• Bhangra discussion is still going strong. Join us in our Facebook group!

    New user registration has been closed (as it was entirely spam). We encourage you to post in our Facebook group, even if it's a followup to an existing thread. BTF will continue to be archived and hosted here - Saleem

Proper Judging Rubric

ameetkhabra

veni. vidi. vici
Messages
285
So on one of the recent threads that everyone is currently going slightly apeshit over mentioned that organizers are not willing to reach out the Bhangra community to find out what the community thinks is proper judging criteria.So my question is, what would be proper judging criteria that judges can follow?
 

siddyp

Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Messages
1,270
The problem lies in the competition committee bringing in the proper judges to judge their competition fairly. Their rubric will cater to their crowd that comes this year and the years to come. but if competitions want the bhangra community to take them seriously, then they should bring in proper judges to judge according to the rubric they want at any expense.
 

Saab

Today is a gift
Messages
991
The competition should follow, no matter what happens, what is stated in its judging rubric. As long as the competition can best represent what they have marketed as their bhangra competition, and have catered to their needs, they have run a successful competition as teams will have gotten what they expected.
 

Gabroo Tv

Member
Messages
662
I think as a community, we need to form a "base" of what Bhangra is, and guidelines to judge it. This base needs to consist of individuals who have strong knowledge of Bhangra, to form a guideline, a set of rules, that can be distributed and given to all competitions in the US and Canada. This base needs to be strong individuals, such as Coach Manjinder Singh Dhaliwal, Dhanoa Sahib from the Bay Area, Tejinder Singh Ji from SIAC. Obviously these are just example's of qualified people. We as performers and as competition organizers need to realize that we have an obligation to uphold our culture, so if such a thing is ever created, we need to follow it closely, with respect.

Obviously in respect to the modern vs. traditional debate, competitions should make clear what their competition "type" is, and judge according to that. There should be no "surprises" as to why a modern team wins at a traditional competition, and vice versa. Additionally, we need to respect both sides of the game. I am a hardcore Traditional Folk fan, in my opinion it's the only way to do Bhangra.... However, we live in a time where things evolve, and modern Bhangra still deserves respect for what it is... Will this ever happen? I don't know, but it's what I feel needs to happen for Bhangra to begin to grow into what it once was.
 

Saab

Today is a gift
Messages
991
Gabroo Tv said:
I think as a community, we need to form a "base" of what Bhangra is, and guidelines to judge it. This base needs to consist of individuals who have strong knowledge of Bhangra, to form a guideline, a set of rules, that can be distributed and given to all competitions in the US and Canada. This base needs to be strong individuals, such as Coach Manjinder Singh Dhaliwal, Dhanoa Sahib from the Bay Area, Tejinder Singh Ji from SIAC. Obviously these are just example's of qualified people. We as performers and as competition organizers need to realize that we have an obligation to uphold our culture, so if such a thing is ever created, we need to follow it closely, with respect.

Obviously in respect to the modern vs. traditional debate, competitions should make clear what their competition "type" is, and judge according to that. There should be no "surprises" as to why a modern team wins at a traditional competition, and vice versa. Additionally, we need to respect both sides of the game. I am a hardcore Traditional Folk fan, in my opinion it's the only way to do Bhangra.... However, we live in a time where things evolve, and modern Bhangra still deserves respect for what it is... Will this ever happen? I don't know, but it's what I feel needs to happen for Bhangra to begin to grow into what it once was.
Im all one for streamlining bro, and I respect what you say, but the only thing you can do is educate. Everyone has there interpretation of a base, but it is something we can only glean from watching and exposing ourselves to the material. Those are great people you quoted, but 95% of our bhangra visual experience comes from youtube videos. Its up to the competitions that promote there brand of dance to ascribe what they feel as the "base" by what they show. Until then, you can only educate what your view is based on what tools are personally at your disposal.
 

Gabroo Tv

Member
Messages
662
Saab said:
Its up to the competitions that promote there brand of dance to ascribe what they feel as the "base" by what they show. Until then, you can only educate what your view is based on what tools are personally at your disposal.
Yes.. but, to me, there's only Traditional, and Modern. I don't see how a show can promote something in "the middle"...
 

Saab

Today is a gift
Messages
991
Gabroo Tv said:
Saab said:
Its up to the competitions that promote there brand of dance to ascribe what they feel as the "base" by what they show. Until then, you can only educate what your view is based on what tools are personally at your disposal.
Yes.. but, to me, there's only Traditional, and Modern. I don't see how a show can promote something in "the middle"...
I get what your saying, but its like how masti has modern as music, but it still has folk elements with choreography and execution, but done to music. Some people would also say this is traditional. Its just what they promote. Your definition of traditional and modern probably varies from person x and etc. I like your ideas though bro. Much respect.
 

ameetkhabra

veni. vidi. vici
Messages
285
As great as your ideas are I am left a little confused now. Forgive me but I am not a dancer (im a Bhangra "groupie" lol/enthusiat) so my knowledge is slightly limited. The post I had read that provoked me to start this thread was going over how the problem with all these "rigged" competitions is the judging criteria, but from what Im reading through this thread is that its more about the judges than the criteria. So really is there any one way to go about judging in a proper manner, when one side says that its the criteria and the other side is saying its all about the judges.
 

