New Judging Rubric

[Saab]

However, if you make it a part of your rubric, then plan accordingly, and find out how to judge a mix.

 

[faizan]

wish there could be an all hip hop/bhangra mix competition, where mixes are 1/3 of the rubric...these days, there is a big gap in the quality of mixes...there is only a handful of teams who know what they are doing...would love to see these teams get together and have the mix be part of the rubric in a big way...

 

[HarmanToor]

There should be a best mix award.. much like the best dancer award but I dont think it should influence the placing of teams.. like Govind said its hard to find good creative mixers these days so if a team has a basic mix with a good routine and good dancers, it shouldn't drag them down..

But I'm pretty sure the best mix award will end up with disputes n a whole bunch of other problems since everyone does have different tastes in music n what not. Finding the right judges would be tricky..

 

[HarmanToor]

wish there could be an all hip hop/bhangra mix competition, where mixes are 1/3 of the rubric...these days, there is a big gap in the quality of mixes...there is only a handful of teams who know what they are doing...would love to see these teams get together and have the mix be part of the rubric in a big way...

that'd be a sick comp.

 

[Sohaj]

Take an absolute competitive scenario with two teams that are perfect images of one another - they perform the exact same chore, have the same style (nakhra/grace), same captain/coach hierarchy, same time to learn the dance, same number of dancers and the same vardiyaan. Everything is the same except the mixes. If both teams perform and one team has a better sounding mix then that team should deserve to win because the better mix shows the extra effort that team put into its dance performance. A better mix means better quality songs (EQing included), better transitions between songs, better remixes of songs (where the the remix is well thought out with matching moods of the songs, unobtrusive (not necessarily matching) instruments), more dance interactive with sound effects etc, and more audience interactive with popular songs etc. Making a good mix takes just as long as making up choreo and teaching the dance because deciding the first song you want to choreo for a dance is the exact time you begin mixing.

Most teams don't have the same choreo, don't have the same style (especially their nakhra and grace) and don't have the same vardiyaan in a given competition. But if this unlikely scenario does happen, even then the mix should not be counted to judge their performance. More and more teams are getting their mixes done by someone outside of their team. So, it just means that one mixer is better than another and they are both competing with each other at a BHANGRA COMPETITION. Another scenario could be that the two hypothetical teams that you mentioned have the same professional mixer. Should that be counted in a competition?

if judges really think that teams have the same choreo, style, vardiyaan etc...then we should have a tie. Still, i don't think that such a scenario is possible...if it ever does, i would rather have the judges look at a video replay of the two teams and have them decide who the better team is that way...i do think that there should be a separate award for best mix

 

[Nikhil]

What about all those times teams with phenomenal mixes also won their respective competitions, and we as a community remembered those performances? DRP at Bruin 08 comes to mind. If a team has a unique and superb mix for its performance, it's apparent to us as a community, and I feel it's usually apparent to the judges at the time of the competition. More than likely, the team that wins usually has a great mix along with an above average performance, and I feel that it subconsciously influences judges, so they end up awarding a team that has a musical direction. Indirectly, it IS a part of the rubrics for most competitions.

 

[kinnell]

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=78%]When Govind and I discussed this at BDM, we came to sort of consensus.[/SIZE][/font]


[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=78%]Let's begin by assuming that a competition is employing a two-stage judging process in which points are used initially by judges to determine the top (n+1) teams where n is the number of placing trophies. For example, in a competition of 8 teams with 3 placings, use points as a means to determine the top 4 teams. From there, the points scale becomes troublesome as our human nature prevents judges from becoming completely objective. (Often time, judges will grade more [/SIZE][/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]leniently[/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=78%] or more harshly to earlier performing teams in a line-up.) From there, judges a) [/SIZE][/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]independently[/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=78%] select who they should have won or b) [/SIZE][/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]collaborate/discuss/debate[/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=78%] with other judges on who should have placed in what order. Many competitions use a similar method and I believe this judging method was first publicized here on BTF by Govind himself.[/SIZE][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
Rather than discuss the implications and advantages of such a method, I will skip to the point. We ascertained that a mix should be factored in during the first phase of judging when allocating points and determining place-able teams (provided it is on the rubric, of course). However, it would have significantly less impact in determining who places in what order. (Sure, there will be the 4th team that does not place, but it was not their mix that lost them that placing).


This solves a few things. Most importantly, a team's mix would determine and factor in whether they are place-worthy, but it would not determine which placing their would get. A team would not place 2nd over another team based on mix alone, but their mix helped get into the category of "place-able".

 

[Kush]

wish there could be an all hip hop/bhangra mix competition, where mixes are 1/3 of the rubric...these days, there is a big gap in the quality of mixes...there is only a handful of teams who know what they are doing...would love to see these teams get together and have the mix be part of the rubric in a big way...

I wouldnt mind having that as an X-factor aspect to performances but to define it as a hip hop/bhangra mix competition? I don't like that. WAY too many teams seem to be deluded into thinking they have good mixes because they fit 15 different hip hop songs into their mix...even when they don't go together. In addition, why should hip hop be required to define you having a good mix? At least personally, when i mix, i don't necessarily search for a hip hop track to mix with a bhangra track first. I explore options in individual instruments, effects, beats, ANYTHING equally as often. Anything to enhance/alter/upgrade the feel of a song to achieve a desired effect. It doesn't mean shit to me when a team mixes the most current hip hop song in their set when... it sounds like shit. I think it was HarmanToor who said at some point, too many teams just beat match tracks that may not even match in pitch, and even then will just pitch shift them and call it a "good mix". Just plain awful.

Make it just a best mix segment, not defined by HOW it is mixed.

But to be honest, i wouldn't even trust 99% of people to even comprehend/differentiate the changes that are made to a the vast number of songs out there. You can't even tell what changes are until you've heard the original. Judging would be a disaster.