Koi Mor Liavo Ni, Bhangra Mera Margeya Ni Bhangra Mera Margeya

[joty]

I think the problem isn't about being too folk or too modern it could be because people just want to win. They do all these creative gimmicks to make sure they impact the judges and audience, but when they look at their set 10 years from now it won't be the same response. I guess people should stop worrying about winning and start having fun on stage. Bhangra wasn't meant to have competitions it's an excuse to unite people and cherish our culture.

 

[amancheema]

As long as "wow factors/gimmicks" are weighed heavily in the rubric, you have to incorporate it in your dance to win, you can't work around it! If you guys are tired of gimmicks ruining bhangra performances, then don't award points for them.

Sai ah.. but every competition is a business and has a balance sheet so I can see the problem in that


Oh well... it was a fun discussion while it lasted

 

[Saab]

So, there have been good talking points and good feedback in both this thread and various other ones attached, but I think the issue with the best chance of resolution coming from this thread is feedback. I think two things:


A) people should post feedback contextualized either with their personal preference or vs the competitive field(or both)
B) teams should be receptive of feedback , both positive or negative


Every performance, not matter how well executed, can get better. Most often I see people on btf post videos thinking they are going to get their cooch tickled with all these positive vibes, but it's also important to stay grounded and learn from your mistakes moving forward so you can either keep winning, win, or get better. Positive reinforcement( note not all, some people do post what they like) is ok, but a three pages of "sick dude" or " what you do is not real" is not beneficial.

 

[Jason]

PCBCA - coming soon to a BHANGRA competition near you...

 

[RsKderpu]

Someone get Gurdas Maan to host a competition. That will be "folk" as f**k

I nominate Gurdas Maan but I also have Bhagwant, Sharry, and Babbu Maan just in case.


If you want a little spice, just bring Badal.

Haha I'm cool with Babbu Maan as long as he still has that photo-shopped 6 pack

 

[The Honest Truth]

Folk snobs bore me, yawwwwwwwn.

If you want folk bhangra, go to live. Everything else is bullshit.

It's 2014 not 2008, move forward or risk being trapped in your nostalgia. Enjoy those fuzzy youtube videos.

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

 

[mrchicity]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

 

[yraparla]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

Didn't we learn from youtube back then also? And DVDs of india dance teams...that shit was coveted like gold.

 

[mrchicity]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

Didn't we learn from youtube back then also? And DVDs of india dance teams...that shit was coveted like gold.

Yeah, but we also learned by watching some of the best dancers in the circuit in person, doing sets with them, and later making routines with an emphasis on form and execution first (doesn't matter what kind of style it is). The teams that did it right back then knew what they were doing and could make original content while still having sets that flowed. Teams like LBC, Duniya, SGPD, NJ, VCU, 3D, these were the teams that were placing back then and you could never argue that anyone else in those comps were better dancers. Yeah I'm living in the past, but it doesn't seem so farfetch'd to me that some of those principles still apply, the idea that better dancing should be rewarded over gimmicks. This isn't folk vs modern, this is just asking to see sets that have great dancing AND great creativity that isn't slowed down or overtaken by gimmicks that have nothing to do with bhangra.

 

[taminder]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

I was just thinking about this the other day... back then bhangra dancers were highly influenced by actual bhangra ustads. now most of the dancers learn from youtube videos or from people who learned from youtube videos.

very few people have the opportunity to spend time with actual bhangra ustads, though... and I think the people who learned traditionally are the ones that mostly share this view.

 

[sangeensingh]

the idea that better dancing should be rewarded over gimmicks. This isn't folk vs modern, this is just asking to see sets that have great dancing AND great creativity that isn't slowed down or overtaken by gimmicks that have nothing to do with bhangra.

Thats it. End of Discussion.

 

[inyoface]

mrchity got it bang on.


I think most people that are referring to the folk elements and performances not being folk enough are pointing to the
[SIZE=78%]fact that majority of teams lack that all around flow, grace and modey, (baithkaan style etc.) which are very important in my opinion. [/SIZE]


Teams are too focused on being 100% clean that the style is becoming too robotic or all about angles of where you arm/hand should be while doing a certain move. There's absolutely no flow to the overall presentation of moves.


Personally, its not appealing at all when teams use 24 counts to move from one formation to another. Many of the performances that are winning first place are not challenging enough , whether its the choreo, or the formations. Judging should focus on the difficulty of the set, as well as the dancing level of the team, while also taking into consideration the cleanliness.

 

[Ashveer]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

actual bhangra ustads

Like who? Which 'actual bhangra ustads' are you talking about? Trust me, their bhangra will look like garbage to you.

 

[amancheema]

...

