Motorcity Bhangra and giddha 2017

[mehtaabaulakh11]

I have been a dancer for 17 years now, I have competed in various competitions and witnessed many improper judgements but what happened this past weekend was truly shocking and unbelievable. My team, Punjabi heritage and folk and I participated in Motorcity bhangra and giddha competition in the giddha category hoping that the judgement will be fair and unbiased. Unfortunately, I was wrong to think so.



The flawed judgement took place in the presence of the organizer, Gary Khehra and the three judges: Jatinder Nijjar, Birinderjit Singh and Gurbaksh Singh Baba. It was clear that the judgement was unfair and biased as everyone could see which team performed how well on the stage. According to the results we were tied second with Taur Punjaban di. Taur Punjaban di without any doubt deserved the second placing as these little girls were truly amazing on stage. Their confidence and energy had everyone shook. However, we were unsatisfied with our placing. It was very obvious that which team should have been the deserving winner. Unhappy with the judgment, we did not accept the trophy and our coach went up on the stage and stood up against this wrongful act. When she was asking for a clarification, the organizers and the judges were not letting her speak and were not offering to listen to what she had to say. Gurbaksh Singh Baba attempted to provoke the audience against her by saying that our coach was addressing Taur Punjaban di as an undeserving team for the second place when she clearly was asking for a clarification on why our team was placed second. We did not accept the trophy and left the venue right away as we were not given chance to keep our point. Upon our return to the hotel we confronted the judges again and demanded some answers. When our coach was talking, Jatinder Nijjar started shouting saying that how dare our coach had the audacity to step up on stage questioning the judgement. What I don’t get is that why can’t the teams and the coaches get satisfactory replies and answers? Why is it that every second competition has flawed judgment? Why can’t these so called qualified judges stick to a fair game plan? Rather than stamping the fixed results provided by the organizers, why can’t they have their own opinion?



After things got heated up, Garry Khehra convinced us that he will get this situation sorted out in a calm manner if we first listened to the judges without any argument and then we would get a chance to question the judgement which the judges will answer. However, this agreement only worked one way. We sat down with the judges and they told us what our team was missing and what mistakes had happened. During this conversation, Gurbaksh Singh Baba was not willing to show the mark sheets to our coach and instead was just waving the sheet in front of one of our team mates. After our coach asked firmly only then he hid the rest of the results and only presented our team’s column. When it was our chance to ask questions and discuss the result, we were told to keep our mouths shut. Any right point that we brought up against the winning team which was Toronto All star Girls was dismissed. After seeing the videos of our performance and their performance, we discovered quite a few flaws and mistakes that they had in their performance which were totally visible. However the judges refused to take a look at the video because their decision was the “right” decision. When we brought up the point that the girls in the winning team were not clapping loud enough, not singing, not expressing, not smiling, we were told that it is okay because it is a recorded giddha. However, the main mistake they took out in our performance was our clap which I can very confidently prove wrong because I have the proof of not doing so. All three judges judged us on a completely different agenda. We were on our second point when they said that our points were not valid enough. When we demanded the answer to why the exact same points mattered for our team and not theirs, the judges got up and started disrespecting our team and our coach. I was awarded as the best dancer in this competition which was the decision of the judges. However, when I questioned Jatinder Nijjar on why our team’s presentation was graded poorly he yelled in front of everyone that I do not know how to dance and that I don’t know anything about giddha. My question is that if I do not know anything about giddha and if I do not know how to dance, on what god damn basis did they announce me as the best dancer of the competition? I lost the amount of dual statements made by Garry Khehra and the judges at this competition. When we proved them wrong or asked for further clarification they would jump onto a whole new topic without answering our questions. When we did not back down, Gurbaskh Singh Baba threatened that he would get our team rusticated from every competition that would take place from now on. Why? Because we were fighting for what was right and not agreeing to give up. When Gurbaksh Singh Baba was unable to satisfy our team, he started accusing our coach of not promoting the right culture just because our coach taught us to stand up against injustice and fight for themselves.



