Virsa Punjab Da 2012 - February 25th

About VPD

Virsa Punjab Da was conceived for the primary purpose of the celebration of the important contribution by the people and the region of Punjab to South Asian culture, as well as the opportunity to provide humanitarian aid in order to alleviate the dire conditions of the poor and needy of South Asia. Both the Sikh Student Association and the Gamma Chapter of Delta Sigma Iota Fraternity, Inc. share a vision of uniting the diverse segments of South Asian society around the rich song and dance of Bhangra. As profits will be donated to Nishkam Seva Charity, Virsa Punjab Da is far more than just a dance competition.

About the Show

"Virsa Punjab Da" literally means the Heritage of Punjab, emphasizing the centrality of Punjab culture, traditions and values in the vision behind the competition. Punjab, meaning "land of five rivers", currently cradles both modern day India and Pakistan. As the home of the Indus Valley Civilization, Punjab, in its original borders, stretched from Delhi to Afghanistan, is becoming a land famous for South Asia's more renowned poetry, literature, and music. In addition to its cultural endeavors, Punjab was the birthplace of Sikhism, making it a distinct location for the ideological and theological fusion of Sikhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The Punjabi dance of Bhangra dates back centuries in celebrations of the holiday of Vaisakhi, it has served throughout the times to cut through religious, class, and gender divisions. Today Bhangra has served to unite all sections of South Asian society both in Punjab and throughout its diasporas.

DSI & SSA

Delta Sigma Iota

Delta Sigma Iota Fraternity, Inc. is a South Asian interest based social and service fraternity that was founded at The Pennsylvania State University on August 15th, 2000, and was established on the NC State campus on April 8, 2006. The fraternity prides itself on its three pillars: Service, Education, and Unity. Our national philanthropy is SAMAR (South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters) and our chapter philanthropy is Relay for Life. The purpose of our organization is to bridge the gap between people from various South Asian countries, while giving back to the community that has given us so much. Throughout our four years at NC State, we have held many service events such as blood drives with Rex and the American Red Cross and have raised money and participated in Relay for Life hosted by the American Cancer Society. Now our plan is to raise money for a charity primarily focused on helping people in South Asia by hosting a cultural dance competition. For more information please visit our website: www.deltasigmaiota.org

Sikh Student Association

The Sikh Student Association was founded four years ago, yet it has very quickly become one of the most active and ambitious cultural and religious organizations at North Carolina State University. Despite being the fifth largest religion in the world, Sikhism is the only major religion with little to no public awareness; and since the September 11th attacks has been the target of a great deal of intolerance and hate. As the only Sikh student organization in the entire state of North Carolina, it is our solemn duty to represent our faith, protect our people, and enrich the greater community with knowledge of our values, traditions and beliefs. In addition to creating awareness of our religion, it is also a major goal of our organization to advocate for greater understanding and respect between different religious traditions. By hosting this celebration of our culture, we not only hope to inform the community about the rich dance of Bhangra, but also raise funds for Nishkam Seva charity in order to begin our promise to better the world around us.

Charity

Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council – www.nishkam.org

In Sikhism, Nishkam Seva, or selfless service, is the most central duty of a Sikh. To serve humankind regardless of any earthly distinctions of religion, class, creed, or race.

Their mission is stated as follows: “Nishkam works with all its partners towards the realization of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress. Nishkam is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged members of the human race and the regions in greatest need have priority.”

The Sikh Student Association and Delta Sigma Iota are proud to state that the profits from Virsa Punjab Da will go towards the great work being done by Nishkam Seva towards the educational, medical and financial support of widows, orphans, and the elderly through the “Mata Gujri Sukh Niwas” center and various welfare projects. The Mata Gujri Center is a project with complete infrastructure including lodging and medical care.

Venue

Virsa Punjab Da will be held at Fletcher Hall in the Carolina Theatre. Fletcher Hall is a 1014-seat theatre designed for quality live performances, opera and theatrical productions.

