Panel Discussion(BTF Live) from VIBC 2013

[Kaur]

Very interesting to see almost a debate between Jatinder Bhaji (Shane Punjab) and Poonam (Empire) regarding the evolution of bhangra. Many topics were discussed and everyone had great perspectives to share. This is only a clip of the discussion, it actually lasted about an hour
Bhangra Village - HSBC City of Bhangra - VIBC 2013

 

[Basim]

Simply awesome panel discussion with audience participation! I wish that I could have attended something like this. That was very diverse panel that was present and I greatly appreciated hearing everyone's unique feedback.

Thanks much for sharing the video clip Harkiran!


~ Basim

 

[Kaur]

The full discussion was an hour long if not a bit more. It was one of the highlights of the weekend I hope that every team gets a chance to come out and experience Vibc.

 

[sangeensingh]

SICK video!

(sorry Ram lol)

 

[Kaur]

I have received many messages asking for the full panel discussion we are working on getting it up There were other topics such as competitions, judges, emphasis on placing which were also discussed.

 

[kashkoor15]

This is probably one of the most interesting videos that has been posted on BTF in a long time and as someone who barely posts but is the average BTF audience member/reader, I felt this video was too good to just watch and not comment on.
I felt two dancers brought fruitful thoughts to the discussion, one being the Bhangra Empire girl who made the comparison btwn the farmers and fusla. It was a great analogy and though I didn’t understand everything the coach of Shan-e-Punjab said since I am not Punjabi, I think her twist on the topic was very thought provoking [at least for me]. But props to the UNC guy who said the most realist statement….I had to quote it because it is so damn true: “We are fighting for [respect].People are not willing to give that out easily and that is because we are all competitive and we are all dancers. Dancing is an art and art is to be judged. We are judging each other all the damn time and we need to break that shit down first.” As someone who started a collegiate team and has only been in the circuit for 3 years, I think respect is something way more satisfying but many times we have seen it turn into ego. Ego is what creates this “unsaid Bhangra team hierarchy” which needs to be knocked down so teams are intimidated by each other on stage [afterall it is a competition], but not when they are off and being ordinary people.

Excited to see the rest of the discussion when it is posted.

 

[ramv88]

Ram and Romy have both made great points about the feedback on videos (11:08-13:40). I also think that the issue extends to even mixes posted as well. I can speak for some mixers I know that the reason why they don't like posting the mixes is that people will just download it and not care about the work that they put in. I would suggest that if one wants to make a critique for a team/mixer (provided that it is constructive) but is afraid of posting it in public....pm it. At the end we all get better entertainment and new innovative ideas with each new video/mix...win/win situation.

+1 Nisha------Akash (UNC) and Poonam (Empire)--- great points.


Very interesting discussion. Well done VIBC.


- Dholi Ram

 

[Gabbah Shareef Bhalwan]

Thanks for sharing.


May I ask: What was the stated purpose/goal of the discussion? How was it framed? (Perhaps you could relate what all was said at the beginning to introduce it.) What (do you think) were the audience/participant's expectations, based on the stated goals 9or even title) of the discussion? Did participants work towards achieving the stated goals, or was it more like people just putting X-amount of time into an open talking session until time ran out?

 

[Romy]

Thanks for sharing.


May I ask: What was the stated purpose/goal of the discussion? How was it framed? (Perhaps you could relate what all was said at the beginning to introduce it.) What (do you think) were the audience/participant's expectations, based on the stated goals 9or even title) of the discussion? Did participants work towards achieving the stated goals, or was it more like people just putting X-amount of time into an open talking session until time ran out?

The purpose of the panel discussion was to openly discuss issues related to the competitive bhangra scene here in North America. As to how it was framed, there was a moderator (Mandeep Patrola) and she posed questions (regarding to competitive bhangra) to the panel and as the panel discussed, the audience was allowed to interject with their opinions as well. I believe the participants & audience didn't quite know what they should have expected when they walked into the auditorium. However, with a non-judgmental environment, there were a lot of opinions expressed on various spectrums (ie. modern vs folk, competitiveness) without the fear of backlash. I feel that this really allowed for inciteful and intellectual discussions, which sometimes lacks here on BTF. I believe the discussion was more of an open discussion and having our opinions heard about the various topics that were discussed rather than reaching the goals stated. However, we did leave the room with more thoughts, ideas and perhaps opinions we may have not had when we walked into the auditorium.

