dilemma

[Sido90]

So, this is something thats been on my mind for a while now.


When choosing the lineup for your comp, is it okay to take other (non dance related) factors into account?


I of course want the highest caliber of applicants to make it through to the final lineup, but sometimes I feel that it's necessary to take some other things account. Specifically, when accepting a certain team is going to hurt your competition. Basically, I think its real hard for an organizer to bring back a team who, although is mad talented, ruined some business relationships for the organizers because of poor behavior. I'm not talking about letting hometown/state teams compete just for the sake of a good audience. I'm talking about purely if accepting that team is going to cause problems for you.


On the one hand, I think its messed up to blacklist an entire team based on the actions of a few individuals, but I also think it's a bit ridiculous to ban specific members, not to mention it puts you in a really weird position. I wouldn't even know how to disclose that.


Also, is it ethical for competition organizers to share this kind of information with other organizers. I can see it being a bad thing- ruining the reputation of a team but on the other hand, I kinda wish someone would have warned me about certain individuals.


I guess the gist of this is ideally, we want the best teams to make it to every competition but is it okay to factor in other considerations when choosing your lineup?


I'm looking for feedback from comp organizers as well as teams! What do y'all think is the right thing to do?

 

[Aneeta]

It's perfectly acceptable for a committee/organizer to take into consideration many factors when choosing their lineup, including behavior and reputation. As a committee, you're perfectly within your rights to protect the interests of your organization. However, I would caution against telling other committees. Whatever a committee observes of a team and their actions they are welcome to take that into consideration, but third party input can really become harmful for teams, especially in cases of isolated instances of misfeasance. Whatever experience you have with a particular team is something you can weigh when you are evaluating applicants. As a personal suggestion, it seems you really like this team and their talent. Maybe you can consider giving strict instructions to the team about behavior and inform the team that they are subject to immediate disqualification and removal from the event and should be on their best behavior while attending the competition. Personally, warning a team is a more beneficial route because you still have a talented team in your lineup and hopefully they will be more willing to cooperate because they know there are sanctions for bad decisions.






Ps. There's a Competition Organizer's Forum on BTF that is private to everyone but Competition Organizers. You should request to be a part of it. =)

 

[Nikhil]

You decide what you want out of your event. Keep in mind what will keep the community happy, but if you are doing this for the right reasons mostly and you have a good vision, you can look at WHATEVER factors that are non bhangra. Ultimately people may disagree with whatever you pick because they have a difference of opinion, but you're very conscientious in even asking what should be done. Best of luck, you'll do well.

 

[Dippy]

On the one hand, I think its messed up to blacklist an entire team based on the actions of a few individuals, but I also think it's a bit ridiculous to ban specific members, not to mention it puts you in a really weird position. I wouldn't even know how to disclose that.

Also, is it ethical for competition organizers to share this kind of information with other organizers. I can see it being a bad thing- ruining the reputation of a team but on the other hand, I kinda wish someone would have warned me about certain individuals.

Idk if it's ethical or not but I've def done it. I know a lot of other comp organizers and YES we do share info about teams from our own shows good and bad. I've had orgs tell us to never except certain teams bc of what they've done at other shows and I've also had them recommend teams bc of how professional they were as well. In the end you have to look at your own comp and judge your decision based off of what you want your show to represent and how well your communication is with the teams captains. It would be stupid for you to not take into consideration all other outlying factors that are associated with a team. I mean if the team is consistently dropping out of competitions or wrecking the hotels and being belligerent I would def be cautious about accepting that team bc in the end its your show and your name on the line, you don't want to make yourself or your competition look bad.

 

[baljot]

its different for alot of people