Fletcher Hall in the Carolina Theatre
309 West Morgan Street
Durham, NC

Teams

The 2012 Official Team line up is

First Class Bhangra-Pittsburgh, PA
Virginia Tech Bhangra, Blacksburg VA
GMU Bhangra Fairfax,VA
UNC Bhangra Elite-Chapel Hill, NC
F*A*U*J Bhangra- Boston, MA
Furteelay Shokeen-Detroit, MI
East Side Alliance-East Coast
Carnegie Mellon University Bhangra
VCU Bhangra-Virginia Commonwealth University
Gajjdi Jawani- North Carolina

Judges

Atinder Cloty

Atinder is actively involved in the Bhangra Community as he has become a part of Canadian Punjabi Dance Academy in Toronto for past four years where he is one of the co-organizers of Bhangra Masti Competition that takes place in Toronto every year. In addition to that, Atinder has been involved in providing media coverage for past six years at majority of the Bhangra competitions on the East Coast (Taking pictures/making videos for the teams) and has given them constructive criticism to help get better in the future. He has done Traditional Bhangra for his high school team 5 years in a row but due to further studies, he was unable to continue Bhangra professionally. In the past, he has judged several competitions including Big Apple Bhangra 2011, Bayside Bhangra 2010 & 2011, Jashan Bhangra 2010 & 2011, Bhangra in the Burgh 2009, 2010, 2011, Virsa Punjab Da 2011, Bhangra Blowout, Bhangra Allstars & Desi Dhamaka.

Ranjit Singh

I have been fortunate enough to have learned from some of the talented individuals who have a great wealth of knowledge and experience with bhangra from their respective colleges in India, including Iqbal Virk, Ustaad Meshi, Ustaad Chuch Mahi and Anish Banot, to name a few. I am serving as the President of Nachdi Jawani Dance academy,and lead teams that have competed across North America and placed first on several occasions - these teams being Nachdi Jawani Toddlers, Jawani Warriors, Nachdi Jawani Girls, Nachdi Jawani Professional/Modern, Nachdi Jawani Professional Dhol Team and was the coach of York Punjabi Association (YPA). Since I have danced and taught many different styles of bhangra, I understand the key balance between traditional and modern bhangra. Some of my biggest accomplishments with respect to my career in bhangra include:
* Achieved a Guinness World Record by organizing the largest group of dancers (763) to dance at the same time for a total of ten minutes(2010) * Taught bhangra to a total of 4000 students in the GTA.
* Proclaimed the 'Best Dancer' at 3 consecutive bhangra competitions (Jawani 2001, 2002, and 2003).
* Main organizer/President of an annual dance competition (Groundshaker).
* Introduced the concept of 'Bhangra Fitness' classes, which gained a lot of attention from various communities outside the Indian community (Xtreme Bhangra)
Below is a listing of awards received by teams coached by Ranjit Singh:
* 2010 -Bhangra de Mehfil - 1st Place
* 2010 -Bhangra Masti- Nachdi Jawani Live 2nd place
* 2010- Elite 8- Nachdi Jawani 2nd Place
* 2009 - Toronto Bhangra Youth Fesitval (Mississauga, ON) (NJ Girls) 1st Place
* 2009 - Toronto Bhangra Youth Festival (Mississauga, ON) (NJ Warriors) 2nd Place
* 2009 - Punjabi Folk Dance Festival (Mississauga, On) (NJ Toddlers) 1st Place
* 2009 - Bhangra Masti (Brampton, On) (NJ Senior) 1st Place
* 2008 - VIBC (Vancouver, BC) 3rd Place
* 2008 - Punjabi Showdown (Vancouver, BC) 1st Place
* 2008 - Bhangra Masti (Brampton, ON) 1st Place
* 2007 - Bulldog Bhangra (California) 1st Place
* 2007 - Jawani 2K7 (Mississauga, ON) 1st Place
* 2007 - Bhangra Invasion 2 (London, ON) 1st Place
-Captain of Nachdi Jawani Bhangra Team and Founder of Xtreme Bhangra

