Bhangra Elite invited to ‘Elite 8,’ continent-wide competition

UNC Bhangra Elite has justified its name.

The Indian folk dance team will compete in the Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational in Washington, D.C., on March 3.

The invitation-only competition, sponsored by Emdo Entertainment, selects eight Bhangra teams throughout North America to participate.

Of this year’s participants, Bhangra Elite is the only team with both male and female members.

This year marks the first time the group has been chosen for the competition.

Ameer Ghodke, a captain for Bhangra Elite, said waiting for the announcement of the team’s invitation was extremely drawn out.

“The process of our hearing about getting in is a seven- or eight-week process,” he said.

“Every week they announce a new team, and we were on the tail end of that.”

He said though the team members weren’t expecting to be chosen, they knew they had a good shot.

Prasant Lokinendi, the team’s manager, said the invitation confirms Bhangra Elite’s status as a highly talented team.

“It’s kind of like the Elite Eight in basketball,” he said.

“When you get that far, you know you’re a good team.”

Bianca Patel, another one of the team’s captains, said Bhangra Elite will begin holding extra practices to prepare for Elite 8.
Ghodke said the team will practice for two or three hours every night.

“You have to prepare like varsity sports do for a big game,” he said.

Patel also said that prior to the competition, the team will have to make some changes to the routine it typically performs.

“We’re going to have to add some more gimmicks for Elite 8,” she said.

Less than a week before Elite 8, Bhangra Elite will perform in another competition in Durham that calls for a more traditional routine, Patel said.

Ghodke said the quick transition between the different routines will be a challenge, but he knows Bhangra Elite will be up to it.

“When you have something as big as this, everyone buckles down,” he said.

Lokinendi said two or three years ago, Bhangra Elite would never have been chosen to compete.

“We were nowhere close to that level,” he said.

“But now, with a lot of hard work, we’re one of the top teams in the United States and Canada.”

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