***CORNELL BHANGRA @ WBBC 2014 - FIRST PLACE***

[Anik915]

I apologize

Apology accepted!


...lol

 

[yomamajama]

Good job Cornell. Try to stay humble though, always room for improvement, you can't just bash a person's comments just because you guys feel "you worked harder" than people think. There are always people out there that will continuously ridicule you; just use it as fuel for motivation, not a source of contempt.

 

[Psant]

You do realize these things are public right? Stay classy.

 

[J-Skeet]

You do realize these things are public right? Stay classy.

lol everything you said was constructive and your opinion. most of the replies on this thread is just cornell members pumping each other. Which is fine. I'm not putting you guys down, and I don't believe that psant was doing so either. I myself agree with most of what psant said in his take of your performance, but before saying anything I was going to wait for the other videos from that night to come out. Actually most of the people I've talked to felt that way about Cornells set. It's a public forum though where people share their views and opinions. I agree trolling is annoying and frustrating, but psants not trolling...imo.

This whole personalization, where everyone knows each other, is detrimental imo. It is good to have restrictons though....but all I see is a bunch of people congratulating team members and when someone does post a critique we see those oversensitive replies (like the one anik gave to psant).

Anyway congratulation on first place. Seriously there was a lot of hard work involved and you should be proud. However, all the other teams have worked just as hard so don't let your emotions get the better of you. Good luck to you guys next season.

 

[mrchicity]

You do realize these things are public right? Stay classy.

Wow, way to take criticism well. Maybe you didn't like the way Psant wrote his post, but I thought that most of his analysis was on point.

Last year you guys made a routine with gimmicks that had never been done before. Execution and form weren't top notch, but the concepts were entirely original and entertaining, and this worked well especially at a comp that emphasizes entertainment like WBBC. This year, instead of continuing to make even more original concepts, you chose to do something more parallel with what you did last year (with some added twists). To an audience that had never seen you perform before, I'm sure it was still incredibly entertaining, but I was not as impressed. You're not the only team to ever reuse old ideas, but personally I have more respect for teams that continue to flex their creative muscle and make original content. As Psant pointed out, you guys did the machine gun saap thing that BK did last year (I understand that you guys were calling out CMU, but it's not completely original) and you also took the khunde becoming rumaalan magic trick from NJ at Elite 8 2011. Yes you put your own stamp on it, but it still wasn't as impressive as what you did last year. You may not like hearing this, but maybe you can take the challenge to make brand new ideas for your next competition instead of being upset that this routine wasn't universally loved.

In terms of dancer strength, it was variable from dancer to dancer. As said before, your purple guy mostly killed it, and it would've been nice to see that kind of execution from everyone else. I'm clearly not a fan of the dancing style overall, but that's your choice and you shouldn't be faulted for it.

I'll end with this: I'm sure it was difficult getting criticism after Burgh and whatever other comps you guys have been to, and when you put a lot into a set you get protective of it and of your team. That said, you guys chose this style for your team, you chose to emphasize entertainment over complex choreo and perfect folk form, and you will get flak for that (just as Empire did). From the posts above, it's pretty clear you don't have the thickest skin, and it's time to toughen up. Take whatever critiques or advice you find useful and do w/e you want with the rest, but calling people assholes for giving criticism shows weakness. Feel free to disregard whatever I've said too, but I'd say I know Cornell Bhangra pretty well having competed against you guys for the past 6 years and seeing all the different iterations and styles you've had since 2008. Maybe you don't want to change your style, but you can always be more original with your set. Congrats on 1st place and good luck with Pao Bhangra.

 

[Anik915]

Lol, everyone needs to take a step back, relax, and stop making their own assumptions. No one is upset because this performance wasn't "universally loved" - wtf? I've been on Cornell for years; I think I know how BTF responds to our performances pretty well by now. We don't expect to be "showered with praise" (although it would be nice, I haven't showered since Bell) or told that the routine was "flawless" (even though it was! lol, jk, take your finger off the trigger). I was simply letting Psant know that after years of reading his critiques that I think they could be phrased in a more constructive manner with respect to Cornell (not really a big deal) - if some of you can't handle that, then I'd recommend that you toughen up as well. As Psant is free to give any feedback he wants, anyone else should feel free to respond - stop being drama queens lol


How people around the circuit and alumni respond to my (hilarious) posts are their own business - but drop the assumptions. I'm 1) very happy 2) very appreciative of any helpful feedback and 3) always looking for more!


