Giddha Competitions and the (lack of?) Giddha Scene?

[ban3rg]

Are there any Giddha competitions out there? I always notice giddha-segments in Bhangra dances at Bhangra competitions, it seems co-ed and girls teams feel a need to incorporate giddha into their dances (Cornell Kudiyan included) even though the overarching theme of the night is a Bhangra competition.

Is there a historical connection between Bhangra and Giddha? Are they traditionally meant to be performed together? Obviously they both have Punjabi roots...

Also, why do giddha teams come to Bhangra competitions to compete? Is it because there is no, separate, purely Giddha competition for them to channel their skills?

Personally I am happy to watch giddha and I love seeing it incorporated into Bhangra - but I'm just wondering why it's so ubiquitous....it might be analogous to a break-dancing team coming to a break-dancing competition, then incorporating jazz moves into their dance interspersed with the break dancing....yeah not the best analogy but you catch my drift...

 

[mafzal]

Do giddha teams actually compete at bhangra comps... I've only seen and heard of giddah teams as exhibition act. Historically wise I'm pretty sure they were performed at same or similar occasions - just that guys did bhangra and girls did giddah.

idk much else but looks like a sweet giddah team is forming in Cali this year, I received a facebook invite to their group you can check 'em out --> NKD - Nakhre Kudiyan De. Can't wait to check 'em out cuz we def need a really creative, hot, serious giddah teamm

 

[ban3rg]

I have seen a Giddha Performance from UC Irvine before, but I forgot the team's formal name - I think the performance was DDA 2005?

And I know there's a team at UC Davis called Davis Giddha, but they also have Ronak Punjab Di based out of UC Davis, which does giddha whenever they compete at Bhangra comps too (ie SoCal or DDA).

Mariam do you think there should be more competitive giddha and that a full-out, all-giddha, SERIOUS competition is 1) feasible and (2) a good thing?

By a good thing I mean, a lot of people think Bhangra should not be done competitively because it is a dance for personal enjoyment and not for entertainment and so on...

 

[Havish]

The Bhangra competition in Chicago - PCS Bhangra Competition has a Giddha competition part of it. Usually there a good amount of teams that go from what I have heard, never been there myself.

 

[Havish]

http://www.pcschicago.org/pcsnight/index.htm

There is the website

 

[HarmanSingh]

There have been times where giddha teams have competed at bhangra competitions in the past. If I remember correctly a giddha team actually won in a Cali competition and there was some controversy over it because it would be impossible to judge giddha vs. bhangra. Another time, a Malwai Giddha team won @ the PCS Bhangra Competition in Chicago which was also odd, because it is like comparing apples to oranges.

But PCS does have a Giddha Competition the same night as the Bhangra competition and separate the show into 2 categories.

But usually, Giddha is just an exhibition at competitions.

 

[Vick]

Giddha should be banned... There is nothing worse than watching it... It's right on par with the WNBA and the WPGA and synchronized swimming and any other womens sports..

 

[Varun]

I have seen a Giddha Performance from UC Irvine before, but I forgot the team's formal name - I think the performance was DDA 2005?

We have a Giddha team? Hahaha, siiiiiick.

Socal Bhangra people are throwing Socal Giddha this fall at USC. Who is down to start a Malwai Giddha team with me? We'll show em what the mundey can bring to the table!

 

[pluthra]

Who is down to start a Malwai Giddha team with me? We'll show em what the mundey can bring to the table!

thatd be sweettttt!!! i definetly wanna see 1 started...guys help varun out

and as far as giddha teams...as far as the whole competing...i dont kno too much bout whether giddha has the potential of being like the bhangra teams

1. putting together a really well thought out routine-seems harder if its all giddha....alot of constraint w/just 1 dance, whereas bhangra incorporates many different styles...though props to the girls who do
2. seems alot harder to put together a giddha team than a bhangra team....
3. wat is the judgin criteria for giddha competitions?? (is it really broad....as in creativity, coordination-which u cant really have)...just wonderin if any1 knows

 

[kinnell]

Personally, I dislike Giddha. But it's my personal opinion.

I've noticed a drastic drop in the amount of giddha co-ed teams have been using recently. It seems more and more teams are going with having all performers (guys/girls) perform the entire length of the performance rather than having guy/girl segments.

 

[Somi]

As I heard UCD Giddah have been denied to compete @ DDA (i can be wrong)
but I know this year they got to do an exhibition (the girls were SUPER excited)

I think it should be a separate competition
just because comparing it to modern bhangra is hard.
At the same time I think live bhangra should be a separate category as well
I like watching all 3 categories but competing together....naa

YAY for SoCal...im soo going! woohooo

 

[ban3rg]

I have seen a Giddha Performance from UC Irvine before, but I forgot the team's formal name - I think the performance was DDA 2005?

We have a Giddha team? Hahaha, siiiiiick.

Socal Bhangra people are throwing Socal Giddha this fall at USC. Who is down to start a Malwai Giddha team with me? We'll show em what the mundey can bring to the table!

Yeahhh, some aunty was choreographing a bhangra dance and she had the DDA 2005 dvd -- the girls all had a white costume, obviously from your post I am mistaken and it wasn't Irvine, my bad --- don't know which team it was anymore, just forget i said that haha.

