CMU Bhangra 2015 - 2016 (All Performances + Mix)

[Ankur Toshniwal]

It's been an honor for Tejas and I to captain the CMU Bhangra Team for the 2015 - 2016 year.
Bhangra Blowout 23:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMiiWLM7bZ4
Hit us with some discussion! Any feedback or comments always appreciated.
(All 5 performances underneath)


Dance has always had a close place to my heart. Prior to enrolling in Carnegie Mellon, Diwali parties with children running across the stage were the most epic stages I’d ever performed on. It was only after learning about Bhangra from my two family friends, Rohit Kabra and Mohit Moondra, who were CMU Bhangra Alumni that I decided to try out for the team my freshman year at CMU. When I was accepted onto the team, I had no idea the journey I was about to begin; the friends I would make, the memories I would cherish, and the new paths I would forge.


After Tejasvir Singh Rekhi (Tejas) and I were elected captains for the 2015 - 2016 academic school year, we decided from Day 1 that things were going to be different this year. We both agreed, that if we were going to put on a performance, we were only going to step foot on that stage if we were prepared to evoke emotions in the audience, and move our viewers with our happiness on stage.


We watched successful sets from various teams, and decided on one thing: every song we select, all choreography we create, all gimmicks we incorporate, we were going to do what made us happy. Every time we danced to a potential song, we asked ourselves, can I stop myself from smiling while I’m dancing to this, if yes then we need to find a new one.


We wanted to tell a story with our set. We believed that if we could evoke an emotion within the audience, make the crowd feel something unexpected, create an moment of awe or joy, our job was done. We had already won in our hearts, and the award ceremony was just a formality. Having fun on stage was our primary goal. We believed that if we made dancing on stage fun rather than stressful and full of pressure we couldn’t go wrong. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and did not want our set to either.

For us, #breakthebarrier was one of the mottos leading up to Blowout. Shubhit Singh, a Senior and both of our best friend, began a movement that aligned with our goals perfectly. We believed that despite all gimmicks, if we learned to break the mental barrier holding our bodies back, we would attain a level of energy and passion on stage that we never knew we contained.[SIZE=small]

We always believed that if we went out on stage and were able to genuinely embody the happiness in our hearts for 8 minutes; dance with passion and vigor; the trophies and achievements would come chasing after us.[/SIZE]

As always, this would not be possible without the consistent, unwavering support of our friends and family despite Bhangra having an inverse correlation with our GPAs. Thank you everyone.

We hope you enjoy our performances, and hopefully we make you feel a lil sumtin, and at least help you crack a grin. If we do, cheers! All Love.

Here are our 5 performances at competitions this year:


Bhangra in Burgh 9 (2015) – Exhibition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ErHkJYuU8


Buckeye Mela 2016 – 2nd Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL-bm_SDCHA


Naach Di Cleveland 2016 - 1st Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smM_18vJn3c


Nachde Nashville 2016 – 1st Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqKgvOOShcg


Bhangra Blowout 23 (2016) – 1st Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMiiWLM7bZ4



Each year we make an effort to send our Campus Team (B Team) to a competition to make sure dancers of all levels get a taste of performing on stage. At this competition we had 9 dancers performing for the first time ever which was sick.


Taste of India 2016 – 2nd Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY-dMX4G76A&feature=youtu.be



Performers
Blowout
Ankur Toshniwal & Udgeetha Mallampali - Red
Shubhit Singh & Tanya Talwar - Ferozi
Samir Malhotra & Nikita Bokil - Yellow
Kavin Sanghavi & Kaveen Singh - Green
Sujay Desai & Sharanya Bhateja - Orange
Ian Asenjo & Priya Prabhu - Blue
Umang Bhatt & Nikita Patkar - Black
Kyle Gheewala & Toshitha Jagadeesh - Purple
Kushal Dave, Shrishti Kedia - Mela

Band:
Shoutout to sound crews at comps for making the Live Tabla sound hot
Tejasvir Singh Rekhi - Dhol & Tabla
IkamJeet Singh - Dhud/Singer
Hardik Singh - Chimta


Cleveland and Nashville
Ankur Toshniwal & Udgeetha Mallampali - Red
Shubhit Singh & Monica Srinivasa - Black
Samir Malhotra & Tanya Talwar - Yellow
Ian Asenjo & Toshitha Jagadeesh - Orange (Green)
Kavin Sanghavi & Nikita Bokil - Ferozi
Sujay Desai & Sharanya Bhateja - Blue (Orange)
Jay Tipre & Pooja Penninti - Purple
Umang Bhatt & Nikita Patkar - Green (Blue)