 

[taminder]

preach many brotha , preach. The circuit needs to stop living in the past and being so pessimistic. It seems as though every time a new comp happens the live vs modern, folk vs modern, blah blah blah starts all over again. It's sadly getting so old now. IT IS 2014 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IF YOU LOVED THE 2008 bhangra days go make yourself a time machine and live there while the rest of us move on.

Fair enough, I'd much prefer the 2008 bhangra days over the 2014 gimmick days. At least dancers back then looked like they knew what they were doing instead of looking like they learned bhangra from youtube.

actual bhangra ustads

Like who? Which 'actual bhangra ustads' are you talking about? Trust me, their bhangra will look like garbage to you.

I didn't mean to say "actual ustads" in a snobbish or disrespectful way... but personally I've learned a bit in india from my mamaji & an ustad named jassi & in california from yadi sra (the captain of gabroo shokeen). I learned the "modern folk" (or whatever you wanna call it) way of live bhangra... but I have researched & personally seen it performed the old school way. It doesn't look like garbage to me, but it looks very different from even how live teams dance nowadays (I can see how some people who don't appreciate it might think it looks boring or like garbage)

I'm sure there are a lot more ustads & people who have learned the traditional way (from teachers rather than videos) from ustads in north america (most of them probably live in canada)

 

[lakha23]

PCBCA - coming soon to a BHANGRA competition near you...

Can't wait too see PCBCA back in the circuit!! We need teams like this

 

[Deepi253]

Shan e punjab still holds it down

 

[jfried]

BTF these days=concentric circlejerk.

For real, we have teams hyping themselves up in an echo chamber of their own performance threads and then we get shit like this.

Look, I'll be extremely blunt. I know people really break down into two camps on this one: the "OMFG this (Cornell at WBBC 2014, for example) performance was so amazing, give me more crazy stunts and stuff now" one and the "OMFG Bhangra has never been the same since 2008/2004/1986/1956/1945/3000 BC, that's when the realest motherfuckers were doing it" one. Great. Glad you guys have opinions, but people are starting to take this shit a little too seriously (okay, not starting, but you catch my drift). WHO GIVES A FUCK? To camp number 1, I say "yeah, I agree, but dancing is nice too, so let's not talk quite so much shit about quote-unquote "boring sets." Sure, "old" stagi bhangra was a fucking gimmick-fest in its own way, but you had teams back then that didn't do any gimmicks (like early LBC). And nostalgia uncles, as I said, tons of the teams were doing huge gimmick bait sets in 2004-2008 (the "golden age" for some of you). I mean, the KJ truck kind of says all you need there. And the dancing has undeniably gotten better (objectively speaking) since then: it used to be that teams like Empire won because they were the only ones who could hit 100% cleanly every time, and now we've got teams like NJW, who blew the doors off at Boston in terms of their execution.

I guess what I'm trying to say, in my own long-winded and profane way, is that BTF tends to be a feedback loop and the more that people are cognizant of that, the more useful it can actually be. I mean, some of you might call what Cornell did in terms of tailoring their set cynical. Who cares? The important part was that they had fun and that they achieved what they were out to do. Yeah, feedback is always good, but temper the vitriol. On the other side of the same coin, when people give feedback (earnestly, and not dickishly; I still feel like the ability to call someone out for being an ass-face is fair), try to take the feedback and learn from it, rather than dismissing. This isn't a dig at you, Anik, or at Cornell in general, as this happens ALL THE DAMN TIME.

The most important thing here, guys, is that we maintain the community. Sure, Bhangra's a competitive thing, but let's not forget that we're all kind of free to interpret what Bhangra means through our own lens (and yeah, I'm somewhat sure I'm going to get flayed alive by our member of the Academy for that statement). There's definitely a strong amount of objectivity in judging a performance, but quite a bit is subjective as well. Don't lose sight of that fact. Just go dance. Make friends. Have fun. Make questionable decisions on comp weekends. And be polite to the people on here, because chances are that you wouldn't talk a lot of shit face-to-face.

/rant

 

[siddyp]

You can stick to your own personal opinions on what should be done on a bhangra stage and thats fine.

At the end of the day, the competition rubric/what the competition wants is all that matters. It determines what you're gonna see from teams.

If teams don't design their routines or what they are going to present on stage to play to the rubric, they shouldn't expect to be rewarded.

 

[jfried]

You can stick to your own personal opinions on what should be done on a bhangra stage and thats fine.

At the end of the day, the competition rubric/what the competition wants is all that matters. It determines what you're gonna see from teams.

If teams don't design their routines or what they are going to present on stage to play to the rubric, they shouldn't expect to be rewarded.

Fact. People need to temper the cynicism and the vitriol. I watched you guys do a folky-as-hell live sher and two melas once. It wasn't cynical: you guys knew the competition was going to be folky.


There's a certain element to which teams will do their own thing, but if you're not looking at the rubric when designing your set, it's not necessarily a smart decision.