So thanks, to all of you, for your help =)


P.S - (if you haven't gotten the point yet, the parenthesis are for jokes. I showered today lol).

 

[mithu]

First and foremost, congrats on the placing.


But I was disappointed at this set.
I was really hoping to see something "new" from Cornell, but all I saw was the same set as before. Nothing completely original

 

[hardeep_singh]

First and foremost, congrats on the placing.
But I was disappointed at this set.
I was really hoping to see something "new" from Cornell, but all I saw was the same set as before. Nothing completely original

all the "criticism" is a fucking joke, welcome to fucking btf. honestly most of the intended constructive criticism i see on this site is weak sauce bull shit. i personally feel uncomfortable criticizing any performance on btf, no matter how bad i think it is, because i want to maintain a level of respect for the hard work put in to the performances. but if i'm gonna be an asshole right now i might as well go all out. with respect to cornell, ya im not a fan of the rigid style, the only justification i can see for using that style is to help standardize a developing team, i love you guys, i love your passion but the style does have to change as dancers "evolve". with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face. cornell had energy, they executed their set, their set was a hit with the audience, everyone was entertained. it was their competition to lose, go watch the videos and tell me if any other teams executed better, had more energy, didn't have dancers slacking. on that note the whole fucking circuit is a joke, the only set that has really impressed me this past season is nj at bbc, no other set has come close to that in terms of complexity, energy, execution. so fuck the circuit you all suck, stop rehashing old shit, stop holding dancers back with crappy choreo, stop taking the safe route, and stop coming on btf and talking like you're some sort of authority on the matter.

 

[RsKderpu]

seriously...

 

[hardeep_singh]

seriously...

lol who are u and why are you responding to me?

 

[sunnyd48]

with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face.

What about Vancity and their whole 'tying the AG guy and making him play chimpta' ordeal?

Not calling you out, I actually want to know whether it's been done before lol. But if it hasn't, I still look forward to the $20

 

[hardeep_singh]

with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face.

What about Vancity and their whole 'tying the AG guy and making him play chimpta' ordeal?
Not calling you out, I actually want to know whether it's been done before lol. But if it hasn't, I still look forward to the $20

bad guy popping out at the beginning of a set, been done, see nypd elite 8

 

[sunnyd48]

with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face.

What about Vancity and their whole 'tying the AG guy and making him play chimpta' ordeal?
Not calling you out, I actually want to know whether it's been done before lol. But if it hasn't, I still look forward to the $20

bad guy popping out at the beginning of a set, been done, see nypd elite 8

Ehh, the chimpta thing was different but I guess I'll save you the $20 lol

 

[hardeep_singh]

with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face.

What about Vancity and their whole 'tying the AG guy and making him play chimpta' ordeal?
Not calling you out, I actually want to know whether it's been done before lol. But if it hasn't, I still look forward to the $20

bad guy popping out at the beginning of a set, been done, see nypd elite 8

Ehh, the chimpta thing was different but I guess I'll save you the $20 lol

whenever i see the word "chimpta" i think of a chimp playing a chimta(the correct way of spelling it)
saleya come to boston sometime, we'll sing boliyan again

 

[Nirpaal]

First and foremost, congrats on the placing.
But I was disappointed at this set.
I was really hoping to see something "new" from Cornell, but all I saw was the same set as before. Nothing completely original

all the "criticism" is a fucking joke, welcome to fucking btf. honestly most of the intended constructive criticism i see on this site is weak sauce bull shit. i personally feel uncomfortable criticizing any performance on btf, no matter how bad i think it is, because i want to maintain a level of respect for the hard work put in to the performances. but if i'm gonna be an asshole right now i might as well go all out. with respect to cornell, ya im not a fan of the rigid style, the only justification i can see for using that style is to help standardize a developing team, i love you guys, i love your passion but the style does have to change as dancers "evolve". with respect to something new, LMFAO, please provide 1 example of a team bringing something new to WBBC. i'll even put my money where my mouth is, someone provide 1 example of something new gimmick wise that any team did at wbbc, and i'll give you $20, if i'm proven wrong and i dont deliver the money, feel free to punch me in the face. cornell had energy, they executed their set, their set was a hit with the audience, everyone was entertained. it was their competition to lose, go watch the videos and tell me if any other teams executed better, had more energy, didn't have dancers slacking. on that note the whole fucking circuit is a joke, the only set that has really impressed me this past season is nj at bbc, no other set has come close to that in terms of complexity, energy, execution. so fuck the circuit you all suck, stop rehashing old shit, stop holding dancers back with crappy choreo, stop taking the safe route, and stop coming on btf and talking like you're some sort of authority on the matter.

