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VIBC Review
First Class Bhangra, the team, had probably one of the most memorable and enjoyable weekends in it’s existence as an organization when it went to VIBC this past half-week. Although not a fully staffed team, every member of the team came away saying how awesome the week was and how amazing the experience was for all of them. In an environment cluttered with a lot of inaccessible and overlapping dialogue, it was refreshing to meet teams on a personal scale without the pressures and constraints of a traditional competition.
Main Events:
1. Thursday
a. Introductions – Missed it, Canada thought it would be awesome to merge five lanes into three
b. Bhangra Workshop – Missed it, three lanes went to two, and a two hour trip became five.
c. Panel Discussion – The team really enjoyed the discussion, and the questioning and polling of the audience was great as it allowed people to air out grievances or voice ideas for change within the infrastructure of the bhangra community. I was pretty honored to on the panel itself and get to speak with an outsiders perspective(note to BTF, South Indian here) and talk freely on hot button bhangra topics, as well as talking constructively about the future of the Bhangra circuit.
d. Dinner/Mixer – It was funny and cool to play a bhangra game at the mixer that didn’t involve breaking off into teams and slamming together choreo for a change. The games were fun, and getting people to sing in Punjabi was great too( PS I can’t speak Punjabi and suck at singing, but the crowd clapping got me through it).
e. Practice – We got practice space in the meeting room till whatever time we wanted, which was real slick and well done by VIBC(thanks for the heads up romy!). Also thank you HK/VanCity/CityofVancouver for letting us borrow props that night to practice with.
2. Friday
a. Cool thing about Friday was, although we didn’t get to perform until five, the art gallery venue was bumping with activities from dawn until dusk. Our team managed to pull together some last minute surprises and incorporate them into the set, and we managed to make it to the venue at 5:00pm to hang out with the other teams while walking through the city. This is a sick idea, and it was great talking to people and explaining what you are doing when given the benefit of full vardiyaan. The crazy thing about this was how so many people knew what VIBC was and how they reacted (“OMG BHANGRA PEOPLE LIKE OMG DANCE FOR ME”)
b. Performances –
i. It would be great to go through all the performances in great detail, but honestly my recollection of the performances was both and observation of the teams and the crowd encapsulating the outdoor stage. It had rained in the morning, and I know as a team we were slightly worried about the turnout for the evening as we had never been a part of an event like this before. Although the venue was a little empty when we performed, it started packing in as people noticed that some people in color regalia were traipsing around and doing crazy cool stuff(this is from a self-proclaimed hipster, not me). I personally spent a lot of time going back and forth and watching the collection of great dancers and performers back to the audience. It was pretty rewarding to see people who had been milling around the city suddenly stop, watch awkwardly, then fully engage themselves with the dancing, sometimes going so far as dancing when bands and singers came out to perform.
ii. Some notable moments – Shava was sick!! Finnish/English/Punjabi bands are, safe to say, a rarity, and combining the cultures of all three backgrounds and presenting it with various instruments was really enlivening to the audience(Note: Vancouver is an ethnic melting pot, and is one of the most open and embracing cities I have ever been too). The bhangra instruction was really cool too, and it was sweet helping people to dance with the help of the competing teams in the area(Good job with the MC learning chaffa, was cool to watch). The talent on stage was really fun to watch, and the atmosphere, although initially tepid, was incredibly lively and fun to be a part of.
c. Party – Club party was open till three and was within walking distance of the hotel(hell everything was within a 10 minute walk of the hotel). Teams got in free, and it was really fun kicking it with Cornell and UNC beforehand(UNC thanks for participating in our dancing on the street shenanigans as well!). Very rarely do teams get the time to hangout post-performance, but VIBC’s excellent planning allowed us the opportunity to mingle without the added complication of placings, bullshit, and repeated debates of issues and blah. Club wasn’t too packed, we got in really fast, and the VIBC committee was really friendly and approached us asking about our experience throughout the day and how things had been going.