But thanks guys for your input - so to wrap it up it seems like Giddha is generally not favored at competitions, and when it is performed, it is in its own category (as in PCS) or set aside as exhibition.

Good point Harman about Malwai Giddha, this is probably the reason why Gabroo Shokeen did Jhummar as exhibition and not to compete - it was a great dance, but not comparable to bhangra.

And Varun, sick idea man I'm sure a lot of people would love to see that since it's not as popularized as bhangra but interesting to watch nonetheless.

Overall thanks for clearing this up everyone. Maybe we'll see giddha steps in guys dances and that'll be the extent of its incorporation - for example we saw VCU do the first 2 counts of phumanian as a giddha step during Jaan Punjabi at blowout (resembled it at least, the leg-kick thing but correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[dheerja]

I'm pretty sure UC Davis Giddha won CSUN or DDA or one of those competitions recently.

I think part of the dropoff in giddha segments during coed routines is because it's pretty difficult to choreograph and execute an exciting routine. The few teams that still do giddha (NYU, Rutgers, UVA come to mind) do an excellent job of this, which is why they keep it in their routines. An entertaining giddha routine requires a lot of movement and acting, and props are always an enhancement.

Using giddha in bhangra competitions is also a crapshoot when it comes to judges. I know a few judges who refuse to consider it in a bhangra competition, and either disregard that segment or take off points when scoring the routine.

A giddha competition would be an awesome idea as long as there are enough GOOD giddha teams out there to keep the show entertaining. Otherwise you might be watching a half circle with two girls in the middle for 2 hours.

 

[mafzal]

Mariam do you think there should be more competitive giddha and that a full-out, all-giddha, SERIOUS competition is 1) feasible and (2) a good thing?

I do not think competitive giddha is feasible.

1) Giddha only has 3 or 4 basic movements. The rest is all acting and whatnot. Hard to choreo w/o being repetitive
2) Entertainment - You will miss have the entertainment and creativity and humor if you don't understand Punjabi! Watching bhangra if you don't understand the lyrics yeah at times you will miss parts of the choreo or not catch the lil gimmicks but overall you can still be entertained and enjoy it. Giddha is half acting so if you don't get the skit -- it gets boring after 1 or 2 boliyaan
3) Competitive bhangra involves more than just "bhangra" - I mean look at routines they have jhummar, dhamaal, many elements. So if giddha goes competitive what are they gonna incorporate? Bhangra??
4) Watching 10 giddha teams in a row would be like watching 10 live teams in a row.... Only the hardcore crowd is gonna wanna see that

I think giddha should remain an exhibition act, cultural show act, wedding gigs, etc. It is sweet and fun to watch a giddha team - but for like 6-8 minutes max and only one routine. I do not think it belongs in bhangra competitions because that is like me doing raas to some punjabi music at groundshaker I mean come on just b/c giddha is Punjabi does not mean it is bhangra.

Don't get me wrong - I do like giddha and I have seen some girls that are seriously wowwww they are amazing at it. Just don't think it would catch on as competitive and I wouldn't wanna sit through more than one routine

 

[mafzal]

I think part of the dropoff in giddha segments during coed routines is because it's pretty difficult to choreograph and execute an exciting routine. The few teams that still do giddha (NYU, Rutgers, UVA come to mind) do an excellent job of this, which is why they keep it in their routines. An entertaining giddha routine requires a lot of movement and acting, and props are always an enhancement.

I saw a judging sheet where they deducted points for having some people off-stage i.e. giving girls a solo, so that may be a factor. Makes sense b/c a routine where everyone is dancing whole time is much more difficult than a routine where guys have a 1-2 minute break during girls giddha part and vice versa.

 

[Arjunarjun]

Vick- What's wrong with giddha and the WNBA?

 

[Gabroo]

I'm pretty sure UC Davis Giddha won CSUN or DDA or one of those competitions recently.

Yup, at DDA 06 UC Davis' gidha team got 1st, GS got 2nd, LBC 3rd.

 

[dheerja]

I think part of the dropoff in giddha segments during coed routines is because it's pretty difficult to choreograph and execute an exciting routine. The few teams that still do giddha (NYU, Rutgers, UVA come to mind) do an excellent job of this, which is why they keep it in their routines. An entertaining giddha routine requires a lot of movement and acting, and props are always an enhancement.

I saw a judging sheet where they deducted points for having some people off-stage i.e. giving girls a solo, so that may be a factor. Makes sense b/c a routine where everyone is dancing whole time is much more difficult than a routine where guys have a 1-2 minute break during girls giddha part and vice versa.

Yeah judges definitely take note of girls or guys segments, and are less lenient on teams that look tired after having breaks. What I meant though was that I know some judges who deduct points for actually having a giddha segment in a routine, saying that it is a completely different dance form. This is a more extreme approach, but a lot of other judges decide to just disregard it in the scoring.

 

[sorethighs]

I can only see giddha being big in a comp with an all punjabi audience, given that if you don't really understand the bolis its hard to appreciate it (I know from experience)