Saab

Today is a gift
Messages
991
The competition needs to find judges who uphold there criteria that they set forth, as the criteria comes before judges. What the judges interpret from that idea should be something that reflects the criteria. They go together
 

ameetkhabra

veni. vidi. vici
Messages
285
okay, so Im just going to use VIBC as an example just because they seem to the a slightl hot topic right now. VIBC is known to be a more of a modern competition and this year I believe they had Charanjit Saini, Rupinder Sharma, Avtar Chana and I believe 2 more judges. Where theyre choice of judges a good choice since they are a modern competition? Sometimes the budget doesnt permit these organizations to get these "legit" judges to come out to judge for them, so really is it the organizations fault for not having enough money?

I just want to figure out why after almost every single competition either the judging is slander or the organizers are.
 

Gabroo Tv

Member
Messages
662
Saab said:
I get what your saying, but its like how masti has modern as music, but it still has folk elements with choreography and execution, but done to music. Some people would also say this is traditional.
I see where you are coming from, it's hard to decipher between the two. To me, if a team does Folk moves to music, I still view it as traditional. An example would be LBC.

ameetkhabra said:
So really is there any one way to go about judging in a proper manner, when one side says that its the criteria and the other side is saying its all about the judges.
It ultimately is dependent on both. A stable criteria needs to be set, but then judges need to not only follow the criteria, but have proper knowledge and understanding to uphold it.
 

Romy

Active Member
Messages
234
ameetkhabra said:
okay, so Im just going to use VIBC as an example just because they seem to the a slightl hot topic right now. VIBC is known to be a more of a modern competition and this year I believe they had Charanjit Saini, Rupinder Sharma, Avtar Chana and I believe 2 more judges. Where theyre choice of judges a good choice since they are a modern competition? Sometimes the budget doesnt permit these organizations to get these "legit" judges to come out to judge for them, so really is it the organizations fault for not having enough money?

I just want to figure out why after almost every single competition either the judging is slander or the organizers are.
Avtar Chana wasn't a judge at the competition this year. And also, judges weren't paid for their time. As well, for finding judges, sometimes it's a lack of time and lack of judges. Judges in general who will be unbiased and have no affiliations with teams competing are hard to find. There should be a database or an updated list possibly of qualified judges that competitions can look at and pick from. Possibly splitting them into categories, who has more of a folk/traditional background and who has more of a modern background and who is inbetween. Just an idea, probably put forth before.
 

ameetkhabra

veni. vidi. vici
Messages
285
Romy said:
ameetkhabra said:

okay, so Im just going to use VIBC as an example just because they seem to the a slightl hot topic right now. VIBC is known to be a more of a modern competition and this year I believe they had Charanjit Saini, Rupinder Sharma, Avtar Chana and I believe 2 more judges. Where theyre choice of judges a good choice since they are a modern competition? Sometimes the budget doesnt permit these organizations to get these "legit" judges to come out to judge for them, so really is it the organizations fault for not having enough money?

I just want to figure out why after almost every single competition either the judging is slander or the organizers are.


Avtar Chana wasn't a judge at the competition this year. And also, judges weren't paid for their time. As well, for finding judges, sometimes it's a lack of time and lack of judges. Judges in general who will be unbiased and have no affiliations with teams competing are hard to find. There should be a database or an updated list possibly of qualified judges that competitions can look at and pick from. Possibly splitting them into categories, who has more of a folk/traditional background and who has more of a modern background and who is inbetween. Just an idea, probably put forth before.
Oh well my bad for the whole Avtar Chana thing, but as for paying judges - i meant it in general, some competitions pay for the judges flight and sometimes their budgets dont permit them to get these "legit" judges. So really are the organizers to blame for not having enough money?

With the whole judges database thing, I remember someone saying they would create one but Im not sure what happened after that. It's definitley a great idea, makes the organizers lives a whole lot easier. It would definitely help with the whole issue of being accused for rigging competitions and whatever else the critiques like to come up with.
 

Saab

Today is a gift
Messages
991
Think of it this way man.

Shows pick teams based on criterias that go away from there rubric. Things such as money, location, if there a "hot" team go into selection. If teams made the rubric the no.1 priority, a lot of this bs would be cut out. Also, please dont appoint judges based on prior reputations or because they donated 100,000 dollars for samosas at the event.
 

kinnell

*Account Deactivated*
Messages
2,159
You can have the best judging rubric en el mundo but it doesn't mean shit if you have judges that aren't going to follow it.
 

kinnell

*Account Deactivated*
Messages
2,159
Traditional: 8 dancer rangla jodi live (with Navkarn Hundal on chimta).
Modern: Everything else.

I dare you to challenge that definition. :)
 
Top