3. Saturday
a. So, one downside of a club party, and the ensuing cray cray that happens after, is that the day after people don’t feel so hot with a lack of sleep and dehydration. However the committee and organizers reached out to us(lots of high quality H20), and we were at the venue at 12:15(Note, might be cool to do the party Saturday night, though if that’s not a possibility it’s a small thing).
b. Performances were sick, BK doing a completely different set was nasty and pretty incredible. At this point, FCB would like to thank UNC for letting us use their khunde for two days(clutch), and VanCity/UW for Saaps. Was tight. Also, anyone who caught a rose from one of our members throughout the two days of performances, your welcome. Empire – great job powering through two performances in an hour. UNC – North Carolina, North North Carolina(Peekaboo). Cornell, thanks again for cheering for us on side stage and anik and karthik, you guys should probably get a room at this point. VanCity, Shan-E, and all the local talent(don’t know all the abbreviations yet), you guys did amazing. Also, it was really cool interacting and teaching people in the audience, from the elderly, to the middle aged, and the little kids(hopefully the six year old with the sick jhoomer keeps at it).
c. We went out to grab some food after the teams performed, and came back just in time for Saini Surinder. Mind blown. Team didn’t really know who he was(Bhangra is maybe the 40th-60th thing on some peoples ipods), but it was ridiculous. Got a high five for dancing and got a chance to dance with all the teams, organizers, and locals while he played the crowd. Man’s a walking jukebox and the upshot is we get to keep the change hehe. It seemed like eternity, but almost every cool song I know off(old skool bindhrakhia was the rage) was sung, and his command of the audience and the stage was epic. The night concluded with some djing with DJ Anjali and The Kid, and honestly if those videos of BK, Cornell, and FCB get out, everyone will probably fall off their chair laughing. Preet and Harinder, you are some of the greatest giddha dancers I have ever seen. Great way to end the night, and getting on stage one last time and dancing was epic.
4. Sunday we left pretty much intact and little more tired, but the committee gave us a pretty sweet goody basket and Romy, thank you thank you thank you for arranging transport for our lazy asses. It was much appreciated. T’was awesome thank you ALL!
Shoutouts:
Firstly, we would like to thank both Romy Basi and Harkiran Kullar for treating us so nicely throughout the week and weekend, and for constantly reaching out to us and interacting with us to make sure we were having fun, as well as to hang out and chill. Romy – thanks again for dancing with us(I realize now how last minute that was), and for consistently checking in on us and texting us about while we wandered, sometimes aimlessly, throughout the city. Harkiran, thanks again for dancing, taking pictures, and introducing me to some great people on the VIBC staff. The level of communication you have as a participant at VIBC, with organizers, sponsors, singers, and staff is incredible and I have never seen something like that replicated. It was really really really really cool, and thanks again to the two of you for making it happen.
VIBC staff – Kiran and Mandeep you guys were sick! Thanks for showing us around and informing us about events, as well as mediating conversation between the performers, the audience, and all parties. It was really impressive to see all that hard work pay off, and to put this incredible series of events for ten days is a logistical nightmare that you guys definitely accomplished.
Teams:
UNC – Never really chilled with you guys before the weekend, but I think we were attached at the hip most of the time. Everyone single member of the team was sweet to hang out with, and thanks for dancing with us on the street(twice) and for the hotel staff(once). Really nice to meet new people and get names to faces(and not just it be in a “team” setting). Set was also really good, and the potential on the team is frightening – guys/gals could be a on another dominant run soon. Please stay just as chill this weekend.
Cornell – First off, anik and karthik get a room! Haha but seriously your friendship and drive has really manifested itself on the team. I know we really had a blast at Pao, but most of the time you all were busy running a competition and organizing events. Now that you guys were free, it was sick to chill with you cats on a regular basis!
BK – You guys are really nice guys. Every single one of you clowns was fun to hang out with, and it was cool to see you guys again in a non-competitive setting(we never really compete/hang out it seems). You guys were the life of the party it seemed, and really drove a lot of the entertaining aspects of the week for both teams and the audience. Your set was perfect in it’s blend of creative aspects and crowd pleasing tie-ins, and the back-up dancing was first class. Again, you guys are really nice. PS baljot hope you like the present.
