Motorcity Bhangra and giddha 2017

[mehtaabaulakh11]

At this point we aren't fighting for a "recount" or a re-judgment. This is got to the point where we are fighting for our right to be given answers to our questions, for us to know why the unfair judgement happened. We were ready to take the criticism, however every point they brought up was contradicted in another statement. We sat down with the judges and listened but when we asked questions our voice wasnt heard. We are fighting and posting about what happened to us so in the future this doesn't happen to other teams. Whatever happened already happened we cannot go in the past to change it, that is why were are posting about it to raise awareness about the issue. As a community we dance to come together and no one wants to start a fight for no reason and we didn't come to the competition to hurt any team or any individuals. Every team works equally as hard, and to give the deserving team the fair treatment is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously. Lastly we are not against the committee or organizers who helped us throughout the whole competition rather we are thankful, however we are just standing up against the wrong that happened. Everyone has the right to express their opinion and we are just here presenting ours.

It was a well organized competition. Teams were well taken care of. The events ran smoothly. The good things are appreciated to a great extent but that doesn't mean we ignore every other aspect that made no sense at all. We wouldn't argue if our team wasn't worthy. We don't want a re-judgment of any sort. At this point we wouldn't accept it either because the sentity of it is gone. We're just letting people know that if it happens in the future they aren't alone. We're with them and no matter who it is, we're gonna stand with them.

 

[Hsingh21]

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

Umm... Nachdi Jawani Folk Loverz first place not warriors

Firstly, from Nachdi Jawani Folk Loverz I would like to congratulate all placing teams at this event. I would also like to thank everyone who made MCB Jr's possible and helped grow bhangra at the junior level. Everything ran on time and was a ton of fun, I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did lol. I can assure that no threats or bad criticism was given in our judges meeting, as all the judges showed us what we did well and things we need to work on for next time. In regards to the Giddha competition, it was clearly a very tough judgment and I'm positive the audience loved every bit of it as every team brought their A-Game. Every team has the right to receive constructive feedback from judges and I'm disappointed to hear the feedback PHF received from the judges, threats shouldn't be part of any meeting. In my honest opinion though, this is not something that should have happened on stage. The only reason I say this is because the team we brought from our academy, Tor Punjaban Di (Tied for 2nd with PHF), was left very confused on the stage when this happened. The oldest girl on this team was 13 and the youngest was 7! This giddha competition was their first ever one for them and some of them had no clue they came second. Don't get me wrong I'm all for standing up for what you believe in but I also believe that there is a time and place for everything. I also send best wishes to the girl who was having the panic attack at the hotel, hope she is alright and well!

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

Umm... Nachdi Jawani Folk Loverz first place not warriors

Firstly, from Nachdi Jawani Folk Loverz I would like to congratulate all placing teams at this event. I would also like to thank everyone who made MCB Jr's possible and helped grow bhangra at the junior level. Everything ran on time and was a ton of fun, I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did lol. I can assure that no threats or bad criticism was given in our judges meeting, as all the judges showed us what we did well and things we need to work on for next time. In regards to the Giddha competition, it was clearly a very tough judgment and I'm positive the audience loved every bit of it as every team brought their A-Game. Every team has the right to receive constructive feedback from judges and I'm disappointed to hear the feedback PHF received from the judges, threats shouldn't be part of any meeting. In my honest opinion though, this is not something that should have happened on stage. The only reason I say this is because the team we brought from our academy, Tor Punjaban Di (Tied for 2nd with PHF), was left very confused on the stage when this happened. The oldest girl on this team was 13 and the youngest was 7! This giddha competition was their first ever one for them and some of them had no clue they came second. Don't get me wrong I'm all for standing up for what you believe in but I also believe that there is a time and place for everything. I also send best wishes to the girl who was having the panic attack at the hotel, hope she is alright and well!

Tor Punjaban di deserved every bit of the second place they achieved. The girls were way too good for their age. Their energy, their nakhra, their expressions were all so amazing! Every girl that danced on that team was a wonderful dancer. We went backstage after they performed because our team and our coach was in love with them. Our coach wanted to meet their coach but for some reason she could not make it so we had the parents know that what a good job they did. And this is the exact same thing our coach was trying to say on stage that we have nothing against the other teams! We even went up to the girls after and told them congratulations. We also let them know that the fight had absolutely nothing do to with them. We aren't fighting against any teams.

