CLUTCH CITY BHANGRA COMPETITION 2016- Reviews, Feedback, and more!

[Clutch City Bhangra]

The Clutch City Bhangra Competition Committee would like to thank everyone who attended, performed, sponsored, volunteered, and supported our competition this year. We would not have been able to be a success without you all.

A huge thank you to the competing teams, you all killed it and congratulations to our placing teams,

1st place- VanCity Bhangra
2nd place- Alamo City Bhangra
3rd place- Cal Bhangra Alumni

Being a first year competition, we tried our very best to anticipate and plan for what the weekend had in store, but of course, we realize that nothing can be perfect in the first go around. We would truly appreciate any and all feedback from anyone who attended CCBC 2016. Our committee believes that improvement is key to a new and growing organization.

With this, thank you again, and please comment below with your reviews and feedback so we can come back bigger and better.

- Clutch City Bhangra Committee

 

[ampal]

First of all, I am SO excited to have an official bhangra competition in Texas now. It was long overdue.

Format
+ Something I loved
= Neutral Feelings
- Could use improvement

PreComp:
+ There was a judges meeting a month or so before the comp which was great because it gave us an ample amount of time to use their comments and actually implement them in ur set. All the questions and answers were typed out on a google doc.

Comp Weekend:
Pool Party: Wasn’t there but it looked lit af so feeling mad fomo right now.

Practice Space:
+ There was a signup sheet that went around for Thursday all day, friday all day and saturday until 2PM and then after the mixer. This is SO helpful and great. We def utilized the space a lot. I’ve never been to a competition where they organized THAT much space for practice. This was the first time all 12 plus our dholi was able to practice together.
+ I literally texted Surpreet and Gulshan if he had a speaker loud enough for the Dholi to practice with us and literally minutes later these guys pulls through a HUGE DJ speaker and let us use it in the ballroom. SO HELPFUL so thank you so much for doing that.
+ The hotel staff was bringing ICE COLD jugs of water to our practice rooms!

Mixer:
+ There was a taco bar. we didn’t eat anything so i don’t know if it was good but really cool idea , esp of the teams coming out of state.
= We played three games and rallied up points which determined our lineup spot. Games had nothing to do with bhangra.
= The dance floor didn’t open up after the lineup was determined.
= The teams didn’t really get to mix so maybe next year, have games that force us to work together somehow.
+ What the Heaakk was super cool

Tech TIme/Comp Day:

+ Initially they gave every team 12 mins but after team requests, they increased it to 15mins.
+ Tech time actually ran early which is unheard of.
+++ We were all able to meet with the lighting technician to physically explain our lighting cues. He was so helpful and offered us so many great ideas. We basically ended up redoing most of our lighting after his input. Then on top of that, we were allowed to play our mix and watch the lighting cues with it.
+++ THE VENUE WAS AWESOME! Never danced on a stage like that before and the lighting was so cool! Def a step up from the basic cyc back washes. or whatever they’re called.
++ Literally just asked Surpreet to put another speaker on stage for our dholi and he was able to get that done too. and then asked him to put another one because our dholi played on the side that didn’t have one. He got that done as well.
= We were unaware going into the comp that after tech time the teams had to stay at the venue until the show. The venue and the hotel were at least 40mins away so I guess that’s why but maybe have a hotel closer to the venue next year or the venue closer. However, there seemed to be a lot of room for the teams to get ready at the venue. Again, we had cars so we were able to transport ourselves.
+ Had more than 5 mins to set up.

Judges Meeting:
+ Everyone was supposed to have 5 mins but it def went over. It sucked waiting outside but once inside, I’m sure we all appreciated that.

Food:
++ We had like 2 cases of water
+ and a lot of gatorade
+ There were breakfast boxes in the morning
+ Had these wraps and chips and apples after tech time, they were great.
+ There was a pizza buffet in the hotel restaurant

After Party:
+ It was at the hotel and usually they get shut down but this one didn’t so it was dope.
+ I heard they had free drinks until 1 AM?

Day after comp Day:
++ There was legit FOOD for everyone. Hamburgers and hotdogs and fruits and stuff.

