Bhangra in the 6ix 2017 Results and Feedback

[Bhangrainthe6ix]

Bhangra in the 6ix 2017 Results and Feedback

Aaaaaaaaand that’s a wrap for 2017.

Thank you to all the teams that came out to Bit6ix this year! Every single team brought their A-game, making for a great show. As dancers, we appreciate the effort that all teams put into creating such fantastic routines and we are humbled to have hosted an all-star lineup this year.

Official Placings:

Music:

1. Soormay

2. Nachdi Jawani Folk Loverz

3. Nachde Gabroo Punjab De

Live:

1. Punjabi Lok Nach Academy Toronto

2. Nachdi Jawani Elite


Congratulations to all 11 teams! Placing or not, the most important things we all gain from competing are the lessons we learn, the relationships we build and of course, spreading the beautiful art form of bhangra.

Our goal with Bit6ix is to create a platform for teams across the circuit to show case their skill and passion in one of the most prominent bhangra hubs of the world and to do it bigger and better in 2017. With a dedicated team of more than 50 volunteers, we achieved that goal! That being said, our team definitely learned a lot and we know that we can continue to improve for the oncoming years. We want to open this thread up to all attending teams or anyone else that has any comments or constructive critiques of this year’s Bit6ix event. Go for it, we're all ears (eyes, since we’re reading)

On a side note, we were surprised to witness the incident that took place on BTF this past week. It is quite saddening that one individual put time and effort into creating 6 different BTF accounts just to tarnish reputations of our organizers, our judges this year and the competition as a whole. Claiming a competition is rigged and then creating another account to acknowledge that comment is an irresponsible method of providing feedback. It is also, quite frankly, disrespectful to the efforts of every single team and member involved in the event.

Please be mindful when posting feedback, on BTF or otherwise. We want it not only to help us, but to help other competitions/events because at the end of the day, we all learn from each other.

Once again, thank you to everyone for making Bhangra in the 6ix 2017 a success!

 

[Bhazzy56]

BIT6 was an absolutely amazing experience for me and my team. Things were run smoothly and professionally from start to finish, and both the hospitality and competitive atmosphere were top notch.

Pre-Competition: All required materials for the competition were sent out early, giving us ample time to prepare. Having a digital judges meeting before the competition turned out to be very effective, and it gave us time to practice immediately after mixer instead of holding captains back. The only issue was that the rubric was sent to us later than ideal, which is especially important because this competition had fairly stringent requirements. We were able to edit our set to meet the criteria of the rubric in time for the competition without much trouble, but we would've been able to do so with a little bit more comfort if the rubric was sent out with the post registration packet.

Liasons: Shout out Gian and Kamal, you guys absolutely killed it. Our liaisons reached out to us weeks before the competition started, and went above and beyond to do anything that would facilitate a smooth weekend for us. Couldn't have asked for anything more.

Mixer: The mixer was a lot fun. I took some issue with a majority of it being in Punjabi, luckily I had people who could translate important information for me, but this isn't always the case for every team. Games were lively and engaging. The teams weren't all provided a post mixer practice space, but NJ offered their studio space to the teams that needed it so nobody had any trouble there. Food was A1.

Competition day: Tech time ran smoothly. The venue was beautiful and it was a lot of fun dancing on that stage. The show ran smoothly and on time, which was especially impressive because the fire alarm went off 45 minutes before the show started and everyone was forced to evacuate. (Nothing was on fire) We were second in show order and we were allowed to watch the rest of the show immediately after performing, as opposed to waiting until after intermission, which is always nice. There was also a backstage livestream for teams getting ready.

Judges Meeting: Judges meeting was solid, they weren't able to expand on some of their commentary, but that's understandable because they had a total of 11 teams to judge. I took issue with one of the judges recurrently telling us to watch our own video when we asked for him to elaborate on his comments, but the other two gave meaningful responses to everything we asked. They implemented a policy that you don't have to leave until you're satisfied, which is good, and something more competitions should implement in my opinion. It's rare for any team to abuse it, they just want a more complete criticism.

Afterparty: Lot of fun, not much else to say.

Overall: A top-tier competition that for the most part went above and beyond my expectations. Appreciated how folk it was, I felt that this competition was really able to put the spotlight on the culture. I commend the directors and BIT6 team for a successful show, and hope to have the opportunity to dance here again next year.

 

[sahab]

When Furteelay went to BIT6 last year, we were utterly surprised. Whenever I've personally gone to a folk comp, it has been very disorganized. I began to associate the two together, disorganization and folk. BIT6 broke the stereotype!

It looks to be the competition is building off the success of last year. Keep it up!