 

[BhangraSUCKS]

Menu punchanda I said from beginning lets do voting via audience, like in American idol when they say fans vote now using your iPhone

there is no such thing as a qualified judge, just bunch of kabooters

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

Menu punchanda I said from beginning lets do voting via audience, like in American idol when they say fans vote now using your iPhone

there is no such thing as a qualified judge, just bunch of kabooters

couldn't have said it better

 

[desi99]

Menu punchanda I said from beginning lets do voting via audience, like in American idol when they say fans vote now using your iPhone

there is no such thing as a qualified judge, just bunch of kabooters

How is audience voting fair? That is more biased than having judges...
American idol and several other shows use a voting system because the competition level is equal between all contestants. Bhangra competitions are not the same, Today you can have beginner/mediocre/ unexperienced teams competing against championship teams.
How is that fair? That is more biased than having judges...
Think practically, Obviously the team with the most fans and supports at the show will Win half the time, instead of being properly judged. What audience member has the knowledge and experience to give you proper criticism or feedback?
if there are 500 seats at a venue and 250 of them are "fans/supporters" of the home favorite, who do think will Win from votes?

 

[SimranL]

couldn't have said it better

Menu punchanda I said from beginning lets do voting via audience, like in American idol when they say fans vote now using your iPhone

there is no such thing as a qualified judge, just bunch of kabooters

Competition result based on "Audience Voting" if you are interested:

https://fans.vote/ACddjWhlpoA/motor-city-bhangra-competition/which-team-should-win-people-s-choice-award-for-mcb-jr-2017?&ref=results

 

[amrinder13]

I will keep this brief as I think contributing to this thread may be pointless.

Firstly, a big congrats to the MCB committee, all participating teams, and placing teams.

To organize a competition that brings our community together is not an easy task. At the end of the day this is all a choice based on passion, love, and intent to keep our culture alive and specially within our youth. Regardless of the outcome of placings, the actions taken at the time of placings on stage, hotel, and social media is a shame.

Having been involved in competitive dancing like many of you here, we all know regardless of how successful the performance was and how involved the crowd was, the placings come down to a handful of people. I know we won't agree with the placings at times and I'm sure everyone can relate but at the end of the day teams need to take pride in performing as that is a bigger achievement thank getting a placing. The dramatic events which took place is discouraging for teams and organizers to keep pushing forward to partake in future events.

My team has been to MCB for 5 straight years! I have known Gary Kherra for 8 years. I can say that his intent has always been positive and he has always served our community well. Bottom line, if there was an issue with placings or the way the committee ran things, take it up with them in a professional manner and not in front of the entire public and participants. The youth witnessed these actions and so did their parents. I have to say that it was a shame to see this and very difficult to explain why these things happen to our team and their parents.

Swallow your pride/ego, suck it up, and prep for the next comp/performance. Positive progression will lead to victories and expansion of our culture, not publicized dramatics.

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

There is no ego. There is no pride. No doubt the overall competition and events were organized ridiculously well. The only thing upsetting regarding to Gary Khehra was that he as an organizer did not follow through what he said. Rules were rules when it came to our team, we were expected to treat the judges politely and with respect but they were allowed to disrespect our coach and our team members. Every statement coming out of the judge's mouths contradicted their next statement. Amd when asked why, they did not have an answer. My coach and I did not get any reply from Gary Khehra after me messaging him anf our coach calling him all to say that we need the HD video as soon as possible. He did not return our coach's call but what he did do was get a hold of one of our team members amd call her and question her character. This has nothing to do with wether MCB was run smoothly or not. And why are people so bothered with the stage thing? So what if our coach said the right thing on the stage? She didn't commit any crime. She didn't say anything negative about any team. If other teams and parents were present there then so were ours. The amount of teams and parents that we didn't even know came up to us and said that they can't believe what had happened and that they felt bad for us because the result was clear. The amount of people that said "stop bringing your kids to these competitions because these people don't care about the true talent, they're here just for their own fame." I can understand why some people are so bothered that my coach got up on stage and kept her view because most of you who are "against" this only agree with it when it comes upon you or your team. Then everything is right and understandable. Yes she said that our team did not deserve the second but no where did she say that the other team we got tied with didn't deserve second. So people who are saying us or our coach disrespected other teams or any participants, ask your conscience if your really speaking the truth. That's if you have any left. Because I very well knew before I started this thread that people were gonna come bashing us about how much of a great person Gary Khehra is and okay great. Good for you and good for him that he's a lovely human being but the rules are rules and if we are expected to follow them, I expect everyone else to.

 

[jasvig]

But the issue began with your team's immediate response to your placings on stage. Had your team not reacted dramatically on stage, the judges may have handled the judges meeting differently.