Basically overall, i have nothing bad to say about clutch. The committee was cheering everyone on as we performed and did everything right. You could really tell Surpreet and Gagan and the rest of them put a lot of thought behind every single thing. The teams were taken care of so well and I was thoroughly impressed. I really hope you guys bring back clutch next year and really encourage all the teams to apply. For a first year comp, this ran better than some old, longer running comps we've been to. Everything’s bigger in Texas and Clutch was no different.

- Your friendly neighbors, Alamo City Bhangra!

 

[Ashley]

100% what Ampal said. This comp was something special. It was so smooth and relaxed. At most comps things feel chaotic and teams are left confused about information- you can feel in it the atmosphere. This comp was completely different. We were never rushed or lost and they gave us ample time for everything- they were clear with what they expected from us and they did their part on the rest. Even when there were hiccups, like the fire alarm. Everyone patiently waited while organizers and staff handled it as quickly as possible ( in this time the organizers were so calm, it set the tone for everyone else).

The amenities at this comp were like no other. Lots of food, lots of water and lots of snacks. The BBQ was really appreciated as well- it was the first real meal some of us had the whole weekend. They even had a barber come in to do a last minute clean up for the guys and if we ever needed any thing, the request wasn't ignored and was brought to us within minutes. You can tell they really cared about the dancers, not just the show.

The venue/show: there was plenty of space for the teams, Alamo had a cool place with couches. The audience was slow to come in but ended up being a hype full crowd. When shows aren't on time the crowd energy dwindles and some people leave. Alamo was the last in line up and I think we went on just before 9pm - the crowd was better than ever.

All the teams were humble and supportive of each other. I'm thankful I was there to see Cal Alumni on stage again. The only disappointing thing was that GTV didn't come, but luckily Kings production was able to capture the night.

I appreciate ALL the work everyone put into making this happen.
Thank you Clutch committee for being so Clutch.

PS if you appreciate Dhol, check out our side view and watch Gurkaran kill it. #magic

 

[Robby Benipal]

ill follow the format Ampal posted for this review.


Pre-Comp:
+ Letting us ask the judges questions by submitting them via google drive was dope. It saved a lot of time and confusion.
+ The group chat that was created to ask any questions that we might have had leading up to the competition was extremely useful.


Pool Party:
+ I thought this was coolest thing an organization could do for the teams. It allowed teams to relax and connect with each other before the mixer.
= In the future you guys should try to incorporate fun/interactive games.
= I felt there was a lack of punjabi music, but thats just my personal opinion, it woulda been cool to hear DJ Geo mixing live.


Practice Space:
+ Signing up for practice spaces pretty much won over all the teams. Usually teams end up practicing in parking lots, gyms, universities, etc.. but having time slots for the rooms in the hotel eliminated all that extra stress. Plus it helped schedule your day.
+ Non stop water jugs


Mixer:
+ Food was great..
+ Riding the bull game was very different and fun to experience.
- There should have been actual mixing of teams during the mixer, even an ice breaker game would have done the trick.
= The games were used to determine the lineup, but I personally think a double blind would have been a better suit to determine the lineup.
- No open dance floor after the mixer cmonnnnnn people wanna dance.
+ Teams were allowed extra practice sessions after the mixer in the rooms.


Tech Time:
+ The busses to the venue were on time and not crammed.
= The venue was kinda far so we had to stay at the venue after tech time to get ready.
+ Rooms were provided for teams.. SDK had a roster of 20 and seemed to fit in the room fine so the bus back to the hotel after tech time didn't really matter to us.
= Lighting cues weren't programmed before we hit our run so we couldn't see how they looked like.
+ Gagan was letting us know how much time we had left throughout the run.
+ The guy doing the lighting cues was super friendly and showed us exactly how everything was going to look since we were not able to have them on during our stage time.
+ Tech time actually ended earlier than expected which gave everyone plenty of time to get ready for the start of the show.
+ The burritos we got at tech time were awesome! but we found out our liaison was a vegetarian and we didn't have any veggie stuff for her :/ So we started chanting "FEED GAGAN!" and in no time at all the committee was there for us in our time of crisis.