We did not receive any satisfactory answers and our team is in a deep trauma right now. The girls in our team do not wanna step on stage anymore. The competitions these days are a mental torture and harassment of dancers. We also confronted Garry Khehra about the flawed judgement he gave in Reign of Bhangra 2017. Vancity Bhangra being one of the most talented bhangra teams did not place in Reign of Bhangra 2017 and ABC not placing first was very shocking to us. When we asked this, Garry Khehra and Gurbaksh Singh Baba stated that Vancity doesn’t know anything about dance and they did not deserve to place. They also laughed at the fact that we thought that Vancity Bhangra was deserving. Every team works equally hard and makes dance their priority to be the best on stage. Then why is it so difficult to pick a deserving winner? Why can’t the team that danced their best be given the credit without any bias? I am truly ashamed of the community I live in today because this is not the example we should be setting for the future generations. Dance is all about expressing yourself freely and people like these take that freedom away. I am not here to seek any sympathy. I am here to stand up against these shady and fixed judegements. This is not how I plan to promote my culture.

 

[Jasmine Dhatt]

I'm also a dancer of PHF and I felt very insulted by the judges. Gurbaksh Singh Baba made me cry and have panic attacks due to the way he spoke to me. After putting in months of hard work and sacrifice, he stated that I had brought down the whole team. I left to my room and calmed myself down after he had insulted me for minutes nonstop and when I came back he had told me not to take it to heart. I was deeply hurt by what he had said and he had expected me not to take it to heart. He spoke disrespectfully with not only me, but the rest of the members of the team and our coach as well. The other judges did not behave properly either and treated us all like little children. They demanded respect but refused to give it back, and talked about manners when they themselves showed none. This was my first competition and after what had happened there, forget not wanting to go to competitions, I'm not even sure if I want to continue to dance. What kind of judges are those that create self esteem issues in competitors who put in months of work? They spoke about how precious their time was and how they had been there since 5 in the morning, but what about our time, when we put hours every single day? We were given no explanations as to how other teams managed to "cover" all their mistakes whereas all of ours were highlighted. If they truely believed they were correct in their judgements, then why were no answers provided to support those judgments? Why was there a bias toward us and not to other teams? Every team puts in hard work and dedication, it's a disappointment not to win, but even more so when you lose even though you deserved to win, and when you lose due to extreme bias by the judges.

 

[RsK]

 

[Bballer]

Two words. Sore losers #robbed2017

 

[Prabh Dhanoa]

Jatinder Nijjar, Birinderjit Singh and Gurbaksh Singh Baba have not only brought shame to motor city but also the entire Punjabi community. In what world does it make sense to tell someone you don't know anything about giddha but award them with the best dancer trophy, In what world can you insult a coach whose standing up for the injustice brought upon her and her team. These 3 judges who have emotionally tortured and played with the feelings of all the members of PHF and caused two of our girls to have panic attacks should be banned from judging any future competitions, not only these jugdes but any other judges that base there results on biased judgments and opinions should be restricted from jugding any competitions. They think they could do injustice to us, Keep us quite and break us down, but the girls of PHF will not back down until justice is done and not only for ourselves but also to ensure that the horrible experience we had at motor city Bhangra and giddha will never happen to others teams.

 

[Harjot.Gill]

Hello BTF,

First I would like to say congratulations to PHF on your second place performance at MCB juniors and Giddha competition. The competition was very high and teams definitely brought their A game. I was a member of one of the bhangra teams that competed at MCB this year. I watched the entire show and was there to witness what happened with placings.

Being a captain of a bhangra team, I understand how much hard work goes into putting together a performance for a competition. Having knowledgeable judges to give constructive criticism is a priority for me as well. However, I disagree with a lot of points you brought up in this post. Being on a Detroit based bhangra team I am well aware of the bias that comes along with Gary being an organizer. Although the previous MCB competitions have had their flaws, I truly believe that Gary tried his best in implementing changes and MCB this year ran smoothly from the beginning up until the awards ceremony. Teams were taken care of well, the show ran in a timely manner, and the audience was enjoying the competition. I also am well aware of the bias against Gary’s judging. However, my team (ASD) competed in Big Apple Bhangra 2016 where Gary was a judge and we had a great experience. He gave us constructive criticism that benefitted us for future performances and presented that information in a respectful manner. However, I believe there is no room to bring up Reign of Bhangra in this post because Gary had nothing to do with judging at MCB. It would only be fair to compare if Gary was a judge, but he strictly played the role of an organizer.