 

[joty]

This was my first year going to BIT6 and I was very impressed with the competition overall.
PROs
- competition ran very smoothly and was very organized.
- mixer was fun and entertaining. Really loved the emphasis on keeping the culture alive especially the live segment in the mixer games.
- We were given plentiful practice space immediately after the mixer which is amazing. I've been to competitions where we've have had to practice outside in the parking lot.
- for tech time I want to give props to the committee for taking a conscientious effort to stay on time. I think many were surprised that tech time was running on time despite the fire alarm.
- food- the burritos were a smart choice and we were allowed to decide what we could put into it rather than the normal veg/nonveg subway
- the actual show was amazing to watch.This is where BIT6's committee truly shined and you could tell a lot of hard work was put into the show. The Mcs knew how to keep the crowd entertained . Liaisons and backstage workers were constantly going back and forth managing the competition and teams' needs. UVA wanted to switch our dressing rooms and the committee responded swiftly and respectfully.
I want to give a special shoutout to our liasons GURJAS and SHIVAM. You guys were the best liasons I've had in the past 20/30 competitions I've been to. They were glued to us since the minute we arrived there to the minute we left. We were provided with everything we wanted from dayquil to dressing rooms haha. It was so sweet how u guys went out of your way to help us with the set and provide feedback. Love you guys immensely <3
- after party being held at the hotel was convenient and definitely had a lot of fun
CONs
- judges were definitely knowledgeable but there was some inconsistency across the board where one judge would provide ample feedback and the other would just reiterate the comments already provided
- end of the competition show was a bit lengthy I know its to build suspense and give judges time for deliberation but many of the teams are exhausted and anxious so standing for an additional 30 minutes doesn't really help.



Overall BIT6 was an amazing experience and the committee did a great job! I hope this competition continues because its definitely what the circuit needs right now

 

[Jaskirat Saini]

This was also my first year at BIT6 and I was very impressed.
The mixer was very fun. It included a guest appearance from Pammi Bhai Ji and revolved around bhangra. This is what really made the mixer fun. It allowed for teams to have fun and dance to determine the lineup instead of play games to determine the lineup.
The competition ran very smooth. It was almost completely running on time, despite a fire alarm. Stiff competition and good performances filled the show and the shows early start time allowed for more time to enjoy the after party. The after party was very fun. DJ JSG and DJ ISB killed it, and I had a blast dancing with the SPD guys and having danceoffs.
Overall, this competition was a blast. This competition is directing bhangra on the right route keeping it folk. I am eager to see what they have in store for next year.

 

[IrfanHashimie18]

Positive Feedback



This was our first year attending Bhangra in the 6ix and I was very surprised to see that everything ran on time! These guys were no joke when it came to rules, very strict and disciplined. This is the first time I've been to a Bhangra comp that ran on time! I think the comp ended around 7pm? That was different. The mixer was mad fun, bringing back the old school traditional dance offs. I appreciated the fact that there was a live segment game, it really gave me a huuuge motivation to start dancing live bhangra. The hotel staff was extremely kind to us, despite us going 13124 times to the counter asking for new room keys. Our liasons Gurtaj & Raman and Dholi Goondeep were incredibly kind and real to us as well. I can't think of anything negative to say to them. I really appreciate Raman, Gurtaj, and Goondeep for helping our team out at the NJ academy the night before the comp, great people! The day of the comp was smooth despite the fire alarm being pulled. Every member was given a burrito and fed well, Prabh was also very kind. Always asking us if the food was warm enough and that everyone got food. Very sincere guy, even at the mixer too. The stage felt great! It didn't feel slippery at all, every team received their own dressing room with a pin code combination. After party was lit! Nice to have food present along with dancing.


Negative Feedback



I did have a problem with some inconsistencies with the judges. A lot of the teams did not use the full stage and cut it off by a lot, rather than that being an essential part of the rubric. The judges just told us that they "appreciated" the fact that we used the full stage. My personal opinion about judges is that they should meet months in advance to discuss how they are judging, just like how teams prepare months in advance to create a set. Okay, rant over.


I wish that dancers were allowed to sit with the audience after their performance to watch other teams, but I guess that can't be helped if the show is sold out.



OVERALL

I appreciate all the patience Sehj had with all our changes, very easy to work with! The airport transportation coming both to and from the hotel was all smooth. This was the MOST organized Bhangra competition I have ever been to. So excited to see these guys continue this competition. Thank you for all the hospitality and our team won’t forget your sincerity.

 

[VA Bhangra]

We had a great time at Bhangra in the 6ix.

Congratulations to the entire team of Shaan Punjabi Di for putting on an exceptional comp. From the mixer to the after party, everything ran smoothly. As returners to 6ix, we genuinely appreciated the change in venue. Living Arts Center was a great stage for our dancers and the auditorium facilitated all of our attending families well.

The competition itself was produced very well. Both Prabh and Nawaab were great emcees and it was nice to see a competition have hosts that can actually pronounce Bhangra. All teams definitely brought it and there were many memorable moments throughout the evening. Congratulations to all placing teams! We felt the placings to be completely fair and justified. The judges gave us a plethora of critiques and we couldn't be more appreciative of them for doing so. We learned a lot and felt that we left as a better team.

Two very special shout-outs to Supna and Davinder for being the realest liaisons! You both were very genuine and catered to our every need. Sorry, we didn't have a shirt in your size Davinder. Next time.