Competition:
= The crowd was a little less than I expected but it was still a decent amount.
+ All of the performances were entertaining to watch
- Change the MC's FORSURE. Don't even think twice about this one. My family was in the audience and some of the things the MC was saying were not family oriented at all.
+ Competition ended on time.


Judges Meeting:
+ I liked the fact that the judges meeting was timed. It gets straight to the point.
+ The judges actually provided useful feedback.. I've been to competitions where judges don't even remember the performance or try to give very very generic advice. The judges here were well prepared and had notes of every performance and pointed out what actually hit, what didn't, and how to make things better.


After Party:
+ The after party was in the hotel which was dope because you didn't have to worry about getting ready, hopping on another bus and going to a club for an hour and then coming back.
= The bar was almost impossible to get to. Maybe set up a couple more bars next time to split up traffic.
+ LED dance floor was a great touch.
+ After party lasted till 3 I think? Plenty of time to have fun.


BBQ:
+ The food was terrific, this was just another event that added a unique touch to this competition. Usually you're on your own the day after the competition.


Overall:
This was a really well run competition. I would recommend every team to apply to this competition. The committee was very hospitable and felt like family. Keep this going! Summer comps ftw!


P.S. #FeedGagan

 

[nehabatra]

Overall, agree with all of the things that have been said above! Especially for a first year comp, the committee did a FANTASTIC job of anticipating what dancers needed and providing them for us.

+ Having all of the events (other than the show) at the hotel was super convenient-it was great never having to rush to get to things like the mixer and afterparty on time. Not to mention, the hotel itself was BEAUTIFUL (and affordable).
+Practice space was SO clutch. Our team had plenty of time to practice between the time we arrived Thursday afternoon and the time we left for the venue Sunday morning.
+ We were provided with ample delicious food. We were especially pleased with the 4th of July brunch on Monday-completely unanticipated and we loved it.
+ Overall organization and communication between committee and teams was on point-we knew exactly where we needed to be and when.
+Tech staff at the venue was so patient and willing to work with us on our lighting cues.

=Mixer could have been organized a little better-like previously mentioned, the games that determined the show order weren't the most effective system. A team's spot in the lineup was determined using relatively arbitrary criteria (i.e. how long your team member rode the bull, how many points scored in charades, etc). I also agree with the fact that a little more mingling between teams would have been nice. Whether that be in the structure of the games, the seating arrangement, or both. I personally liked that the mixer was short and sweet, seeing as everyone had a long and early day the next day. But because it was so short and the way it was structured, there weren't many opportunities to talk to members of other teams, which is typically the point of mixers.
=Venue being far from the hotel was slightly inconvenient, but the fact that everything else we possibly needed was at the hotel definitely compensated for this small negative. Also, the shuttles that took everyone to and from the venue were on time, spacious, and extremely comfortable.
=The stage was not the best for dancing because of its platform structure and the material it was made out of. Granted, this is out of the committee's control, but if there is another venue option in the future, it might be something to consider.
=Most of the staff was extremely friendly and open, but there were times when some were slightly short and impatient with us. I'm going to assume this was simply because of the stress of running a competition? It also was not a trait seen across the board, only with some people at certain times.

- Biggest and only negative in my opinion: Shuttles to and from the hotel should have been planned more thoroughly. The shuttle I was in when I arrived changed their mind 3 times about whether they were going to wait for people coming in on the next flight or if they were going to drop me off at the hotel first. This resulted in me sitting in that shuttle while we left the airport, drove 15 minutes, turned back, left again, turned back again, and sat at the airport again. My flight landed at 1pm and I didn't get to the hotel until 5:30pm. Totally understand that sometimes things are out of the committee's control, but this didn't feel like one of those times. On Sunday night, a teammate of mine was trying to figure out her ride situation to Hobby (an hour away from the hotel) because there weren't any shuttles going to that airport on Monday. This in itself was odd to me, considering many people had flights out of Hobby and Monday was the day immediately after the competition. She had to ask multiple times until finally being told very late Sunday night that she would be reimbursed for her Uber. It was extremely nice of the committee to offer to do that; it just would have been nice to know sooner so she wasn't stressing about it just hours before she needed to leave. I was put in a similar situation-I was told at 5am that I was going to be taken to the airport (for my late afternoon flight) at 10am. The previous spreadsheet we had been shown had plenty of shuttles going to IAH throughout the day, so I assumed I would be on one of those. Now the spreadsheet was only showing 10am shuttle times and 2:15pm shuttle times, one much earlier than I was expecting and one too late. However, the time of the shuttle itself wasn't as much of an issue as the fact that the timings were changed so last minute.