Buckeye Mela
Ankur Toshniwal & Udgeetha Mallampali - Red
Shubhit Singh & Priya Prabhu - Black
Samir Malhotra & Nikita Bokil - Ferozi
Kyle Gheewala & Tanya Talwar - Yellow
Kavin Sanghavi & Nikita Patkar - Orange
Sujay Desai & Sharanya Bhateja - Blue
Maulik Doshi & Pooja Penninti - Purple
Ian Asenjo & Toshitha Jagadeesh - Green


Taste of India
Hardik Singh & Kaveen Singh - Red
Neel Tiwary & Shrishti Kedia - Ferozi
Samir Malhotra & Tanya Talwar - Orange
Kavin Sanghavi & Shreya Punya - Green
Sujay Desai & Sharanya Bhateja - Yellow
Akash Kejriwal & Prachi Mahableshwarkar - Purple
Umang Bhatt & Shivani Sheth - Blue
Amal Nanavati & Kushal Dave - Black
Dholis - Vishal Ahuja and Hans Kumar

Shoutouts:
-Kavin: Great job with the Mix. Proud of you. Mix: http://tinyurl.com/gvax9rw
-Shubhit: Dopest of the dope. Always helped when we needed it. Friend, ferocious dancer, and brother.
-Harjot: Thank you so much for the video and helping us make the Blowout production. Much Love.
-CMU Alumni: Without you guys teaching us, supporting us, and guiding us, we could not have accomplished anything.
-FCB Family: You guys have always supported us and our camaraderie and rivalry pushes us to the limit.
-Sheel Mehta: Being a boss, and teaching me how to dance with a lil chest


We all chillin' n shit,
Tejas and Ankur

 

[Howie Magz]

Having competed against you at every single competition y'all were at (except taste of India) you guys have established yourself as one of the best teams in bhangra. I have seen how much you guys have grown this year. In all honesty I was curious as to if yall were going to be good this year because of how dancers graduate and each generation of college bhangra teams produces different results. Some colleges excel while others die out. Boy was I wrong. You kept CMU as a top tier threat and brought it to a whole new level. You guys were the team that always kept everyone on their toes and were always the team that was expected to win first.

My only critique is that although the set, formation, and choreography were great my eyes can gravitate to one or two jodis who were dying at certain points in every performance. Yes there were minor mishaps or people bumping into each other those are easy fixes for next year. Keep building that energy. Also please keep going 16 because it is so eye pleasing and gives you such a edge.

To the next generation of CMU Bhangra. Keep the team alive and a threat next year. Expect some great performances haha. Once again congratulations to Tejasvir, Ankur, and Shuhbit for an excellent season.

#foreverlosetocmu

 

[Bajwa99]

[SIZE=small]Props to the captains for bringing the fire out this season, y'all killed it ! My boy Kavin killing it with that fire production(; [/SIZE]
[SIZE=small][/SIZE]
[SIZE=small]Mad respect to all of the CMU fam y'all treat bhangra with so much respect, it all shows up on stage. At the end of the day it's about having a great time up there.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=small][/SIZE]
[SIZE=small]Congrats on a great season! Keep the fire alive and cant wait for what's in store for next year (;[/SIZE]
[SIZE=small][/SIZE]
[SIZE=small]LOVE JU TEJAS <3[/SIZE]

 

[Reeeeda]

Seeing you guys at Burgh and Srujan, I wasn't entirely sold on CMU going 16 nor certain parts of the set. After watching blowout, I'm definitely sold and I am definitely a fan overall. The tweaks that you've made in your set to choreo, gimmicks, and formations throughout the season have been vital. Every change was smart (and effective). By blowout, all dancers from 1 through 16, were dancing at a similar caliber/style, which is not an easy thing to achieve. You've performed a set that, at burgh/Srujan, had room for improvement and brought it to the next level. It's really the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

Being that you guys are collegiate, I know this is out of the question due to timing. But, I really would be interested in seeing how CMU would do on a more competitive stage (such as Bruin, for example). You guys are definitely a top-tier team and should look to go to top-tier comps (maybe Boston?) next year. Go up against some bigger teams - challenge them by being there and challenge yourself by being apart of a lineup where people are left guessing who might take it.


Props to every single person on that stage for having just the right amount of passion and dedication. I can see it moving through all of you as you dance

(Side note: Udgeetha's stage presence is seriously captivating)

 

[sumeetj]

- set the benchmark for co-ed routines to come. even if you take the unique order of segments out of the equation, still the best i can remember.

- glad to see a team outside of the few couple that currently do/did before who took some risks with their set creation

- we will still be doing the chaiyya chaiyya move that you stole from us at bruin tejas you are a kutha. but very very very nicely done.

- kavin, amazing job on a mix. definitely doesn't soudn like you learned how to mix this year.

- more teams should begin moving in this direction for sets. its really tough, but the majority of teams these days have pretty much a random amalgamation of moves in their props segments and i can't remember a single thing about it. i can definitely remember some cool moments in each of your props segments.