YESSSSSSSSSSSS YESSSS YESSSSSS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbmB9k2Y88

 

[arnab]

i feel like i need to declare all my conflicting interests before i post anything here...so yes, i have a very close personal relationship with this team, i have seen every performance they have ever done and anik is one of my best friends. putting that aside, after watching this set both live and in the video....it was absolutely deserving of first place. these guys understand what kind of routine WBBC wanted, what makes the audience go wild, and mastered the rubric better than ANY team of the night.


i'll agree with hardeep that it's just a bit silly to think that a team will have a definite winning strategy one year, then decide to completely change everything for the sake of changing and just hope that the re-invention will also be a winning strategy. just doesn't really seem like a smart move. we gave vcu a bit of heat in the past for the continual return of the joker gimmick...but hey, it got rewarded over and over again. cornell is one of the few teams on the circuit that has REALLY owned their style and developed it. i'll bet that if they were just another "me too" team, you wouldn't even think twice about some of the reused ideas from past sets.


to cornell - i know it's hard, but just gotta take everything in stride. there will always be those who don't see eye to eye, and that's healthy. you have so much validation from the bhangra world and world in general that what you've done is awesome. sure, some folks aren't that good at being diplomatic with feedback...but the last thing we want is people not posting feedback for fear of getting crucified.


overall - a job VERY well done, and a performance i'll keep watching for a long time. armaan, you deserve all the pump, bravo. build up to jugni was just straight dirty. completely disagree with any claim about chilling during gimmicks - i thought it was wild the entire time. love you guys.

 

[Ashley George]

I'm not the person that comments or really says anything on BTF, but after seeing all of these previous comments, I feel the need to step up and express my concerns.

Before I say anything else, I really want to thank Anik for putting in so many hours and so much hard work to make this set what it is. Furthermore, I would like to openly acknowledge that without him, none of us new competing dancers would have been able to be where we are today. I have never worked with a more kind, determined and caring individual. Thank you Anik for being such a great role model.

Now, on to my next points. While I understand that everyone has their own opinions regarding the set, I would like everyone to take a second, step back and cool down. Realize that at the end of the day, Bhangra is a form of dance. Dance is a form of entertainment. Entertainment, by definition, is "an event, performance, or activity designed to provide amusement or enjoyment to others." As performers, it is our job to appeal to the audience and hope that, at the end of our performance, the audience had a good time.

Constructing a performance is an art. And no two artists are alike. Directors of plays and films have different styles of directing, actors have different styles of acting, dancers have different styles of dancing. Yes, audiences have their own criticisms of these varying styles, but at the end of the day we respect the differences. The differences are what makes entertainment such a great field. If everyone had the same techniques/ideas about entertainment, life would get boring because everything would be the same. This same concept carries over into Bhangra world, different captains have different ideas of what qualifies as a "good set". And we all need to respect that. Because the circuit would get really boring if every team had the same techniques.

Yes, you should feel free to express your opinions. Yes, you should definitely provide constructive criticism. These things are vital to growth. But when you post opinions and criticisms simply attacking the performance, you're just wasting everyone's time. Show other people respect and they will respect you--that's usually how it works.

Basically what I'm getting at is that, at its core, the point of Bhangra is to share an experience between the performers and the audience. However a team chooses to make that experience possible is entirely their own choice. Different choices will be made, and disagreements will be had. But if the audience ends up happy after all is said and done, then who cares about the rest?

Please continue to post your opinions and your constructive criticisms. If you're only here to bash artistic differences, I suggest you put your efforts elsewhere.

 

[Psant]

I'm not the person that comments or really says anything on BTF, but after seeing all of these previous comments, I feel the need to step up and express my concerns.

Before I say anything else, I really want to thank Anik for putting in so many hours and so much hard work to make this set what it is. Furthermore, I would like to openly acknowledge that without him, none of us new competing dancers would have been able to be where we are today. I have never worked with a more kind, determined and caring individual. Thank you Anik for being such a great role model.

Now, on to my next points. While I understand that everyone has their own opinions regarding the set, I would like everyone to take a second, step back and cool down. Realize that at the end of the day, Bhangra is a form of dance. Dance is a form of entertainment. Entertainment, by definition, is "an event, performance, or activity designed to provide amusement or enjoyment to others." As performers, it is our job to appeal to the audience and hope that, at the end of our performance, the audience had a good time.