Despite a few small hiccups, overall, Clutch City was an extremely well run competition! It takes a lot of guts, and even more skill, to spontaneously decide to host a competition and successfully pull it off in just 8 short months. You all thought of so many minor details that very few comps take into consideration and made us all feel welcome in Houston. Shoutout to Gagan, Surpreet, and the whole Clutch City committee for pulling through and giving us a weekend to remember! NCDT had a great time and it was an honor to share a stage with all the fantastic dancers that came through.

 

[A.JAGGI]

[SIZE=medium]Congrats to Clutch City committee for hosting a great first comp. Shout out to Sher e's liaison Ricky for kicking it with us and being very Clutch the entire weekend.


My personal opinion from the weekend.
Pool Party: A1 Good Queso

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Mixer: A1 Great job having it in the hotel. Good Queso (I personally dislike playing games for points that have a hand in determining our spot in the lineup. We just wanna eat food, meet people, get hyped for the comp, and have a good time rather than putting in extra attention and focus with meaningless games that determine our spot in the show)[/SIZE]

Hotel: A1 Good idea putting most teams on one floor.

Comp: Stage Floor was bleh. Cracks all over the place and slippery. Good sound. All seemed to be running smoothly. We were told we cant watch other teams which was disappointing.

Afterparty: A1.

Not much to say negatively about this comp. I'm positive as the years go on this comp will be one of the higher end competitions in the circuit.


Look forward to next year.


[SIZE=medium][/SIZE]

 

[kpanesar]

ClutchCity definitely came in CLUTCH!!

Its so rare to go to a competition and have no stress until the second you step on stage. I feel like the ClutchCity committee did that very well.

Rides from the airport were on time and they accommodated all 18 of us that came together. There was more than enough food to keep everyone well fed. Having majority of the events (Pool part, mixer, after party) at the Hotel was by far the most convenient part about this competition, this allowed teams to get to know everyone without worrying where your own team is all the time. The reason we come to international competitions is because it gives us a chance to make new friends and unforgettable memories and that exactly what we did this comp! Competition ran on time and ended on time which is SO important for teams that want to get to get most out of the after party... although there was plenty of after party... went until 2..3...4 am? I don't even remember LOL. Tech times were not rushed and lighting guy was just as nice as us Canadians. I wish we could have gone back to the hotel just to be a little more comfortable but again, food and everything else we needed was supplied at the venue. I know I'm missing a million other things but everyone above has mentioned them!

Overall, there needs to be more competitions like this! When we applied we were hesitant on going from Vancouver to Texas... expensive flights and it being in Texas and all... but the whole application process to the second we arrived, the ClutchCity committee showed us nothing but love and treated us like family! We are all FRANNZZ! We will most definitely be back next year!

Some honorable mentions:

Our liasons, Navdeep and Nimish were the dopest! The second we met them all they worried about was us having everything we need. Rides were provided and overall they were the sweetest. Thanks for yelling at us Gagan, without you I'm sure everything wouldn't have been so on time! Pritpaul for driving us wherever we needed to go. Gurdev, without you reaching out to us we would have never made it out so thank you and much love! Finally, Surpreet, you have got an amazing team in front of you and I cant wait to see what's in store for next year! thank you for all the hospitality. Thank you to all the other members of the committee as well, without all your teamwork this event would have never been so legendary!

EIEIO
- Kabeer

VanCity out