Just wanted to throw out my review as a judge, and someone who got to see the competition unfold from behind the scenes:
To the committee - Karan, Tanu, Harjodh, Prashant, Tarun, Jasmine, Happy, Mavi, and Monisha - All of you did a wonderful job in keeping the teams, the judges, and pretty much all interested parties happy and entertained throughout the weekend. It's pretty obvious that the committee has been doing this for many years, as the competition ran smoothly from start to finish, but I wanted to thank you again immensely for the hospitality shown to me. A lot of my problems/issues/cares were taken care off by a huge supporting cast of wonderful people, and I had a great experience with the sights and sounds down under.
To the teams - it was great to watch the continued evolution of the Australian Bhangra Circuit and see how far teams have come within the past few years. So much creativity, thought, and energy was put on stage, and it was an honor to judge all of you(results were super close!). Hats of again and please, as both a judge and a fan of bhangra, please compete more either locally or in the US/UK! A lot of those teams could give a bunch of teams here in the States and in the UK a run for there money, and as always, if you are looking for feedback please post here(or message me too!)
In terms of a raw bhangra experience, this has to be one of the best and most fun experiences I have had in almost 10+ years of dancing/coaching/judging. It was really cool to see how the competition catered to encouraging the bhangra circuit and also kept alive a fun and vibrant punjabi culture throughout the weekend(kudos to Jasmine/Mavi for a highly punjabi MC routine and Happy/Prashant for a boliyan filled mixer). I enjoyed that teams that didn't get a chance to compete still had an opportunity to come to the mixer and come backstage, just to experience what it's like to be a part of a large competition, and really enjoyed how the audience really cheered(really cheered!) and enjoyed the spectacle on stage. It is very rare to see a group of people so strongly want to keep alive and grow an art form, and on a committee of multiple teams that compete against each other to boot, but I can't get past how much a lot of you put into making sure that all the teams had an outlet to compete and enjoy the dance that they love, and that really is an awesome thing to do.
For a lot of the US/UK teams, I would really encourage you to apply! I know this competition is highly expensive to fly out to, but falls within the spring breaks of a lot of schools and would be a great spring break trip to be a part of. The committee and crew are fantastic, the teams are better than ever, and Australia itself has a lot of things to offers( Fairy Floss Ginger Ale, Tim-Tams, the Opera House, the Reef, Macca's, Wendy's with donuts in them, champagne flavored chips, tiramisu flavored kit kats - the list goes on). Definitely take a trip - well well worth it just to be a part of an incredible bhangra experience.
Lastly to all the people who I met at HCB - it was great to meet you all. It's really nice to be treated to so well by such nice people, but it is another thing entirely to be treated so well by people who love what they do, who do it passionately, and do it so that others like themselves can enjoy and have a place to do the thing that they love. Here is hoping to many more HCB's and a growing Australian circuit, and I hope I can be a part of it once more.
Special Shoutouts:
- Ranjhe crew for fun times and laughs throughout the week and weekend
- Harry Multani - thank you again for your help through the week and weekend!
- MOB Crew - Prince, Abhi, Jaskaran, and the rest of the gang - super fun to hang out with you guys
- HK - always great to judge with you!
- Jyot Deogun - thanks again for your helping hand to get us lights and be our awesome judges liaison
- Seal at the Sidney Opera House - because who doesn't love seals
- The rain - apparently it never rains for five straight days...lol ok everyone.
Humbly,
Ram