Empire – Didn’t see you all much, but the performances were awesome and really were well done. Props again for such a short turnaround on competing in one day, and again for really getting the crowd into the act. Also, your input at the panel discussion was really insightful, well thought out, and greatly articulated.
Shan-E-Punjab – A team from the area that we had never met before, the first impression we got as a team was tremendous. After missing the workshop, Uncle-ji and the team approached us post panel discussion and talked to us about coming out to see the academy they had in place. The whole effort you guys put into making us feel at home, as well as the outreach was amazing. Great team to hang out with, and you guys have a great organization going. Mandeep it was fun man!
Lastly, I just want to say a general thank you for everyone who participated in VIBC, more than culture, the dance, and the teams involved, it really placed an emphasis on people and getting to know people through one medium: Bhangra. Although there has been much debate on what Bhangra is and what Bhangra isn’t, it really equates to a feeling of happiness and joy that you get when you dance on stage. VIBC was a great vehicle in promoting that ideal and really simplifying the Bhangra experience and creating a feeling, an emotion that was accessible by everyone. I don’t think I plan on seeing such a wide variety of people take part in such grandiose celebrations, certainly on this scale. However, I do think the same feelings of happiness and joy, and the release the dance brings will always be there, and it’s our duty to share that feeling with the people that interact with us in the circuit, the people who watch our competitions, and everyone who asks about the dance in general. We are all exceptional individuals who can have a great time, but sometimes the pressures and convergence of a host of factors obscures the fun of the dance at competitions. The greatest takeaway for me was the capability of ourselves as a community to really interact and work towards creating a positive view for our culture, the dance form, and ourselves as a community while having the time of our lives.
For all these reasons: Go to VIBC – tis a great time!
PS. Kuntal you’re a squat troll and your awesome.
- the nice guy
VIBC Review
First Class Bhangra, the team, had probably one of the most memorable and enjoyable weekends in it’s existence as an organization when it went to VIBC this past half-week. Although not a fully staffed team, every member of the team came away saying how awesome the week was and how amazing the experience was for all of them. In an environment cluttered with a lot of inaccessible and overlapping dialogue, it was refreshing to meet teams on a personal scale without the pressures and constraints of a traditional competition.
Main Events:
1. Thursday
a. Introductions – Missed it, Canada thought it would be awesome to merge five lanes into three
b. Bhangra Workshop – Missed it, three lanes went to two, and a two hour trip became five.
c. Panel Discussion – The team really enjoyed the discussion, and the questioning and polling of the audience was great as it allowed people to air out grievances or voice ideas for change within the infrastructure of the bhangra community. I was pretty honored to on the panel itself and get to speak with an outsiders perspective(note to BTF, South Indian here) and talk freely on hot button bhangra topics, as well as talking constructively about the future of the Bhangra circuit.
d. Dinner/Mixer – It was funny and cool to play a bhangra game at the mixer that didn’t involve breaking off into teams and slamming together choreo for a change. The games were fun, and getting people to sing in Punjabi was great too( PS I can’t speak Punjabi and suck at singing, but the crowd clapping got me through it).
e. Practice – We got practice space in the meeting room till whatever time we wanted, which was real slick and well done by VIBC(thanks for the heads up romy!). Also thank you HK/VanCity/CityofVancouver for letting us borrow props that night to practice with.