Jesse Malik

"Jesse is an experienced Bhangra Dancer who has competed all over North America including at NYC, LA, Miami, Vancouver, DC, Chicago, Seattle, etc. Throughout his undergraduate time, Jesse participated in 3 different teams. As captain of Rutgers Bhangra, he led them to be the first co-ed all-live team in North America. Under his leadership, Rutgers Bhangra was invited to Best of the Best Competition. Jesse has over 6 years of experience in the competitive circuit and has also judged several competitions. These include Big Apple Bhangra 1 & 2 (NY), Tampa Indiafest (FL) , Jersey City Mela (NJ), and Virsa Punjab Da (NC) the last two years. This experience has allowed Jesse to appreciate and judge bhangra performances in competitive environments."

Waleed Mahmood

I have been involved in the competitive Bhangra circuit in many ways. As the Founder and Captain of Geneseo Bhangra at the State University of New York at Geneseo, I formed the team in 2004 and took them to several competitions. After being with the team for over 3 years, I moved to Washington DC after graduation from my undergraduate College and was selected as a dancer for Mitar Albeleyan Da Bhangra Group (MAD). At this point I was selected as one of the first moderators for Bhangra Teams Forum, an online portal for Bhangra dancers to connect & network. I was also invited to join the Apna Virsa Apna Punjaba (AVAP) Executive Board and took an active role in organizing AVAP 2009. Currently I am the Team Leader for Lalkaare Sheran De (LSD), one of the only folk live Bhangra teams on the east coast. I am also a dancer on LSD and strives to learn more about the folk style of Bhangra and pass on the knowledge to my team members, the team is dedicated to preserving this cultural art form in its truest and most authentic form. I was also involved in setting up DCMPAA (one of the first Punjabi Arts academies on the east coast). My latest venture was Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational - a revolutionary concept that brought North America's top 8 teams to compete on the same stage with an invitational format. The competition is going strong and now in its 3rd year. I also serve as the manager for Ricky Jatt, a local Punjabi singer who launched his singing career last year. From Geneseo to MAD to LSD, I have been on every type of team (modern, traditional, live, music, co-ed, all male) and can appreciate Bhangra in all its variations and styles. I continue to be very involved in the Bhangra scene and am always looking for ways to help preserve this art and help bring it to the forefront. I have judged Bhangra Blowout (2010 & 2011), Bhangra in the Burgh 2011 and Aaj Ka Dhamaka 2011.

Parminder Sandhar

Dancer for PAU University Team, Ludhiana, Punjab - 1993-1996 Wayne State University, Detroit, MI - 1999-2000 - Captain & Coach Participated in Bhangra Fusion in 1999 Cary North Bhangra team - Coach & Captain - 2003 Bhangra judge at VPD competitions for last 4 years

Sponsors

Welcome sponsors!

This is an opportunity to get your name out and help a great cause. Thank You all for your effort and time. Please download the sponsorship packet on the left panel, we look forward to working with you.

Tickets

Official Ticket Information

Tickets for VPD 2012 can be purchased online at www.carolinatheatre.org/tickets, in person at the Carolina Theatre Box Office, or by calling Carolina Theatre at (919) 560-3030.

Student Tickets*: $10.00
General Admission: $13.00
Day of Show**: $15.00

Student tickets for VPD 2010 must be purchased through one of the VPD Committee members. Valid Student ID is required. Please contact Jyoti Gill for more information about purchasing student tickets at 919-228-8151 or Shanthan Citineni at (919)371-8178.

If you are not close to the Raleigh/Durham area and you wish to purchase student tickets, you will be required to mail a check to us in order for us to reserve a student ticket for you. Once your student ID is verified when you arrive, your ticket will be given to you. The address to mail the check is located on the Contact page of our website. Please contact either Jyoti or Shanthan before mailing any checks.

For more information, please contact vpdncsu@gmail.com.

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For questions, comments or more information, please contact:

Afterparty

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