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

Competition result based on "Audience Voting" if you are interested:

https://fans.vote/ACddjWhlpoA/motor-city-bhangra-competition/which-team-should-win-people-s-choice-award-for-mcb-jr-2017?&ref=results

Hey, these are people's choice awards which had nothing to do with the performances as the poll closed 4 days before the teams performed on stage. This was based on popularity. Thank you for the information tho

 

[desi99]

If you were emotional with the results, and you reacted in such a way, Every action has a reaction, if your coach did what he/she did on stage, then what do you expect from a judge?
They broke the rules, You broke the rules, they broke the rules, you broke the rules, its just a back and forth drama that will never end.
Just let it go, and Speak to those people privately, (Gary, the judges, whoever) and keep it away from BTF because it discourages EVERY ONE, from competing or attending these competitions. Your 17 years of experience you claim you have, is not holding up at all.
You got 2nd place and Best dancer award, clearly you guys did not appreciate that, and are acting ungrateful for that, so don't be surprised if the judges, organizers, or everyone here treats you in such a manner. There are people who have empathy for how your members were treated by the judges. This is not the first case in where a competitor felt offended or disrespected by a judge or organizers. There have been multiple cases, but it can be handled in a better way.
cheers and good luck to your future competitions. I personally know the captain of TAG (first place team) and they were not there just to compete and win, it was also to raise awareness for their youth initiatives they do around the world.

 

[Meki24]

I will keep this brief as I think contributing to this thread may be pointless.

Firstly, a big congrats to the MCB committee, all participating teams, and placing teams.

To organize a competition that brings our community together is not an easy task. At the end of the day this is all a choice based on passion, love, and intent to keep our culture alive and specially within our youth. Regardless of the outcome of placings, the actions taken at the time of placings on stage, hotel, and social media is a shame.

Having been involved in competitive dancing like many of you here, we all know regardless of how successful the performance was and how involved the crowd was, the placings come down to a handful of people. I know we won't agree with the placings at times and I'm sure everyone can relate but at the end of the day teams need to take pride in performing as that is a bigger achievement thank getting a placing. The dramatic events which took place is discouraging for teams and organizers to keep pushing forward to partake in future events.

My team has been to MCB for 5 straight years! I have known Gary Kherra for 8 years. I can say that his intent has always been positive and he has always served our community well. Bottom line, if there was an issue with placings or the way the committee ran things, take it up with them in a professional manner and not in front of the entire public and participants. The youth witnessed these actions and so did their parents. I have to say that it was a shame to see this and very difficult to explain why these things happen to our team and their parents.

Swallow your pride/ego, suck it up, and prep for the next comp/performance. Positive progression will lead to victories and expansion of our culture, not publicized dramatics.

I'm sorry but standing up for injustice happening isn't some sort of crime. Regardless of whether or not we stood up, the Judges would've still did what they did. The judges didn't answer any of the questions we asked them during our meeting. They were going off into other topics and other things that didn't even have anything to do with us. This isn't about us placing anymore it's about the injustice we faced at this competition by the judges. We have nothing against the committee as they did a excellent job hosting the competition, it's the judges that are causing this. There is no ego, rather it is just us standing up for what's right and what's wrong. A handful of competitions these days have unfair judgement happening and no one is doing anything about it. If we don't stand up for not only ourselves but for the future generation, then who will? Also a side note, I don't know about other years but the judges were different this year and maybe you should take that into account as to why we are talking about the judgement

 

[mehtaabaulakh11]

But the issue began with your team's immediate response to your placings on stage. Had your team not reacted dramatically on stage, the judges may have handled the judges meeting differently.

Oh so now standing up for yourself is called reacting dramatically? This isn't the first time we've seen this happen. Yes we could have went back with the second place trophy but then the audience wouldn't have known that we didn't accept it. Why make it look like your satisfied when your actually not? Why pretend that everything is

If you were emotional with the results, and you reacted in such a way, Every action has a reaction, if your coach did what he did on stage, then what do you expect from a judge?
They broke the rules, You broke the rules, they broke the rules, you broke the rules, its just a back and forth drama that will never end.
Just let it go, and Speak to those people privately, (Gary, the judges, whoever) and keep it away from BTF because it discourages EVERY ONE, including myself from competing or attending these competitions.

I would honestly love to talk to the committee and the judges but that's what we're saying that we wanted to but they just kept interrupting us and refused to listen. Gary isn't returning our calls, our messages instead he's messaging a team member and asking her personal questions.

 

[jasvig]

Let's take a look at what happened at Reign of Bhangra this year. Did any of the teams make a scene on stage after they did not receive the place they wanted? No, instead, they waited until a more appropriate time to resolve the issue with the judges/ coordinators etc.

