How to Make a Decent Set

[UmerQureshi96]

One point that was brought up a lot during the "fire missing from the circuit" thread was that many teams (collegiate in particular) stick to cookie cutter sets. And I do agree with that sentiment. But I think that many teams either don't realize they are doing so or do not really know how to create a more interesting set. Many times when I'm watching performance videos I'll notice how most choreo decisions, formations, etc aren't that creative. I sometimes put myself in the choreographer's position and think that if I had to choreograph to the team's mix, the moves done at any particular beat by the performing team would have been one of the first three ideas that came to my mind. But the moment's that I really enjoy watching a performance are when a team does moves that I would not have come up with immediately if at all. Granted I'm not saying I have much experience at all I've only danced for one year. But I'm genuinely intrigued and want to know what is the process that teams/choreographers go through to make more innovative steps, formations, gimmicks, etc.


Where do you look for inspiration? Do you have a creative process that you go through while making a set? How much involvement do other dancers on your team have in the creation process? How many times do you go back and change the set? Should you change a segment even though you've already taught / cleaned the previous one? How far is too far when trying to emulate or imitate another teams style, formation, moves, etc?


If you have anything that can help out new dancers, up and coming teams, etc please post about it. We always talk about how bothered we are by cookie cutter sets, but fail define or identify instances of cookie cutter sets. Teams with boring sets will not improve if they don't know how to identify boring sets.

 

[J Wong]

Throwing out there that creativity doesn't necessitate move variations. A decent set comes from a lot of things, good mix, solid dancers who have presence, and flow. You could have a 'terrible set' but if you own it and command the stage it will hit hard.

 

[amancheema]

 

[Aditya]

This is one of those things that if you want an answer to it you're going to need to reach out to teams that you admire offline (FB, PM, w.e) and ask. There are a million ways/opinions on how to make a successful set(which also depends on how you define success) and its all subjective. The best thing you can do is reach out to the people who come as close to executing the vision of bhangra that you want and hear what they have to say.

 

[AnkurK]

WTF-ity should not be confused with creativity.

Teams change bhangra moves so much nowadays that they no longer look anything like the original

single Chaffa (beat 1) - SPIN! (beat 2) - bedi (beat 3) - jump! (beat 4)

what the hell is that? I can't tell.... should that be seen as a variation to chaffa? to bedi? or some crazy way of doing jumps?!?

 

[scaplash]

I think the general point he is trying to make is that if you're a newer or even more experienced dancer that has been watching sets and learning bhangra, when choreographing, often your first 3 moves are going to be just about the same 3 moves almost everyone thinks of-and at that given moment it feels really creative . I think to create a unique style a unique approach to bhangra you just need to take time to go past that first hurdle of ideas-and like Aditya said-reach out to teams that execute in a way that you like-and also collaborate even within your team-yeah, a lot of people will have similar ideas initially, but different people bring different approaches and you can come up with something that neither of you would have thought of initially. I also think getting feedback from someone not on the team is a great way to see how "creative" or "fire" your segment is-anyone on the team is too subjective to give an unbiased opinion.

 

[XxInfamousJatt69xX]

WTF-ity should not be confused with creativity.

Teams change bhangra moves so much nowadays that they no longer look anything like the original

single Chaffa (beat 1) - SPIN! (beat 2) - bedi (beat 3) - jump! (beat 4)

what the hell is that? I can't tell.... should that be seen as a variation to chaffa? to bedi? or some crazy way of doing jumps?!?

#FAUJ

 

[sumeetj]

Where do you look for inspiration?

- india videos, teams that have done well at that competition in the past, bollywood movies

Do you have a creative process that you go through while making a set?

- think of an idea/move combination/etc i like, find music that fits to it, create choreo that flows around it

How much involvement do other dancers on your team have in the creation process?

- we ask everyone for ideas and contributions, but past a certain point (especially when operating on a time crunch) you kind of have to set up the foundation for the set which other people will definitely improve on as they dance to it and come up with ways to make the ideas better. ask people what their favorite moves are and try to fit them in a set.

How many times do you go back and change the set?

- depending on how much time we have and how problematic certain segments are

Should you change a segment even though you've already taught / cleaned the previous one?

- again depends on timeline, the competition, and how much better the improvement really is based on those factors

How far is too far when trying to emulate or imitate another teams style, formation, moves, etc?

- if someone watches your routine and thinks of someone else, then it's too much. definitely have had problems with this in the past because unfortunately if you watch too many videos you will start thinking along the lines of other teams mindsets. i have directly taken move combinations and choreo straight from india videos before though because i figured if i was going to jack from someone id get the least shiit for that

 

[Danny]

 

[Sue Sylvester]

WTF-ity should not be confused with creativity.

