Boston Bhangra Competition 2008

[Boston Bhangra]

Thank you for the support. I'm glad to see teams still have faith in our organization, and are realizing the difference between a performance and our competition. 2 totally separate topics.
Anyways, when it comes to judging, we will try to post information about the judges. The more important factor is to trully understand the judging criteria. For the most part, our judges did a good job of following our scoresheet last year. We don't consider our competition very heavily traditionally based. We expect our judges to stick to the scoring sheet, and that is what teams should focus on, as we go through an extensive program over the summer with the judges to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to judging. Thus, understanding the score sheet is alot more important than who the judges are, as they need to abide to the scoresheet. We understand that teams want to see judges names, but we also try to keep them more private. However, we will add that if that is what teams desire.

 

[Jeeti]

What do you mean by that GTD? I can only speak for myself, but I am not going to BBC this year...I just think its a good competition, you don't think so bro?

 

[Vick]

It's amazing how everyone cried foul over what Boston did, but now everyone seems cool with it. I'll let it go now, but its amazing how everyone forgets so easily... Put your affiliations with Boston aside, and think a little harder... By supporting Boston and saying that they got "screwed" over by WWE you are just accepting what Boston did... If Boston did get "screwed" over, I guess their committee didn't think so because they seemed pretty proud when they were advertising it... But whatever, to each is their own...

 

[Jeeti]

Vick...your argument is valid, however the past is the past...Boston Bhangra has explained the situation and has responded accordingly...sitting here and boycotting a competition, not just a competition, a good competition which in its past has thrown good, culture friendly competitions is not the solution. A lesson is to be learned from this incident....there is one thing I am a bit confused about..

Was the entire thing filmed live? If the committee could have somehow protested before, then this situation is just absurd.

 

[Vivek]

Smackdown is filmed on Tuesdays, and shown on Fridays...hmmm....

 

[Mukandpuria]

Jeeti,
They recorded it and edited it and then played it couple of days after...they changed things around they didn't record the part where we actually danced our segment, they moved segments around. we didn't know what we looked like until it was released on air. WWE is a huge organization and the paper work was done beforehand. Even if after the show we were like, yea we don't want it to be aired, we couldn't do anything about it. I am guessing everyone was still star stunned because they were on tv and got to meet all the wrestling stars, that it didn't cross our mind WWE could make us or the bhangra community look bad. It was def. an experience. while getting ready having stars walk by and shake your hands and meeting Vince McMahon. We all thought it was a good way to have bhangra on national TV. thinking from a positive view. We didn't think or realize that WWE was going to twist things around. I personally am not going to apologize for going on WWE and doing bhangra on stage(cuz it was sick doing something i loved on WWE and national TV) when we were misleaded the whole way, but i will apologize that WWE made it look bad. We had no control of the editing process nor where we asked to approve anything after. I am done posting on this topic after this becuase i honestly don't know what you guys want more. If you want to continue to hold a grudge, then that all you.

 

[Vick]

Fair enough... though I don't believe it, just to kill the topic I'll accept your version of it...

 

[jessemalik]

For the most part, our judges did a good job of following our scoresheet last year. We don't consider our competition very heavily traditionally based. We expect our judges to stick to the scoring sheet, and that is what teams should focus on, as we go through an extensive program over the summer with the judges to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to judging. Thus, understanding the score sheet is alot more important than who the judges are, as they need to abide to the scoresheet.

Being able to understand a score sheet does not make a judge qualified. I think Boston should consider allowing the judges to reach a consensus before announcing the results since last year's results just didn't make sense.

 

[Jeeti]

Squash it, its done, apply to bbc its a good comp.

 

[Boston Bhangra]

Jesse,
We are one of the few competitions that actually do work based on consensus, or at a minimum, a majority vote on who the judges feel are the best teams. We take judging very seriously, and that is why we have the judges meet twice during the night to discuss the results. Once during intermission, and once during the the artist performance. We ensure that the judges are qualified, and make sure that everyone is on the same page before we choose to have them be our judges. Again, we want to make sure that judges are on the same page with our scoresheet, as we want to make sure that the competition doesn't have too much of a modern basis, nor a very heavy traditional basis. Bottom line is that this is a Bhangra competition. It is extremely important for all the teams to present Bhangra on stage (or at least their versions of it), while dancing in a sychronized fashion. Again, Bhangra is a dance first and foremost, and if basic dance elements aren't upheld (such as sychronization, formations, movement, energy, fun), then that makes the traditional segment mute. Thus, like we mentioned before, we don't consider ourselves the most traditional competition, nor do we strive for that. We want teams that bring traditional movement but bring their own flare to the dance with excitement. Thus, people might question some of the rankings from last year (as they do with every competition), but looking at the scoresheet, you will realize why some teams placed over others. Jesse, again, if you would like to talk in more detail, please contact Rohit. He can go over this in much more detail with you if need be.