- going 16 was a very wise decision and you guys made sure your newer dancers learned their fundamentals well and they def executed on stage

- your girls are sick

- your guys are obviously very good too

- ending was super good/hype

- yes for not doing much romantic stuff

- tabla incoroporation is great (and got better with your mini-stage at blowout) - could have made more out of the jugni drop in the choreo itself but its all good

- id see shubhits snapchats of people working out before practice (saw plenty of shubhit working out as well) - true testament that shows that hard, smart work is the key (and not just letting a hot set carry you)

- ankur you look very nice in red

- shubhit i think you looked hotter in black, regardless you looked so big and manly on stage in these vardi i think i blush when i watch you dance

- when i think of more random thoughts about this i shall let you know

 

[shubhitms]

- shubhit i think you looked hotter in black, regardless you looked so big and manly on stage in these vardi i think i blush when i watch you dance

Sumeet you can ask Ankur & Tejas, we had many long discussions. They wanted me to wear black but I insisted on ferozi because it looks brighter on stage. Also you're the only human being I know that can kick his own face doing chaafa, let's not even get to big & manly


Thanks for the feedback brotha, much love.

 

[Ankur Toshniwal]

They wanted me to wear black but I insisted on ferozi because it looks brighter on stage

Lol just blatant lies.

 

[Ankur Toshniwal]

- we will still be doing the chaiyya chaiyya move that you stole from us at bruin tejas you are a kutha. but very very very nicely done.

Lol watchu talking?! Another team did it before us haha?? Damn.


I literally watched the original Chaiyya Chaiyya video on youtube and came up with the choreo. Tejas is nice guy, not kutha. Send link if you got an example, wanna see how other teams have used that.

 

[hardeep_singh]

this is all in reference to blowout video

jhoomer start was niiiice, should have done more choreo with the circle formation, would have looked folk.
after that u guys mashed up some songs about melas, seems like a fair segway from vanjhali vaja jhoomer, but that whole daang segment does nothing for me. speeding up songs to make it easier to do more "aggressive/faster" choreo defeats the whole purpose of trying to do justice to a song. in the same segment u go from aggressive to some soft daang phumaniyan to an even softer bhangra song, just doesn't flow well. no one does jandu singha properly, tapping your feet 3 beats in the same spot really fast does not proper jandhu singha make. can't get over seeing a team dancing that hard and throwing a kick in to "ashiq dig dig" lol soft song. more awkward jandhu singha.

oh hey, a team consisting mostly of non-sikhs dancing to a song about jindha and sukha........i honestly don't know how i feel about this, i'm kinda in admiration cuz it just seems like some high level trolling.

tabla was utterly pointless, chaal to it seemed awkward as fuck. bag pipes do nothing for bhangra. classical indian instrument and a scottish instrument mashed up to do a chaal segment, how could anyone ever think this would be a good idea?

first a song about jindha and sukha then a hindi song for an awkward phumaniyan segment ? the lack of flow in this set is disturbing.
then dhamaal to some angreji song? ???
wtf then hard jhoomer to rangla punjab, i'm typing this as i watch and in this moment i can't even think of what i can possibly say about going from angreji song to folkass sarabjit cheema song.
then doing saap segment to dhulla??? oh hey saap jandhu singha...still not done proper.
surprisingly i liked the ending segment. ending mela though was pointless, so was ending boli, especially when the mix trolls punjabi culture so hard.

good dancing, great energy, better/proper execution on certain moves should be emphasized. i just cant get over lack of awareness of what is actually being used in these mixes and the ignorance of how badly everything flows because of it.

 

[Nimit]

Really liked the attention to execution. You guys were strong 1 through 16 which is hard to do and hard to teach so REALLY well done there. I found your set to be very entertaining and for everyone that wasn't there, the set hit way harder live. Nothing but praise for you guys. You really separated yourself from the rest of the collegiate field after burgh and I think that people will remember this set for a while.


I doubt you care for critiques after a long and successful year (esp from someone you beat lol), but if you ever want any actual critiques PM me. Hope that the captains next year will bring an equally good or better set. We can't wait to compete against you guys again.


Also mad props to the person that made your mix. For a first time mix, that was pretty nuts. Great job.

 

[Mitra]

Performers
Blowout
Ian Asenjo & Priya Prabhu - Blue

Buckeye Mela
Shubhit Singh & Priya Prabhu - Black

Ive heard that Priya Prabhu chick is quite crazy. Does she have a sister named Rhea perhaps? Lolololz

 

[abhij95]

The amount of detail put into every segment of this set is incredible. Can't wait to see what this team brings to the circuit next season.

 

[guranshsingh]

Yall are sick and improved so much throughout the year, from comp to comp. We are looking forward to competing against yall again! Congrats on a great year!