Teams change bhangra moves so much nowadays that they no longer look anything like the original

single Chaffa (beat 1) - SPIN! (beat 2) - bedi (beat 3) - jump! (beat 4)

what the hell is that? I can't tell.... should that be seen as a variation to chaffa? to bedi? or some crazy way of doing jumps?!?

Variation on Sammi? Phumania? Dhamaal? Hulk Buster tribute? Pataka? You tell me, Soulja Boy.

The "what" of good choreography is just as important as "how" it is performed and executed. However when it comes to whether choreography resembles "bhangra" aka the "original", how you perform a step is honestly more important to than anything else, especially something like whether you're able to discern what exact step it is varying.

A lot of teams these days will choreograph segments by piecing together blocks of pre-established sequences together and then maybe even throw in a creative twist at a point or two. (ie: 16 beats of simple bedi, 8 beats of fasla, makhani for the build up and single chaffa variation for the climax). It's a starting point, for sure, but staying absolutely limited to that and chastising teams that strive to just choreograph as oppose making sure bhangra step sequences are super recognizable to small minority of the audience is dumb. Especially given that bhangra, in its current form, most definitely didn't originate with these segments/sequences set in stone and these segments/sequences have evolved/changed through the years. I'm not saying don't do this and this is bad - I'm just saying don't limit yourself to this.

Furthermore, it's hilarious if you're watching sets trying to judge creativity and quality of choreography by trying to figuring out what sequences/steps teams are getting creative with. (I can guarantee you that 99% of the viewers don't give 2 shits what variation you're doing). At the end of the day, teams are dancing to music, songs, lyrics..etc and teams should be doing choreography that is structured/flows well, feels original, leaves a lasting impact and is executed well. I recently had the opportunity to see some bhangra performed by troupe dancing to music in Phagwara and their choreography was fresh and creative. They clearly hadn't worried about just getting doing variations to steps and sequences - they were just dancing.

 

[amancheema]

^^ Phumania then Pataka.

You tell me, Soulja Boy.

Furthermore, it's hilarious if you're watching sets trying to judge creativity and quality of choreography by trying to figuring out what sequences/steps teams are getting creative with.

I recently had the opportunity to see some bhangra performed by troupe dancing to music in Phagwara and their choreography was fresh and creative.

 

[amancheema]

Jokes aside, its a gray area for sure... there's no doctrinal method. I think if a team brings enough fire, no one cares what move is what... powerhouse teams invent a style of bhangra, thats just how it is... ex. vcu, nj, aeg, virsa, sgpd, shan-e etc etc etc

 

[AnkurK]

WTF-ity should not be confused with creativity.

Teams change bhangra moves so much nowadays that they no longer look anything like the original

single Chaffa (beat 1) - SPIN! (beat 2) - bedi (beat 3) - jump! (beat 4)

what the hell is that? I can't tell.... should that be seen as a variation to chaffa? to bedi? or some crazy way of doing jumps?!?

Variation on Sammi? Phumania? Dhamaal? Hulk Buster tribute? Pataka? You tell me, Soulja Boy.

The "what" of good choreography is just as important as "how" it is performed and executed. However when it comes to whether choreography resembles "bhangra" aka the "original", how you perform a step is honestly more important to than anything else, especially something like whether you're able to discern what exact step it is varying.

A lot of teams these days will choreograph segments by piecing together blocks of pre-established sequences together and then maybe even throw in a creative twist at a point or two. (ie: 16 beats of simple bedi, 8 beats of fasla, makhani for the build up and single chaffa variation for the climax). It's a starting point, for sure, but staying absolutely limited to that and chastising teams that strive to just choreograph as oppose making sure bhangra step sequences are super recognizable to small minority of the audience is dumb. Especially given that bhangra, in its current form, most definitely didn't originate with these segments/sequences set in stone and these segments/sequences have evolved/changed through the years. I'm not saying don't do this and this is bad - I'm just saying don't limit yourself to this.

Furthermore, it's hilarious if you're watching sets trying to judge creativity and quality of choreography by trying to figuring out what sequences/steps teams are getting creative with. (I can guarantee you that 99% of the viewers don't give 2 shits what variation you're doing). At the end of the day, teams are dancing to music, songs, lyrics..etc and teams should be doing choreography that is structured/flows well, feels original, leaves a lasting impact and is executed well. I recently had the opportunity to see some bhangra performed by troupe dancing to music in Phagwara and their choreography was fresh and creative. They clearly hadn't worried about just getting doing variations to steps and sequences - they were just dancing.