2. Friday
a. Cool thing about Friday was, although we didn’t get to perform until five, the art gallery venue was bumping with activities from dawn until dusk. Our team managed to pull together some last minute surprises and incorporate them into the set, and we managed to make it to the venue at 5:00pm to hang out with the other teams while walking through the city. This is a sick idea, and it was great talking to people and explaining what you are doing when given the benefit of full vardiyaan. The crazy thing about this was how so many people knew what VIBC was and how they reacted (“OMG BHANGRA PEOPLE LIKE OMG DANCE FOR ME”)
b. Performances –
i. It would be great to go through all the performances in great detail, but honestly my recollection of the performances was both and observation of the teams and the crowd encapsulating the outdoor stage. It had rained in the morning, and I know as a team we were slightly worried about the turnout for the evening as we had never been a part of an event like this before. Although the venue was a little empty when we performed, it started packing in as people noticed that some people in color regalia were traipsing around and doing crazy cool stuff(this is from a self-proclaimed hipster, not me). I personally spent a lot of time going back and forth and watching the collection of great dancers and performers back to the audience. It was pretty rewarding to see people who had been milling around the city suddenly stop, watch awkwardly, then fully engage themselves with the dancing, sometimes going so far as dancing when bands and singers came out to perform.
ii. Some notable moments – Shava was sick!! Finnish/English/Punjabi bands are, safe to say, a rarity, and combining the cultures of all three backgrounds and presenting it with various instruments was really enlivening to the audience(Note: Vancouver is an ethnic melting pot, and is one of the most open and embracing cities I have ever been too). The bhangra instruction was really cool too, and it was sweet helping people to dance with the help of the competing teams in the area(Good job with the MC learning chaffa, was cool to watch). The talent on stage was really fun to watch, and the atmosphere, although initially tepid, was incredibly lively and fun to be a part of.
c. Party – Club party was open till three and was within walking distance of the hotel(hell everything was within a 10 minute walk of the hotel). Teams got in free, and it was really fun kicking it with Cornell and UNC beforehand(UNC thanks for participating in our dancing on the street shenanigans as well!). Very rarely do teams get the time to hangout post-performance, but VIBC’s excellent planning allowed us the opportunity to mingle without the added complication of placings, bullshit, and repeated debates of issues and blah. Club wasn’t too packed, we got in really fast, and the VIBC committee was really friendly and approached us asking about our experience throughout the day and how things had been going.
3. Saturday
a. So, one downside of a club party, and the ensuing cray cray that happens after, is that the day after people don’t feel so hot with a lack of sleep and dehydration. However the committee and organizers reached out to us(lots of high quality H20), and we were at the venue at 12:15(Note, might be cool to do the party Saturday night, though if that’s not a possibility it’s a small thing).
b. Performances were sick, BK doing a completely different set was nasty and pretty incredible. At this point, FCB would like to thank UNC for letting us use their khunde for two days(clutch), and VanCity/UW for Saaps. Was tight. Also, anyone who caught a rose from one of our members throughout the two days of performances, your welcome. Empire – great job powering through two performances in an hour. UNC – North Carolina, North North Carolina(Peekaboo). Cornell, thanks again for cheering for us on side stage and anik and karthik, you guys should probably get a room at this point. VanCity, Shan-E, and all the local talent(don’t know all the abbreviations yet), you guys did amazing. Also, it was really cool interacting and teaching people in the audience, from the elderly, to the middle aged, and the little kids(hopefully the six year old with the sick jhoomer keeps at it).
c. We went out to grab some food after the teams performed, and came back just in time for Saini Surinder. Mind blown. Team didn’t really know who he was(Bhangra is maybe the 40th-60th thing on some peoples ipods), but it was ridiculous. Got a high five for dancing and got a chance to dance with all the teams, organizers, and locals while he played the crowd. Man’s a walking jukebox and the upshot is we get to keep the change hehe. It seemed like eternity, but almost every cool song I know off(old skool bindhrakhia was the rage) was sung, and his command of the audience and the stage was epic. The night concluded with some djing with DJ Anjali and The Kid, and honestly if those videos of BK, Cornell, and FCB get out, everyone will probably fall off their chair laughing. Preet and Harinder, you are some of the greatest giddha dancers I have ever seen. Great way to end the night, and getting on stage one last time and dancing was epic.
4. Sunday we left pretty much intact and little more tired, but the committee gave us a pretty sweet goody basket and Romy, thank you thank you thank you for arranging transport for our lazy asses. It was much appreciated. T’was awesome thank you ALL!