Constructing a performance is an art. And no two artists are alike. Directors of plays and films have different styles of directing, actors have different styles of acting, dancers have different styles of dancing. Yes, audiences have their own criticisms of these varying styles, but at the end of the day we respect the differences. The differences are what makes entertainment such a great field. If everyone had the same techniques/ideas about entertainment, life would get boring because everything would be the same. This same concept carries over into Bhangra world, different captains have different ideas of what qualifies as a "good set". And we all need to respect that. Because the circuit would get really boring if every team had the same techniques.

Yes, you should feel free to express your opinions. Yes, you should definitely provide constructive criticism. These things are vital to growth. But when you post opinions and criticisms simply attacking the performance, you're just wasting everyone's time. Show other people respect and they will respect you--that's usually how it works.

Basically what I'm getting at is that, at its core, the point of Bhangra is to share an experience between the performers and the audience. However a team chooses to make that experience possible is entirely their own choice. Different choices will be made, and disagreements will be had. But if the audience ends up happy after all is said and done, then who cares about the rest?

Please continue to post your opinions and your constructive criticisms. If you're only here to bash artistic differences, I suggest you put your efforts elsewhere.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most of the criticism in this thread is indeed constructive. If I were to sum it up into some bullet points, they would be as follows:

• Even out the dancer skill - this means put an excess of time into making the weaker dancers up to par with the better dancers. My personal recommendation was to try to mold everyone to Armaan's level of dancing ability
• Form - We can argue for days about "proper" form or what not, but the universal standard to my understanding is to have high knees and overall consistent footwork. When it comes to upper body, have a sort of natural "shake" to the shoulders as opposed to being static.
• Energy - Whether it be more conditioning or not simply not going 110% when a gimmick is going on in the foreground, continue to dance at the same caliber and level you would as if you were at the front of the stage the whole time.
• Reduce gimmicks that interrupt - This one is controversial, but here's the general idea. In a bhangra routine, which is a dance routine, it's generally favored when a high percentage of the set is being danced to. Thus, by having an excess of gimmicks, you are reducing dancing time.
• Repeating gimmicks - In this ADHD generation, we tend to not want to see the same thing over and over. Thus, when you guys do the same thing repeatedly (especially for those who avidly watch videos). I am aware that the audience at WBBC is probably not watching videos and it's all refreshing to them though.
• Mimicking gimmicks - Last year, Bhangra Knightz at the same competition did a very similar gunshot with saaps gimmick and it's generally frowned upon to bite like that.

 

[Ashley George]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most of the criticism in this thread is indeed constructive. If I were to sum it up into some bullet points, they would be as follows:

• Even out the dancer skill - this means put an excess of time into making the weaker dancers up to par with the better dancers. My personal recommendation was to try to mold everyone to Armaan's level of dancing ability
• Form - We can argue for days about "proper" form or what not, but the universal standard to my understanding is to have high knees and overall consistent footwork. When it comes to upper body, have a sort of natural "shake" to the shoulders as opposed to being static.
• Energy - Whether it be more conditioning or not simply not going 110% when a gimmick is going on in the foreground, continue to dance at the same caliber and level you would as if you were at the front of the stage the whole time.
• Reduce gimmicks that interrupt - This one is controversial, but here's the general idea. In a bhangra routine, which is a dance routine, it's generally favored when a high percentage of the set is being danced to. Thus, by having an excess of gimmicks, you are reducing dancing time.
• Repeating gimmicks - In this ADHD generation, we tend to not want to see the same thing over and over. Thus, when you guys do the same thing repeatedly (especially for those who avidly watch videos). I am aware that the audience at WBBC is probably not watching videos and it's all refreshing to them though.
• Mimicking gimmicks - Last year, Bhangra Knightz at the same competition did a very similar gunshot with saaps gimmick and it's generally frowned upon to bite like that.

I'm very proud that you were able to compile all of your critiques into a nice and concise bulleted list. I enjoyed reading your composition and look forward to reading future, maturely worded comments from you.


Thanks.

 

[Hoya Singh]

Ron Burgundy - That Escalated Quickly


Huge improvement in terms of form from burgh and I agree with those who said to dance a little more like Armaan. I think the girls improved a lot from burgh so props for that. One thing I'll say is that I don't like how much the set stops and goes even if you are trying to hit something hard. That being said, I think all of your gimmicks/hype segments hit well (even if some were recycled) but finding a way to integrate them better will make the entire set flow together more. Your dancers seem to have the capability to do that and I think it will make the set much more enjoyable.