Major Themes from the 2009-2010 Season

[Nikhil]

I got a theme for you:

Spider Pig Theme Song

Ok, forreal, the theme for this season, is:

The collegiate bhangra scene on the come back. STAND UP ACADEMIA!!!

 

[hsdeol]

i guess this isnt from just this season, but a general observation. Mixes have definitely showed more incorporation of hip-hop over the last few years. mixes went from simple fade ins and outs to legit transitions to extravagant mixes. i personally think the significance of a dj and a good mix is awesome. and im not saying that mixes havent been important in the past, but the importance of well done mix has definitely increased over the last few years. this years mixes have been insane, every time there's a competition at least 7 new amazing mixes come out. soo i guess big ups to the djs for teams out there cause you guys have made mixes an integral part of an overall performance.

 

[ahmad]

the waterfall affect seems to be an increasing trend in all guys teamss.....not only that but going down on a lot of moves

 

[- Raja -]

what happen to the simple V and the 2 lines window formations. its like if u do them for more then 2 seconds u have a major flop routine becasue then ppl think u have no creativity.

 

[Saab]

- Competitions thought outside of the box with there set-up and order
- You saw a clearer dichotomy in competitions that valued folk aspects over entertainment value
- Bitchiness on the circuit increased again(just sayin, we all do it)
- Great teams became irrelevant, but great styles became relevant
- No clear winning formula was created, just a bunch of different paths
- By engendering creativity with steps we castrated creativity in the set(pace, the formula of a set, style)
- The individual was subjugated to the team
- Mixes became more popular than popular songs
- You get more respect in this world by sticking to your guns then by bowing down to the norm
- This forum fostered change in about 90% of the competitions(im pretty damn sure)
- The definition of "Fun" for a lot of teams included the term "win"
- Smaller competitions provided a lot of entertainment
- Everyone took a leap forward in terms of ability
- Some of our creativity is reflected in some India teams(OH YEAH)
- The Bhangra community got a lot closer
- Tragedy struck, and we all united
- Great teams win competitions, Elite teams do what they do over and over again with respect, dignity, and class
- We all have much to learn from each other

 

[Saab]

Also,
More teams thought more along the lines of "we will" and not "we wish"

 

[kinnell]

Also just my 2 cents, while I like threads like these and Faizan you're solely mentioning the current major themes but I think this thread is slowly turning into "what the winning formula is these days." Discussions like these sorta turns the newer teams into the wrong direction because suddenly they start changing their style, and consequently start dancing in a way they don't really enjoy but do it just so they have a better shot at winning. This sorta defeats the purpose of bhangra, which is to have fun, and to do it the way you truly enjoy it. For example, we go with the 8 man traditional way, without doing too much "creative/gimmicky" stuff, and we truly have fun doing that. It didn't result into much success till maybe recently but we stuck with it and tried to get better at it (and still have tons of work to do). I suggest that every team that is starting out, stick to a style of bhangra that you like and envision yourselves doing, and keep getting better at it. Once you master it, it will result in success in the circuit. Ok, that's the end of my rant lol.

I completely agree with you. Teams should stay true to their style. I give props to teams that do their own thing. I take those props away when they come on BTF and bitch about not winning/placing. You have a better chance of placing if on a large stage, you take your choreography for an 8 man dance to give it to a 12 man team who is at the same level of dancing ability as the original. You're free to do your own thing, but when it comes to placing, filling up a stage better and getting more people to dance at the same level and coordinated is better.

With that said, here are some thoughts of the current stage of the bhangra circuit: Modern teams are incorporating traditional elements. In the past, people would complain about modern teams not having these elements. Well, guess what? Now, teams have been doing jugni, phumania, dhamaal..etc. The only thing people can bitch about now is the style in which they execute the moves.

Previously traditional teams are incorporating more out-of-box, often times gimmicky choreography. Faizan hit this on the head over and over in this thread. While the live teams are still mad folk, teams like NJ, VCU, sGPD are becoming more creative with their traditional segments. Gimmick tends to have a negative connotation, but the definition of it and the applicability of it has changed from a "stop-voice dialogue-bust out" to doing a one-handed phumania. These teams will try to do a creative variation/formations for most of their traditional elements.

