East-West Times…Information you desire

The competition was composed of eight Bhangra dance teams that mixed traditional dance music and steps with a modern flair. The teams came from across the U.S. and Canada with members ranging from high school to post grads. Some styles were very traditional, using native instruments like the dhol and saaps. Others took a more novel route with three story pyramid formations and back flips.

Of the teams eight teams that performed, Anakh Punjab Di (APD) from Los Angeles, CA placed first. From Queens, NY, Virsa: Our Tradition came in second. Third place went to Florida’s very own Rangli Jawani. Local high school teams, Bhangra Off Limits and Naan of Your Business also performed as exhibition acts.

Placing were chosen by an experienced panel of respected judges from across the nation. These judges include: Atinder Cloty from Toronto, ON; Govind Rangrass from Detroit, MI; Pashi Malik from New York, NY; Luvdeep Randhawa from Vancouver, British Columbia; Amandeep Kaur from Tampa, FL; and Swapna Shah from Tampa, FL. Further details and bios on each judge are readily available on the event website.

The entire lineup included: Carnegie Mellon University Bhangra, The Guardians of Bhangra from Florida, Northwestern University Bhangra, Aasmaan Bhangra from Georgia State University, & First Class Bhangra from Pittsburgh, PA and Cleveland, OH. The teams put on a phenomenal show that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

The competition exceeded its already high expectations. Vince Patel, Director of Operations for the event, and the entire board created a show that reached beyond the traditional Bhangra audience. Broadcast on TV Asia gave the competition an international debut. Bayside Bhangra was enjoyed by families, college students, and high schoolers of all different races. The performances were dynamic and entertaining for all ages.

The dances were separated by fusion performances by leading South Asian pop artists. LV Signia, a mixed genre singer from Vancouver, British Colombia, performed vocals that mixed elements of traditional India dynamically with a modern hip hop flavor that was never before seen. Dhol Beat International continued the nice blending with a percussion performance that took today’s modern pop music to a new level with fast paced, traditional drum beats.

With the inaugural show being such a success, The Bayside Bhangra Committee has already started planning the upcoming competition. It hopes to bring back the nation’s most prestigious teams to battle once again on a world stage for all of Tampa Bay to see. Having reached such a large audience this year, the second annual competition is pushing even further and set to sell out.

Bayside Bhangra was the 1st Annual Bhangra Dance competition hosted in the Tampa Bay area. It was a platform for the top Bhangra teams from across the nation to showcase their talent in a colorful exhibition of the energy and excitement that Bhangra represents. People from the South Asian community as well as many other diverse backgrounds came together under one roof and enjoy the traditional dance form, Bhangra.

This competition was made possible by various student organizations from all the major universities in Florida. They collaborated their ideas and goals and through careful preparation and planning, the idea of starting an annual Bhangra Competition was put together. With support from many local organizations and sponsors, such as the India Cultural Center of Tampa, The Punjabi Association of Florida in Tampa, & The University of South Florida, the event was a great success.