I would like to start off by saying that originally there was only a first place for the Giddha category, however the judges themselves said that due to the high caliber of the Giddha teams they felt a second place was necessary. The organizers said that second place would be given a trophy and prize money as well. I personally believe the placings at this competition are not the issue. It is the behavior and reactions of PHF that were disrespectful. When second place was announced, the coach of PHF got a microphone and started stating on stage, in front of the audience, that she felt that her team worked too hard to get second place and they were deserving of first. She then started speaking directly to the audience, asking the audience to clap if they agreed with her as well. In order to not cause a scene in front of the audience, the organizers and judges were trying to stop your coach from saying anything on stage, but rather told her she could have whatever time she needed at the judges meeting to go over whatever she wanted to talk about. Disagreements on placings are appropriate during judges’ meetings, not on stage in front of an audience that is not aware of how judging is done. If you want respect, you must give respect. The judges were not respected on stage and you could clearly see confusion on not only the judges’ faces, but the organizers and dancers alike. This competition was a juniors’ competition. There were children on that stage varying in age from 6 to 16 years old. Older teams and adults are supposed to be setting a good example for these children. The actions of PHF and their coach showed these children that only first place matters and if you don’t get first place, it is because judges made a mistake and you should say what you want to say and then walk off stage. This behavior continued backstage, with members from this team cursing and yelling in front of children and parents. There were members punching walls and refusing to respect the venue. This behavior was appalling to me and I have never been witness to anything like it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, however how that opinion is voiced matters the most. There is a time and place to say certain things and saying it on stage in front of an audience, minors, and elders alike is not appropriate or acceptable.

At the end of the day, culture is about just that; culture. You get on stage to spread awareness and to enjoy what you have a passion for. You have a passion for dance. That passion should not be based on how many first place trophies you have. I agree that placings should be given to those who deserve it, however disrespecting judges, organizers, fellow dancers, and the audience is not the right way to do so.

 

[Aka$h]

Lol everytime someone loses now, they'll do this shit. Every team works hard, every team does the best they can, just because you didn't win does not mean it's an "injustice". If you were unhappy with placings, you should've handled it in a professional manner, not grab the mic and complain. This post is discrediting the first place team and its sad that this is the example being set at a Jr. competition. Way to promote the culture.

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

Lol this is the thing about these results. If they're wrong for your own team then everyone will label them wrong but if you have to stand up for someone else then it's said that "oh you can't do that. Your overrracting" We're not 2 years old that we don't know how to talk professionally or that our coach doesn't know how to talk. We were standing on stage when we were told to go up and we very simply said that we're sorry we're not accepting it cuz it's clearly not the right thing to do so. When we were told that we're the judges and our decision is the absolute god made decision then our coach went up and she was right to do so. Till this date we've been a part of many competitions and we have accepted defeat with an honour because we knew we made mistakes and we needed to work harder in order to win. But when you know that there was no mistake, when you know that the judges aren't being able to give your answers then I'm very sorry but we will stand up against it. As far as the encouragement goes for other teams and audience, no one from our team and not even our coach said anything disrespectful about them. If the judges can't speak to us with respect then I am so sorry but they're not gonna get it back. I was accepting all these comments about how we only care about winning and how we're upset about it but I'm saying it again I am not here for that. I am not seeking any god damn sympathy from anyone here. I'm here because what happened was not right, our team was disrespected, our coach was disrespected and we're not in favour of any of this. If anyone thinks that we're not presenting the right culture then please tell me which culture portrays that it is absolutely okay to threaten a team to get them rusticated from every competition just because they wanted some answers. This is not about winning, that's long gone. Im here saying this so no other team had to go through what we did because it was truly discouraging.

 

[Mr. Mankiran]

"...we're sorry we're not accepting it cuz it's clearly not the right thing to do so."

I can't believe what I'm reading. This thread started off really interesting until I got to the part where the team complaining got 2nd.

 

[rbansal4494]

Post the videos and let other people see if what you're saying is true.

Off topic side note: what were bhangra placings?

 

[The TRUTH 123]

Look what you've done ABC... Great example set for the youth. I guess every team can now complain about placings and have them changed after the fact.
#robbed2017 continues...
@Harmeet

 

[VickG]

Sound to me like your team can't take any criticism.

 

[Simo]

BTF is turning into Hillary Clinton when it comes to placings.. "RECOUNT THE VOTES." LOL. You guys keep saying you put in months of hard work so you deserve to win.. Maybe next time a winner will be picked based on how many practice hours they log.