 

[Meki24]

Let's take a look at what happened at Reign of Bhangra this year. Did any of the teams make a scene on stage after they did not receive the place they wanted? No, instead, they waited until a more appropriate time to resolve the issue with the judges/ coordinators etc.

Yes they did, but we wanted to let the audience know in that moment that we did not agree with the results. I don't really see why everyone is focusing on the fact that "oh my god they did it on stage?!" I can see why you all are upset but we weren't very happy about it either. We don't like starting brawls without a valid reason but what's wrong is wrong and we wanted everyone to know. The audience was a part of the competition. They should've known that the judges are answerable to us.

 

[Romy]

Because you said you were afraid people will be defending Gary, I do not know Gary nor have I attended any of his competitions. I'm giving my opinion based upon what I've read here.

First of all, why do you think you deserved first place? You and your team members keep on repeating that the judges and organizers broke the rules, what are the rules then? I don't see other teams that placed complaining about their placings at this competition. Do you understand why majority of us are questioning your actions? Because you have not substantially given us any evidence to show that you deserved first place or why these placings were "wrong". All we're seeing is complaints without evidence and honestly, a lot of whining. What did you expect to get out of complaining about the placings on BTF and I forgot to add, complaining on stage at the competition? A re-judging? With Reign of Bhangra, multiple teams and dancers came out (AFTER the competition was over) and stated that the placings were off and gave evidence as to why. This lead to the re-judging. However, all I see here is your team complaining that you didn't win and you deserved first place. There are multiple people that posted in this thread that were at the competition and they have said opposite things as to what you're complaining about. What we're seeing are sore losers. You will not always get your way. You will not always win when you think you should have and you are deserving of so. This is life ladies. Do you know how many placings at competitions there have been where some teams, dancers and/or audience members disagreed with the placings? Pretty much every competition that has ever taken place. Learn from this experience, take it as a life lesson and move on. The more complaining and whining you all do, the less of an effect or impact you all will have.

 

[Newmember]

As a dancer's first giddha competition, I believe MCB's organizer, Gary couldn't of given me and my team a better standard to set competition expectations at. The hospitality, the care and love Gary showed each and every team was very appreciative. Gary and his team ensured each team had what they needed at all times and always answered to our needs almost instantly. The experience of the actual competition itself was beyond my expectations because the competition ran so smoothly and everything was done on time. The judges were very educated and knowledgeable in their fields of dance. Upon meeting each judge in the judge's meeting, it was clear that they knew what they were judging as they could provide us with very clear points of improvement and also very clear points of our best moments in the performance. My overall experience at MCB couldn't of been better and I'm very glad this was the platform I got to perform at for my first giddha competition.
It is a shame that the committee is receiving this treatment as they definitely do not deserve it because they organized a competition that was executed very well until the end of awards ceremony.
Our team was shocked to see the response because the audience and judges did not deserved it at all. Regardless of what tge results were respect should be given to the organizers and team members who gave you the platform.
MCB was a great comp and we would love to come back.

 

[muskan03]

Bottom line is your coach and teams behavior on stage in front of teams full of very young kids was utterly rude and unacceptable. This is the example you are setting for future generations? If you don't get 1st place then kick/scream/throw tantrums instead of having a mature and decent conversation with the judges at an appropriate time? Shameful.

 

[asad04]

Because you said you were afraid people will be defending Gary, I do not know Gary nor have I attended any of his competitions. I'm giving my opinion based upon what I've read here.

First of all, why do you think you deserved first place? You and your team members keep on repeating that the judges and organizers broke the rules, what are the rules then? I don't see other teams that placed complaining about their placings at this competition. Do you understand why majority of us are questioning your actions? Because you have not substantially given us any evidence to show that you deserved first place or why these placings were "wrong". All we're seeing is complaints without evidence and honestly, a lot of whining. What did you expect to get out of complaining about the placings on BTF and I forgot to add, complaining on stage at the competition? A re-judging? With Reign of Bhangra, multiple teams and dancers came out (AFTER the competition was over) and stated that the placings were off and gave evidence as to why. This lead to the re-judging. However, all I see here is your team complaining that you didn't win and you deserved first place. There are multiple people that posted in this thread that were at the competition and they have said opposite things as to what you're complaining about. What we're seeing are sore losers. You will not always get your way. You will not always win when you think you should have and you are deserving of so. This is life ladies. Do you know how many placings at competitions there have been where teams, dancers and audience members disagreed with the placings? Pretty much every competition that has ever taken place. Learn from this experience, take it as a life lesson and move on. The more complaining and whining you all do, the less of an effect or impact you all will have.

This.