Shoutouts:
Firstly, we would like to thank both Romy Basi and Harkiran Kullar for treating us so nicely throughout the week and weekend, and for constantly reaching out to us and interacting with us to make sure we were having fun, as well as to hang out and chill. Romy – thanks again for dancing with us(I realize now how last minute that was), and for consistently checking in on us and texting us about while we wandered, sometimes aimlessly, throughout the city. Harkiran, thanks again for dancing, taking pictures, and introducing me to some great people on the VIBC staff. The level of communication you have as a participant at VIBC, with organizers, sponsors, singers, and staff is incredible and I have never seen something like that replicated. It was really really really really cool, and thanks again to the two of you for making it happen.
VIBC staff – Kiran and Mandeep you guys were sick! Thanks for showing us around and informing us about events, as well as mediating conversation between the performers, the audience, and all parties. It was really impressive to see all that hard work pay off, and to put this incredible series of events for ten days is a logistical nightmare that you guys definitely accomplished.
Teams:
UNC – Never really chilled with you guys before the weekend, but I think we were attached at the hip most of the time. Everyone single member of the team was sweet to hang out with, and thanks for dancing with us on the street(twice) and for the hotel staff(once). Really nice to meet new people and get names to faces(and not just it be in a “team” setting). Set was also really good, and the potential on the team is frightening – guys/gals could be a on another dominant run soon. Please stay just as chill this weekend.
Cornell – First off, anik and karthik get a room! Haha but seriously your friendship and drive has really manifested itself on the team. I know we really had a blast at Pao, but most of the time you all were busy running a competition and organizing events. Now that you guys were free, it was sick to chill with you cats on a regular basis!
BK – You guys are really nice guys. Every single one of you clowns was fun to hang out with, and it was cool to see you guys again in a non-competitive setting(we never really compete/hang out it seems). You guys were the life of the party it seemed, and really drove a lot of the entertaining aspects of the week for both teams and the audience. Your set was perfect in it’s blend of creative aspects and crowd pleasing tie-ins, and the back-up dancing was first class. Again, you guys are really nice. PS baljot hope you like the present.
Empire – Didn’t see you all much, but the performances were awesome and really were well done. Props again for such a short turnaround on competing in one day, and again for really getting the crowd into the act. Also, your input at the panel discussion was really insightful, well thought out, and greatly articulated.
Shan-E-Punjab – A team from the area that we had never met before, the first impression we got as a team was tremendous. After missing the workshop, Uncle-ji and the team approached us post panel discussion and talked to us about coming out to see the academy they had in place. The whole effort you guys put into making us feel at home, as well as the outreach was amazing. Great team to hang out with, and you guys have a great organization going. Mandeep it was fun man!
Lastly, I just want to say a general thank you for everyone who participated in VIBC, more than culture, the dance, and the teams involved, it really placed an emphasis on people and getting to know people through one medium: Bhangra. Although there has been much debate on what Bhangra is and what Bhangra isn’t, it really equates to a feeling of happiness and joy that you get when you dance on stage. VIBC was a great vehicle in promoting that ideal and really simplifying the Bhangra experience and creating a feeling, an emotion that was accessible by everyone. I don’t think I plan on seeing such a wide variety of people take part in such grandiose celebrations, certainly on this scale. However, I do think the same feelings of happiness and joy, and the release the dance brings will always be there, and it’s our duty to share that feeling with the people that interact with us in the circuit, the people who watch our competitions, and everyone who asks about the dance in general. We are all exceptional individuals who can have a great time, but sometimes the pressures and convergence of a host of factors obscures the fun of the dance at competitions. The greatest takeaway for me was the capability of ourselves as a community to really interact and work towards creating a positive view for our culture, the dance form, and ourselves as a community while having the time of our lives.
For all these reasons: Go to VIBC – tis a great time!
PS. Kuntal you’re a squat troll and your awesome.
- the nice guy