Judges favor cleanliness over creativity. There is a reason why the two main Elite 8 judges placed sGPD and VCU over NJ, who hands down had the most creative set of the circuit. NJ had guys jumping, squatting, spinning when they weren't suppose to. Obvious mistakes and uncleanliness will not win competitions, no matter how creative you are. I know I gave just one example, but this is one trend that has re-affirmed itself this year.

 

[Gugu]

Were you at elite bro? damn me if i didn't meet you.

Ahha bro I was there, danced with lbc, I think we might have met when turbo n I were talkin to some virsa cats after the show in the hotel lobby.. think we might've met then but yea other than that don't really remember the trip much lol

 

[siddyp]

I think that all that we are talking about is what teams are doing to please us as viewers and audience members. I still think that excellent execution, togetherness and cleanliness wins comps. <-- definitely showed at E8. This is also the main reason Empire is so dominant. But I love the trend of traditional with flare. I just hope things dont get too too modern

 

[Kaur]

1)Winning formula has changed- It became very folk and a lot of modern teams tried to be folk but couldnt fully execute it, but now, when they will finally get a hold of it, 100% folk isnt the winning formula, need to think outside the box

2) khunde swings, khunda jumps, khunda passing, khunda throwing, this was the prop that was experimented with the most this season

3) Vardiyan- a lot of co-ed teams started wearing only 3 colors on stage

4) hip hop/ non indian music was incorporated into almost all mixes

 

[dheerja]

1) A lot of routines this year had those final 2 minutes of fast choreo in two staggered lines to a crazy mix of songs, giving dancers the opportunity to wile out.

2) Starting with sapps and ending with a mela

 

[kinnell]

3) Vardiyan- a lot of co-ed teams started wearing only 3 colors on stage

This is so true! I hate when co-ed teams do this because it's a cop-out and I don't think it's truly rangla jodi. But it has started to become more common because a) it looks cleaner on stage (more of the same color means dancers look more similar) and b) its easier to do formations.

 

[Jugdeep]

If you disagree, tell me what the optimal set is at this moment for a fairly traditional competition. (Masti, Fusion, Elite)

I don't think Fusion is a traditional competition at all. Just a reminder to all the teams, FOLK set with creativity only will not win you a competition. Needs to be super clean, executed well and crisp formations will certainly help.

Faizan, Fusion is not a traditional competition at all. You will be very lucky if just one of the judges can speak punjabi and understand any aspect of traditional bhangra...This is the reason why teams like Boston have won Fusion.

 

[nirajthaker]

what happen to the simple V and the 2 lines window formations. its like if u do them for more then 2 seconds u have a major flop routine becasue then ppl think u have no creativity.

I'm assuming that you're trying to say that simple formations have lost their credit. And to that I disagree. I think ive seen lines, V's, Circles, everywhere. However, people have been getting more creative as to how they get into these formations now instead of making simple transitions. Which is necessary because bhangra is evolving and to be honest who wants to see the same formations over and over? I think this creative element is necessary for bhangra to grow, or we'd be looking at the same routines year after year.
In addition, I noticed throughout the year that people no longer find the need to use the stage symmetrically throughout the entire set. It used to be that if you had a vertical line on stage left, then it had to be mirrored on stage right. Now were seeing vertical lines on stage left and a circle on stage right. I can't say I was a fan right away, but its grown on me. Also, teams have started to shift away from using "stage center" as the center of their dance at all times.. teams have often throughout this season shifted the entire set onto stage right leaving stage left empty. This has added a new element to performances completely, and I think it's safe to say we'll see more if it next season.

The biggest change this year I would have to say are vardiyaan. Most teams have now converted to multi-colored vardiyaan, and those who haven't seem to be held back. I would have to say that it is near impossible to place at a major comp with the old.. "one color" vardiyaan. Unless youre BE or APD of course.

 

[Kush]

everyone knows it but noone says it. The line between Creative Bhangra and Modern Bhangra is becoming thinner by the minute. Folk fans will not admit it, but NJ's routine FOR EXAMPLE was a FAR FAR CRY from folk. Modern? well it wasn't APD, but once again we find ourselves at the age old question. Folk Vs. Modern... But I ask a new one... with these trends of "creativity" are we beginning to blur that line and decrease the difference? How different REALLY is making a new style of phumania from making up your own arm movements as you dance? i dont know...