Cool.

 

[mrchicity]

Furthermore, it's hilarious if you're watching sets trying to judge creativity and quality of choreography by trying to figuring out what sequences/steps teams are getting creative with. (I can guarantee you that 99% of the viewers don't give 2 shits what variation you're doing). At the end of the day, teams are dancing to music, songs, lyrics..etc and teams should be doing choreography that is structured/flows well, feels original, leaves a lasting impact and is executed well. I recently had the opportunity to see some bhangra performed by troupe dancing to music in Phagwara and their choreography was fresh and creative. They clearly hadn't worried about just getting doing variations to steps and sequences - they were just dancing.

Honestly, when I'm watching routines I can tell what moves flow well together or what variations on moves look good (and while most of the time my opinion doesn't matter, when I'm judging it does). I agree with Ankur, there are plenty of times when I see teams just stick random jhummar steps where they really don't fit, or some other random concoction of moves thrown together in an attempt to seem creative. Maybe some people like it and some people don't. There's a reason though why specific people are asked to judge, it's for the experience and bhangra know-how that they have and the understanding of what looks good and what doesn't look good. The general audience doesn't know shit about bhangra, we do.

I'm obviously not criticizing your judging style here, just making a point as to why putting thought into choreo variations is important.

 

[AnkurK]

Furthermore, it's hilarious if you're watching sets trying to judge creativity and quality of choreography by trying to figuring out what sequences/steps teams are getting creative with. (I can guarantee you that 99% of the viewers don't give 2 shits what variation you're doing). At the end of the day, teams are dancing to music, songs, lyrics..etc and teams should be doing choreography that is structured/flows well, feels original, leaves a lasting impact and is executed well. I recently had the opportunity to see some bhangra performed by troupe dancing to music in Phagwara and their choreography was fresh and creative. They clearly hadn't worried about just getting doing variations to steps and sequences - they were just dancing.

Honestly, when I'm watching routines I can tell what moves flow well together or what variations on moves look good (and while most of the time my opinion doesn't matter, when I'm judging it does). I agree with Ankur, there are plenty of times when I see teams just stick random jhummar steps where they really don't fit, or some other random concoction of moves thrown together in an attempt to seem creative. Maybe some people like it and some people don't. There's a reason though why specific people are asked to judge, it's for the experience and bhangra know-how that they have and the understanding of what looks good and what doesn't look good. The general audience doesn't know shit about bhangra, we do.

I'm obviously not criticizing your judging style here, just making a point as to why putting thought into choreo variations is important.

 

[Sue Sylvester]

Honestly, when I'm watching routines I can tell what moves flow well together or what variations on moves look good (and while most of the time my opinion doesn't matter, when I'm judging it does). I agree with Ankur, there are plenty of times when I see teams just stick random jhummar steps where they really don't fit, or some other random concoction of moves thrown together in an attempt to seem creative.

teams should be doing choreography that is structured/flows well, feels original, leaves a lasting impact and is executed well.

If it feels like a team just stuck random jhoomar steps where they don't fit, then clearly, the jhoomar hasn't been choreographed well, doesn't flow well and doesn't have the intended impact.

Once again, Ankur is pointing out that when teams get creative, you should be able to discern what the sequence of steps the choreo is varying. I disagreed and said that if the choreo is choreographed well (has purpose, complements music well, builds/maintains hype/climax, highlights dancer strengths, amongst other things I look for in good choreography) and it flows, leaves an impact and is executed well (essence of "bhangra" is maintained), it shouldn't matter whether people can figure out what the original sequence it was varying, if it had one in the first place. At the end of the day, it's choreography for a music set.

 

[mrchicity]

Once again, Ankur is pointing out that when teams get creative, you should be able to discern what the sequence of steps the choreo is varying. I disagreed and said that if the choreo is choreographed well (has purpose, complements music well, builds/maintains hype/climax, highlights dancer strengths, amongst other things I look for in good choreography) and it flows, leaves an impact and is executed well (essence of "bhangra" is maintained), it shouldn't matter whether people can figure out what the original sequence it was varying, if it had one in the first place. At the end of the day, it's choreography for a music set.

Nah man, he was saying that the way many teams make choreography these days, they do moves in such a random fashion that it corrupts the value of each individual step. You're right, trying to discern what each variation on each step is doesn't matter, as long as it looks good and flows well, but we see plenty of teams that just don't get it. They gotta be able to understand why moves are done in specific ways and in specific parts of a set to be able to switch it up later and still have it look good.