (good fucking riddance)
Big Apple Bhangra
Groundshaker
Bhangra Masti
PCS Chicago
Bhangra Bash (the Seattle comp)
Punjabi Folk Dance Festival


Ones I'm not sure about:
Bayside Bhangra
Jashan


+


Is Elite 8 actually coming back next year?

 

[yraparla]

 

[Sawhill69]

bhangra blizzard :'( lmaoooo

 

[venividivici]

bhangra fusion, vibc (the competition itself)

 

[rajkaran]

SoCal Bhangra in LA
South Beach Bhangra in Miami


side note: this thread makes me feel sad and old. SAD AND OLD.

 

[karandeol]

Pioneer Bhangra
Giant Bhangra

 

[KushK]

Bhangra Royale
Manhattan Bhangra

Bhangra Masti 3 was awesome.

 

[gdholi7]

Rooh Punjabi Di(Davis,CA)
Zee Bhangra(ZeeTV) (New York)
Bhangra Nation( Toronto)
Punjabi Showdown(Surrey)
Bulldog Bhangra(Fresno)

 

[faizan]

I find the circuit's decline to be alarming. I also find the fact that no one is doing anything about it to be way more troubling.

Shout out to tbp 2006. Shout out to that rpd/shan e collab.

 

[DamanSingh]

I find the circuit's decline to be alarming.

Why do you consider the circuit to be in decline? There are more bhangra teams now than ever before, the North American (and global) bhangra scene is more popular now than it has ever been, and over the past year alone, four first-year bhangra competitions have established themselves on the East Coast/Midwest. I wouldn't say the circuit is in decline. To the contrary, I would say it's growing and evolving.

 

[faizan]

Are there more teams than ever before? I don't think there are.

I agree that in the UK, bhangra is undergoing growth, but in North America the trend is the opposite.

The amount of competitions has gone down significantly. And the major comps around the circuit are struggling to stay afloat. There have been some bright spots, but overall, I would say that in the past two years or so, the circuit has taken a step back in terms of overall robustness and quality. I would venture to guess that 25% or more of first year comps won't have a third year. Doing a comp one year, and then canceling the next, or doing it for two and then disappearing is not what I would call growing.

Look at the state of independent teams (the general driver of change and creativity). The all-girl's segment is dying the fastest. The all-guy's segment has lost big names like ABC, PCBCA, JJ, and others that are more or less dormant (nj, shan-e-punjab toronto, apd).

Collegiate teams have stayed more or less flat in terms of growth, and due to high turnover rates for students, they are rarely able to establish dominance. Name a collegiate team that has dominated since VCU. I mean I don't think that the circuit should be measured by the existence of dominant teams, but at the same time, dominant teams bring excitement and change. It is what it is, not trying to be a negative nancy!

 

[jfried]

Faizan, I think you might have a point there. It's up to us to maintain the quality of competition and really grow some of these new comps (cough, cough, WBBC 2014), but while there might be a lull in the circuit, I do think we'll start to see a resurgence over the course of the next year or so. A lot of the guys on the circuit are retiring, but we are starting to see some new talent pop up, especially out of places like some of the academies in Canada, DC and northern CA. As those kids go off to college, they'll start their own teams and the cycle will repeat itself.

 

[DamanSingh]

I think there are more teams than ever before - maybe not dominant or distinguished ones, but I think the overall number of collegiate teams has certainly increased in recent years. Collegiate teams, no matter how distinguished, popularize bhangra within their communities and therefore contribute to growth in the circuit (in some capacity). But yeah, dominant teams shape the circuit and help to define growth. No doubt about that.

It is what it is, not trying to be a negative nancy!

haha, I hear ya. I see signs of growth, but you've made some good points

 

[abhij95]

would have loved to see big apple come back

 

[hsdeol]

Are there more teams than ever before? I don't think there are.

and a lot of "big" comps have fairly comparable line-ups. i feel like there is a lot of overlap and definitely a few teams that end up at every major show on both coasts.

re:dead comps
- bayside

 

[Shahrukh]

I find the circuit's decline to be alarming. I also find the fact that no one is doing anything about it to be way more troubling.

Shout out to tbp 2006. Shout out to that rpd/shan e collab.

i wanna do something about it but i am just too lazy

+ 1 shan-e rooh collab!!!!!!!

 

[Saleem]

This thread is taking me back. I'm unsure of the current state of the circuit: a lot of the competitions lamented as dead above only ran for 2-3 years, but made a big impact in that time. That means that there's a lot of opportunity for future competitions to establish relevance in 2-3 years, rather than growing over 5+

 

[amancheema]

Look at the state of independent teams (the general driver of change and creativity). The all-girl's segment is dying the fastest. The all-guy's segment has lost big names like ABC, PCBCA, JJ, and others that are more or less dormant (nj, shan-e-punjab toronto, apd).

Collegiate teams have stayed more or less flat in terms of growth, and due to high turnover rates for students, they are rarely able to establish dominance. Name a collegiate team that has dominated since VCU. I mean I don't think that the circuit should be measured by the existence of dominant teams, but at the same time, dominant teams bring excitement and change. It is what it is, not trying to be a negative nancy!

When you have judges placing sub par collegiate sets over spectacular independent "drivers of change and creativity", there is little motivation left to dance.

 

[Shahrukh]

Look at the state of independent teams (the general driver of change and creativity). The all-girl's segment is dying the fastest. The all-guy's segment has lost big names like ABC, PCBCA, JJ, and others that are more or less dormant (nj, shan-e-punjab toronto, apd).

Collegiate teams have stayed more or less flat in terms of growth, and due to high turnover rates for students, they are rarely able to establish dominance. Name a collegiate team that has dominated since VCU. I mean I don't think that the circuit should be measured by the existence of dominant teams, but at the same time, dominant teams bring excitement and change. It is what it is, not trying to be a negative nancy!

When you have judges placing sub par collegiate sets over spectacular independent "drivers of change and creativity", there is little motivation left to dance.

+1

let the drama begin!

 

[faizan]

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT SHAHRUKH. ALL OF IT.