 

[faizan]

here's my take, and i have no affiliations with boston bhangra, my teams have pretty much gotten rejected ever year we have applied to it, lol...

throw a good comp this year, and make teams happy, and WWE will be forgiven, simple.

people mess up man, if i was on a team, and like WWE was like, come on the show, i would sign that contract madddd quick...i wouldn't sit there going, "uh oh, i hope they don't misrepresent our culture" anyone who says they would, is liar...getting to be on primetime tv is huge, and any of the teams our there would have closed their eyes and signed on the dotted line, period...i think boston should have been more apologetic, but they are boston, they run a successful competition, i would have an ego too...

honestly, my biggest tip to competitions, as witnessed by the stick up bruin's ass, is, be humble, and try to connect better with dancers and teams...i salute boston for using btf as a direct channel and actually responding to questions and concerns in a timely manner...

you guys should do a WWE spoof of yourselves at the competition this year, it would add some comedy to the situation, and pop the tension baloon.

 

[Boston Bhangra]

Faizan,
Trust me when I say that we are not arrogant at all when it comes to how we handle ourselves or what we do, especially at our competition. We treat the teams with utmost respect, and try to do what we can for every team that applies, and for every team that doesn't get accepted (how many competitions do you know that actually call every team that gets rejected and gets their money back within 2 week). We take great pride in how we run our competition, and you would be hard pressed to find a harder working group of individuals dedicated to making the teams lives as easy as possible. Teams have been taking advantage of that, but we try to set the bar. We expect our competition, and organization to be successful, and we understand what we need to do to get there. We don't act like we have a stick up our asses, and we respond in a timely manner to issues and pressing needs. Again, you don't have to take our word for it, ask other teams around the circuit that have come to our competition. We are very confident that teams apply to our competition, not just because it is well organized, but because we try to go out of our way for teams when they come to Boston.

 

[Havish]

I just think that Boston Bhangra handled the situation in the wrong way, as most people have already stated that most teams would go on the show for being on national TV. I just think that Boston Bhangra should have come and said that they are sorry for the way things turned out in the first place instead of posting "Boston Bhangra on WWE come watch its gonna be sick!!!!!" Yes you have stated you case now and most people will accept it and move on but won't forget it.

About the competition, from my past experience from last year, I would have to say this is one of the best organized competitions I have been too, the only complaint would be judging but that seems to be the problem at every competition.

you would be hard pressed to find a harder working group of individuals dedicated to making the teams lives as easy as possible.

Please don't talk about other competitions as if you know what their organizers go through, because from my understanding Boston Bhangra didn't really compete at any competition this past year.

 

[Vick]

I dont know man, it kinda seems like Boston Bhangra's ego is the size of Texas right now.. Maybe thats how it is with everyone in Boston these days? Patriot fans, Red Sox Fans, Celtics fans, Boston Committee... Just reading Bostons messages sends the wrong vibes... Boston sorry to burst your bubble a little, but I've heard far better things about AVAP's treatment of teams, and they've only been in this business for about 2 years... And they dont brag about it either!

 

[Meistro]

HAHAHAHAHA guppi

 

[Hans]

I think Boston should consider allowing the judges to reach a consensus before announcing the results since last year's results just didn't make sense.

I really don't agree here. I think a lot of people are confusing bad judging with judging that they just don't agree with. The results were 1. DRP, 2. VCU, 3. MIT and Shan-E. Now, besides MIT tying for third, I think those results were spot on. DRP has really torn it up this year, and they were great at Boston, so it really isn't that hard to accept them as #1. They were not at all the most traditional team there, but they were, I thought, the best. They had my vote for first. VCU has also done great, and 2nd was a solid placing. I thought Shan-E was the best all-guys team there, and of course they got 3rd. I agree that MIT should not have been in the top 3, but the crowd played an important role in that placement. Even still, the top 3 teams besides MIT did actually place in the proper spots.

I think the biggest problem was that everyone went into Boston expecting the judging to be very traditional based on past years, and it wasn't. Just because the judging was not traditional, however, does not mean that it did not make sense, or that it was way off if the top 3 teams still placed. I'm curious to hear what everyone else thought the placements should have been.

It's amazing how everyone cried foul over what Boston did, but now everyone seems cool with it. I'll let it go now, but its amazing how everyone forgets so easily...

Dude, you can't just assume that all of us who are ready to move past the WWE fiasco were the same people who "cried foul" over it to begin with. I, for one, never said a thing about their involvement to begin with, and I don't think sulmoney, who feels the same way, did either. Careful with the generalizations.

 

[Jeeti]

Good point, Hans neither did I.

 

[Vick]

Ohhh OK, so you guys thought it was cool... My bad... I assumed that it was globally condemned...

 

[Sher]

Vick, I agree with you about it being a really bad thing. I dont agree with what Boston Bhangra did on tv... However, I dont think it is fair to criticize the entire Boston Bhangra organization for it. From what ive heard (never actually been ) Boston Bhangra is a solid competition and I would have no problem in going.

 

[Benny]

i agree with hans on the fact that boston judging was right...even though I am on VCU and a lot of people said that we should've won, I understand that we didn't win because DRP had a cleaner performance than ours and did not have any messups like us...however, the tie b/w shan-e and MIT is something that I disagree with even today...but i guess the judges got influenced by the crowd support...hopefully the judging at Boston 2008 is good like this last year and hopefully the judges don't let the crowd influence their judgement...just my thoughts