 

[faizan]

Kush, the line is more blurry than the vision of a drunk. Especially when a team like NJ gets down. Since so many people love NJ, that blur is allowed to really take shape.

 

[smehta]

3) Vardiyan- a lot of co-ed teams started wearing only 3 colors on stage

This is so true! I hate when co-ed teams do this because it's a cop-out and I don't think it's truly rangla jodi. But it has started to become more common because a) it looks cleaner on stage (more of the same color means dancers look more similar) and b) its easier to do formations.

You are right, in general, the trend has gone towards having three colors because its cleaner. But I disagree that it is easier to do formations in anyway. If you think about it, when teams have pairs of colors, most of the time those colors are together wherever they go, if they aren't, then they are symmetrical to each other in some way. You can put a pair together anywhere on stage and it will be ok. Take a 12 man set for instance, now make a pyramid of pairs, one pair in front, two pairs in the middle, and three pairs in the back... with a team with all different colored pairs, the pyramid can take whatever shape it wants color wise. However, if you have a pyramid with only three colors, there are only certain ways the colors can be set, without it looking really random. Thus, getting from one formation to another is sometimes hard and actually hinders us from doing really amazingly creative teams that some other teams do. Also, if you watch a lot of these coed teams with three colors, most of the time the pairs stay together throughout the whole performance no matter what. Even though there are two pairs with the same color, they don't go around switching partners the entire performance, they stick to one girl or guy. So technically, if you think about it, its the same as teams with individual colors for pairs, those partners stay together, and so do these. And of course it does look clean as well.

 

[Ashveer]

everyone knows it but noone says it. The line between Creative Bhangra and Modern Bhangra is becoming thinner by the minute. Folk fans will not admit it, but NJ's routine FOR EXAMPLE was a FAR FAR CRY from folk. Modern? well it wasn't APD, but once again we find ourselves at the age old question. Folk Vs. Modern... But I ask a new one... with these trends of "creativity" are we beginning to blur that line and decrease the difference? How different REALLY is making a new style of phumania from making up your own arm movements as you dance? i dont know...

Exactly. Dancing at lightning speed and doing formations aren't folk. Sorry. Its hella cool to watch, but I'd argue its not the same "bhangra" as most of BTF likes to mobilize/critique with.

 

[kinnell]

3) Vardiyan- a lot of co-ed teams started wearing only 3 colors on stage

This is so true! I hate when co-ed teams do this because it's a cop-out and I don't think it's truly rangla jodi. But it has started to become more common because a) it looks cleaner on stage (more of the same color means dancers look more similar) and b) its easier to do formations.

You are right, in general, the trend has gone towards having three colors because its cleaner. But I disagree that it is easier to do formations in anyway. If you think about it, when teams have pairs of colors, most of the time those colors are together wherever they go, if they aren't, then they are symmetrical to each other in some way. You can put a pair together anywhere on stage and it will be ok. Take a 12 man set for instance, now make a pyramid of pairs, one pair in front, two pairs in the middle, and three pairs in the back... with a team with all different colored pairs, the pyramid can take whatever shape it wants color wise. However, if you have a pyramid with only three colors, there are only certain ways the colors can be set, without it looking really random. Thus, getting from one formation to another is sometimes hard and actually hinders us from doing really amazingly creative teams that some other teams do. Also, if you watch a lot of these coed teams with three colors, most of the time the pairs stay together throughout the whole performance no matter what. Even though there are two pairs with the same color, they don't go around switching partners the entire performance, they stick to one girl or guy. So technically, if you think about it, its the same as teams with individual colors for pairs, those partners stay together, and so do these. And of course it does look clean as well.

Yeah, you're absolutely right about symmetry of same color jodis. I forgot about that. Your point about switching partners is valid in that most teams will not do it. However, it is still a viable option that would make thinking of formations easier.

 

[Jabar Jung]

- You get more respect in this world by sticking to your guns then by bowing down to the norm