 

[SimranL]

Post the videos and let other people see if what you're saying is true

Off topic side note: what were bhangra placings?

1. NJ Warriors
2. DCMPAA
3. Virginia School of Bhangra

 

[desi99]

CONGRATS ON BEST DANCER AND YOU GOT 2nD PLACE !!!!!! BE GRATEFULL FOR THAT FIRST!!!!

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

We're waiting for the HD videos to come out. They'll be available shortly then people can see for themselves. And as far as the thing goes for not being able to take criticism. Sorry to inform you but if I'm here fighting for my team it's only because our team has come a long way because we do work on the things we are told to. Positive critism is always welcomed. But if your picking a team member in front of the whole team and pointing a finger at them saying that it was you that brought shame to your team then please tell me in what world do you call that criticism? That's straight up scapegoating them. First it was said that the girl in purple did a bhangra step then when asked again that which girl did the bhangra step, it was said the girl in yellow had done it. First we were told that the girl in green danced very well and was one of the best dancers then we were told that she didn't know how to clap. Then they pick a best dancer of the show and after they tell them they didn't know how to dance. What kind of criticism is this? Please someone explain. Now one of the judges is changing their statements that oh no the winning team and PHG girls danced equally well. lol people talk big when it comes upon them. But that's the thing about our community. We can't stand up for other people but rabb ne mooh sareya de laaya.

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

CONGRATS ON BEST DANCER AND YOU GOT 2nD PLACE !!!!!! BE GRATEFULL FOR THAT FIRST!!!!

Thank you

 

[Meki24]

We're waiting for the HD videos to come out. They'll be available shortly then people can see for themselves. And as far as the thing goes for not being able to take criticism. Sorry to inform you but if I'm here fighting for my team it's only because our team has come a long way because we do work on the things we are told to. Positive critism is always welcomed. But if your picking a team member in front of the whole team and pointing a finger at them saying that it was you that brought shame to your team then please tell me in what world do you call that criticism? That's straight up scapegoating them. First it was said that the girl in purple did a bhangra step then when asked again that which girl did the bhangra step, it was said the girl in yellow had done it. First we were told that the girl in green danced very well and was one of the best dancers then we were told that she didn't know how to clap. Then they pick a best dancer of the show and after them they didn't know how to dance. What kind of criticism is this? Please someone explain. Now one of the judges is changing their statements that oh no the winning team and PHG girls danced equally well. lol people talk big when it comes upon them. But that's the thing about our community. We can't stand up for other people but rabb ne mooh sareya de laaya.

it's not even about the placings anymore. The way the judges gave us the criticism was unacceptable. Not only did they changes there minds one statement after another, but they were bringing other statements into our meeting. They were answering our coaches questions with there own invalid things "oh how long have you been dancing. Oh whose your coach? And after she told them they said "oh they know me , let's call them right now" the meeting was about our gidha yet the coaches kept bringing in not only other people who weren't present but also Bhangra and we're asking our Bhangra coach invalid questions that had nothing to do with our performance. We were asking about our performance and the judges weren't even talking about it and instead kept going off topic and clearly had no interest in telling us.

 

[Harjot.Gill]

I was not present during judges' meeting, so I can't say anything about how it was ran or organized. However, if you stand on stage and discredit the people who chose placings in front of other competitive teams and the audience, they're not going to be too happy when they see you later on lol. You can't go into meetings being confrontational and expect to have a productive conversation. On stage, there was a lot of yelling back and forth between your team, the judges, and the organizers. One person was trying to be louder than the next and it caused a scene that was disrespectful to everyone involved. I can't imagine that the judges' meeting was any different. In life you're never going to agree with every single person and their opinions, however you can't say that they're wrong just because their opinions are different from yours. Regardless of whether or not you girls deserved first place, your attitudes this weekend are what has a lot of people upset.

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

If our attitude was upsetting to a lot of people then the result and the way it was handled has our team usept too. There was a productive conversation. People present there witnessed it. But that only lasted till the point where judges wanted to present their opinions. They talked and we listened without any argument but when it was our turn to talk why didn't they hear us? Why were the unrelated questions coming up that had nothing to do with the performance? That's not how it works. If they wanted a productive conversation they should have heard us too. It doesn't only work one way. It Takes two hands to clap.