Allow me to begin by saying that this was hands down the best competition I have ever judged in terms of the talent of the teams performing. I was simply blown away by Shan-E's and SGPD's performances...and I have never seen performances of their caliber live...ever (I was not at Elite 8...). I highly doubt that videos can do justice to their performances. A special shout-out to some of the teams that did not place but really surprised me...DCMPAA - Nana has done an excellent job with these new dancers and I was very impressed with all dancers' execution of proper bhangra. FCB and GoB came a VERY LONG way from Bayside...Furteelay would SHOCK anyone if people knew they were just a high school dance team (with only one member who is in college this next year)...Seattle doing big things and it was very evident that their captain is serious about making this team into a legitimate, nationally competitive team that will be a strong contender for placings in just a few months. AEG, congratulations a good performance...every one of your members had an awesome time on stage and you all have a lot to be proud of. WOW I still can't believe I had the honor of judging such amazing acts/teams. I am truly humbled by the talent I saw this weekend.
Congratulations to the entire Virsa crew for putting on a fabulous show and a weekend that ran smoothly, and catering to all the needs of the teams and judges. They were just amazingly helpful, always picked up my calls, very responsive to emails, and SO accommodating in every way right down from organizing rides to wherever we needed, arranging transportation to the afterparty and venue, to making sure we were all well-fed and happy. Virsa/BAB has set an incredibly high standard for future competitions, and BAB is sure to have an even more successful event next year after learning from the (minor) hiccups that come along with any event in its first year.
The mixer was entertaining and they had random people from different teams get together to choreo a 1 min dance...The food was AWESOME (although I didn't get to finish dinner due to the judges/captains meeting), and people got together and danced and had a good time. All teams had the opportunity to ask us judges any questions they had about judging and evaluation. The show, while it didn't start on time, was very well run (with a few delays I noticed in lighting, but nothing that adversely affected any team's performance) and did not drag on. Very annoying crowd in the back who were yelling the entire time...Thankfully, there was none of the garbage that is usually there at NYC competitions (fights, etc). The afterparty was a lot of fun (only teams, good music)! But it was incredibly hot upstairs and I was burning up so I grabbed a ton of ice and cooled off in the basement...which led to adventures my FB friends can check out on my photos. Our weekend liaisons were excellent and helpful, with a few delays in getting a few things that we needed (b/c they were busy coordinating things for the teams).
Sportsmanship and respect shown by all teams was great, and all teams had representatives who came to the feedback session. I unfortunately was not present for the DCMPAA feedback session but will send comments to them separately. The judging panel consisted of 4 members including me, Saleem, Pashi, and Jesse (bios on the website)...All were present at the feedback sessions and each team got 5-6 minutes with us. I hope you all took a lot away from the session and we are here to answer any of your questions regarding judging and placings. 1st and 2nd place were extremely close and so were 3rd, 4th, and 5th but we were able to discuss and come to a consensus as a judging panel. Give me a few days to get you all feedback that I wrote during the performances...
Congratulations to all teams. It was great to see what some of the younger teams are up to, and I look forward to seeing them on the circuit again.
We always get questions about placings etc. Having been long-time advocates of transparent judging and judging reform, we all have been quite open about the judging process and how we came to certain decisions. I am open to all questions. However, at the end of the day, I think it's important to emphasize that no matter what individuals judge's opinions were on the panel, we all stand by and respect the ultimate outcome. It was both an honor and privilege to judge the ten outstanding performances at the first (and HOPEFULLY ANNUAL!) Big Apple Bhangra!
Regards,
Govind Rangrass
Big Apple Bhangra I Judge
govind(dot)rangrass(at)gmail(dot)com
PS - If I don't get T-shirts from all the teams that I paid shirt money to but didn't receive the shirts (despite my asking MANY times this weekend!!! AHEM, AEG!), I am hosing down all of your turlas at the next competition!!!!!!!
PPS - BAB shirts were SICK!