Hope this answered your questions!

 

[Cherag]

Phenomenal discussion and great work by VIBC! A very healthy discussion to say the least, and well mediated by Mandeep. I think what Kiran said at the end was great though. Evaluate success as you wish, whether it's through a trophy or an amazing performance. One thing I think that newer teams starting out, or even teams who have been around and want to do better could do, is emulate success in the way that you desire, by watching teams who have already achieved it, in that said way. And you can't just watch them, that's where you should gear yourself and imitate or mirror the way that they achieved that success, and make your practices, or choreo sessions, mixing, or out of the box thinking etc. reflect the same "winning" attributes. And if anything there are plenty of successful dancers and captains, who would be more than willing to help out, don't be scared, take the initiative and reach out. Help isn't bad but drive is a must, or else failure in reaching your goal is inevitable.
I think BTF could really benefit if it set up this sort of discussion to keep the community and younger dancers involved and active. As people were discussing a while ago, the mentality of continuing Bhangra is on a decline, and that passion for the whole competitive atmosphere isn’t as hightened, maybe this could help Swi or Saleem. Maybe setup a Google Hangout or something, and see the different views between team members all over the nation and for different discussions, have different types of people. Something that Dheerja was doing which was great but didn’t involve as many people. The closest thing I think of is Vent, and how great it was when I was on there when it first came out, talking to people like Shanjeet and what not at the time really showed different views on Bhangra and aspects of success. Just my two cents.

 

[mafzal]

Great discussion, great video!!!

 

[Saleem]

aweeesome live BTF

 

[uvache]

Thanks alot for sharing this!

 

[GSingh]

I don't like having the two elements, bhangra dance/choreo and gimmicks, be segregated by "entertainment value". Its like saying bhangra alone is boring... Well I think bhangra is boring if you make it boring. Moreover, if you make a bhangra routine that's fun, it can be "entertaining".

It's just the distinction that gimmicks add entertainment value to a routine that bothers me.

Biased opinion: Bhangra gravitated to adding gimmicks when choreographers ran dry in attempts to make the dance itself more fun. I see it as a way to get cheap applause. Do not let that take away from some of the great ideas that get implemented into the set and choreo THEMATICALLY or LYRICALLY. For example, BK shooting up the projector on "Kalla kalla fire kaddu hick vich di" - great way to ACCENTUATE what is an otherwise great set. Throwing a grenade to emphasize the competitive rivalry against Fauj for WBBC.

[rant]
Just my perception - ~90% of gimmicks are not well executed. They're thrown in almost to simply show that they did it. If a gimmick doesn't serve a clear cut purpose to highlight something bigger than itself, I see it as a fail. The most annoying are gimmick songs - entire segments devoted to pulling off a non-bhangra action. There's so little substance to just adding a light show to a set, when actual light shows are 100x more impressive. Why should anyone be impressed? just because a bhangra team did it, and you're connected with bhangra so automatically it should boost your pride?

Music: Adding popular american songs to boost 'connectivity' with the audience can be so irritating sometimes. It's not to say that adding popular american music is bad bhangra etiquette, but everything has its flow and presentation. If a song fits well with the rest of the music, and makes the choreo flow just as well, great! but if it doesn't, the fact that it's a song that I know doesn't change the fact that it sounds awful in its overall presentation. Same goes for forcing instrumentals. "OMG SUCH A HOT BEAT" uhhhhhhh yeah only if its presented properly.

Choreo: Some teams seem to skip 'fundementals' like straight back, shoulders bouncing, legs smooth, congruency of angles among other things and go straight to complex, "difficult" steps which should theoretically add "hype" to a set. If the fundamentals are weak, the whole set from the ground up is weak. The worst is watching bethka and jugni with people leaning forward. A feat of strength should not look like an attempt to defecate on stage.

[/rant]

More healthy discourse must be facilitated like VIBC so that the community can grow as an entity. It's wonderful to hear everyone's opinion on a subject because a lot of the time, someone else is better at vocalizing a point that you agree/disagree with.

Looking forward to listening to the whole thing once it's posted