Bhangra Hall of Fame

[faizan]

Lets make one! Lets start with a short list of 7 teams, and dwindle it to the 5 most mentioned?


1. KJ
2. VIBC
3. UBC
4. LBC
5. Cornell Bhangra
6. Gabroo Shokeen
7. Boston Bhangra

 

[Dss91]

Bhangra Empire?

A lot more recent than KJ, but must be one of the most well known/most mentioned bhangra teams out there.

 

[Vijay]

KJ
VIBE
UBC
Sher
LBC
Bhangra Empire
SGPD
NJ

i think teams would get specific contributions they had to the bhangra world/community. for example, KJ had teh biggest impact on making bhangra mainstream, Sher with intricate choreo, UBC - all girls team, Shokeen/TBT - making live mainstream, sgpd/nj for fast/hype/unique yet traditional bhangra etc etc

 

[faysal]

I think he means teams that are pretty much done? or don't compete much anymore.

and did you mean vibe faizan? not vibc? im assuming.

 

[sonehdataweet]

Gabroo Shokeen
KJ
Sher Foundation
LBC
UBC
DRP



Bhangra is slowly turning into a sport

 

[Basim]

Yeah, he probably meant to write VIBE instead of VIBC.. easy mistake.. I forgive you brother!

As Vijay pointed out, don't overlook THE Bhangra Team (TBT) who played a large part in the transition from music to live performances.

~ Basim

 

[Smash]

As Vijay pointed out, don't overlook THE Bhangra Team (TBT) who played a large part in the transition from music to live performances.

Just because they helped with the transition from music to live, doesn't mean they are Hall of Fame quality.

Starting off with 7 teams seems like a lot. Personally think if we going to do something like a Hall of Fame, it should be max 1-2 teams per year inducted.

Khalsa Junction
Gabroo Shokeen

 

[hardeep_singh]

punjab university
khalsa college

 

[Navkarn]

a true Hall of Fame would start even before KJ, i remember being at the FIRST Bruin Bhangra ever held on UCLA's campus ... the true pioneers of competitive bhangra in NA scene were:

- Berkeley Bhangra (who as a gimmick, were the first to do today's normal mela scene in a bhangra competition, but it blew everyone away at the time when an actual manji, was brought out alongside haystacks to portray a folk village and other mela props)

- Cal Poly Pomona Broncos (lead by Kuljit Sangha, who was probably one of the most popular bhangra dancers in NA at the time and a judge you see today at a lot of california comps, went on to make instructional bhangra videos which might seem cheesy to some, but were an international success and spread bhangra in places unthinkable)

-VIBE (already mentioned above and well deserved, i saw this team live alongside Cal Poly & Berkeley in early NA comps and was blown away at the time)

it's a shame a lot of these performances only exist on VHS and are not able to be found on youtube, it's crazy comparing the bhangra i saw then competitively to how it is now. like any other HOF, i dont think its right to discredit teams or individuals from earlier times because it was "easier" then. im not saying you intentionally left them out, i know a lot of people came into the bhangra scene late and simply have no idea these teams existed. but at the time, these were the "big 3" if you will. i hope there are some older folks on here that can remember this era as well, shine some more light on us!

 

[faizan]

1. This will be for North America
2. Empire can't get in, they still compete
3. I meant VIBE, sorry!
4. TBT lasted a year, too short, even if they were influential, you need 2-3 years of dominance to get in.


So far,


1. kj
2. sher
3. gabroo shokeen
4. UBC
5. LBC


are the favorites

 

[Mukandpuria]

punjabi soormay

 

[hsdeol]

Three Rivers Bhangra!

 

[Hattpichay]

Gabroo Shokeen. Steve bhaji, the most folk dancer i've ever seen in NA

 

[ENVY BANG-RUH]

Original Gabroos ;D

 

[Kush]

1. This will be for North America
2. Empire can't get in, they still compete
3. I meant VIBE, sorry!
4. TBT lasted a year, too short, even if they were influential, you need 2-3 years of dominance to get in.


So far,


1. kj
2. sher
3. gabroo shokeen
4. UBC
5. LBC


are the favorites

simply to give you a hard time, faizan...

KJ is competing at bruin, theyre out

Sher is still performing every other year, even if not competing. See UBC (though i prefer to forget that one), theyre out

UBC exhibitions every year at VIBC. Still Dancing, theyre out.

... i suppose LBC hasnt danced for a year so maybe theyre "in" right now

lol other than busting your balls, the point is that its a fluid list if you only count it by teams still dancing/not dancing.

For the record, and i may be somewhat biased cause its my state, I'd throw Phulorida up there. They stepped it up pretty hard for coed teams and independent teams. Plus I think being the only really competitive team (EDIT) from Florida for so long earns them some respect too.

 

[faizan]

haha, i mean COMPETING teams not those who perform for fun. and i feel like this is a one time thing for kj...and i really was close to putting Phul on my list...but I feel like Cornell took the spot because they had more of an effect of making popular than phul...

 

[Danny]

how'd you guys forget MBT? They kept the CO-ed scene alive after VIBE and gave KJ a run for their money a few times

 

[Romy]

1. This will be for North America
2. Empire can't get in, they still compete
3. I meant VIBE, sorry!
4. TBT lasted a year, too short, even if they were influential, you need 2-3 years of dominance to get in.


So far,


1. kj
2. sher
3. gabroo shokeen
4. UBC
5. LBC


are the favorites

simply to give you a hard time, faizan...

KJ is competing at bruin, theyre out

Sher is still performing every other year, even if not competing. See UBC (though i prefer to forget that one), theyre out

UBC exhibitions every year at VIBC. Still Dancing, theyre out.

... i suppose LBC hasnt danced for a year so maybe theyre "in" right now

lol other than busting your balls, the point is that its a fluid list if you only count it by teams still dancing/not dancing.

For the record, and i may be somewhat biased cause its my state, I'd throw Phulorida up there. They stepped it up pretty hard for coed teams and independent teams. Plus I think being the only really competitive team for so long earns them some respect too.

I know this isn't much, but just to clarify your post, this year is UBC Girlz first time performing at VIBC (the competition) as an exhibition. In the past they have competed at our competition and performed at Downtown Bhangra. Sorry for being anal about this, I just wanted to clarify lol.

 

[sulmoney]

kj, vibe, mbt, cornell, ubc, nj...those are the og teams of the modern circuit that influenced every team competing now in some way or other

and i dont think you should be able to discredit a team because they are still active. its not cornells fault that they are a collegiate team thats been going strong for what, 15 years or so?

 

[Basim]

2. Empire can't get in, they still compete
So far,

1. kj
2. sher
3. gabroo shokeen
4. UBC
5. LBC

are the favorites

Hmmm, I think you need to alter your criteria for this "Hall of Fame" list.

Check the teams competiting in US West in 2010: http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/main-bhangra-discussion/elite-8-bhangra-invitational-team-announcement-8/

You also need to make a clear distinction between pioneers of modern bhangra and being in your "hall of fame" list. For example, TBT influenced modern bhangra (especially live) just as much as any other team you have listed imho.

Also, according to your "dominance" critera.. most of the true pioneers of Bhangra in North America, who paved the way for these "Hall of fame" teams, could NOT be on the list. See Navkarn's post. I'm sure some of the really old school bhangra members (if they are still active in the scene) could give you more insight into the times when Bhangra was first hitting the stage and most competitions were just forming. Without those teams, many "hall of fame" teams might have been non-existent or might have not had a platform to display their talents.

Just food for thought,

~ Basim