I think we are underestimating what we already have ready. We have 2
awesome songs that we can sing with comp worthy dynamics and power. The
problem was in executing when it came to the big stage, which is a
mentality issue. And the result last year was 2nd at a national comp with
1st being a team that was above and beyond anything anyone had seen before,
definitely not way below our potential. However, if the majority of the
group doesn't share that mentality that we have the ability to put together
a winning set in 9 (prob 9+) practices, then I will drop it. I just don't
want us underestimating ourselves. We can place at Awaazein, I have full
faith in Hum.
We can compete at Awaazein without losing any real time towards making a
dope A3 video as well. I fear that this next semester will get stale and
boring if we are only focusing on 1 set for 6 whole weeks (18 practices).
On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 1:44 AM, Pranav Bhamidipati <psbhamidipati@xxxxxxxxx
wrote:
Nasha isn't a bid comp for All American Awaaz :/
My top priority is getting that bid for A3, and I think skipping Awaazein
significantly increases those chances.
I disagree that 3 weeks is generous tbh. We barely pulled off 3 weeks to
prepare for Awaazein last year, and the result was way below our potential.
That was given 2 existing fully comp-ready songs and 1 existing
arrangement. Our 2 comp songs rn have temp choreo bc we didn't have the
time, so altogether it'll be all new choreo + arranging 2 songs (possibly
revising 1 already accepted song) + cleaning, etc + fixing glaring issues
from Anahat.
Historically, it takes at least a week for our voices to get used to
singing again. Just don't see where all this time is going to come from.
Think of what we could accomplish if we have those 2 songs ready musically
by February 11th and spend the next 6 weeks perfecting a set with choreo +
plot and transitions and all that beautiful shit. That's a set that could
win not only a bid but a trophy at A3.
On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 1:31 AM Ruchir Elhence <ruchirelhence@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I agree that time will be a factor, but it is going to be 3 weeks to
learn and perfect 2 new songs which is a generous amount of time if we are
committed. I also understand that this is just an after-school activity,
and people may not have the time to dedicate to Hum. However, I don't think
we should shy away from a challenge. It is something that is definitely
feasible.
We also shouldn't assume anything about other teams other than what we
know from the past. I believe we are at that caliber with our 2 new songs
and can come up with 2 more in time to compete with a winning mentality.
However, if not Awaazein I would rather do something like Nasha over Gathe.
Another out of state competition is something that would only be feasible
with a different approach to Hum, focused primarily on fundraising.
Something we can do if we so choose.
On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 1:22 AM, Pranav Bhamidipati <
psbhamidipati@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
So I definitely agree that comps are a great motivator for success. Here
are a few points I brought up today:
I think that point blank we don't have the time to put together a winning
Awaazein set. And I don't want to go to a competition if we don't have a
winning attitude towards it, it's a disservice to us, the comp, and our
competitors. We'll be under prepared and basically crippled - the other
teams there have had a full semester to perfect their set, while half our
set would be brand new.
Having a set up and running by 3 weeks into next semester means getting 2
fully new arrangements to comp level. All evidence points to that being
unfeasible, and it's unhealthy for us to set goals we can't even achieve in
the first place.
We could absolutely take our music to an amazingly high badass level,
even higher than what we felt at that last run through. If we know we can
do that and don't give ourselves the time and space to really climb to our
max potential, I think that's a mistake we're going to regret.
Fiscally, it's wasteful to go to Awaazein if we just consider it a "do
the best you can" kind of comp. Raas Rodeo is the same day, and we can use
that as a deadline to showcase /dry run our new music without paying $600.
I wish we could compete since we've had such a great time there in the
past, but I don't see a good enough argument for it :(
- Pranav
On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 1:03 AM Emran Shafaq <emran.shafaq@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
So I ended up voting against awaazein, but it was a super hard choice. It
seemed like the two ways we were looking at it was going there with the
mindset of getting first or going there just for practice. I honestly think
both are extreme. We should go there with the mindset that what we have can
win if we put our hearts into it, but also realize that it will be a
tremendous help regardless of the result. I'm personally very open to
reconsidering. The greatest concern for me is the cost. Anyways, it seems
like we're pretty set on not doing but just wanted to throw some last
minute thoughts out there.
On Nov 28, 2016 12:47 AM, "Pranav Bhamidipati" <psbhamidipati@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Read
On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 12:39 AM Ruchir Elhence <ruchirelhence@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Hallo,
Neha just sent over the notes from the meeting y'all had today (sorry I
couldn't be there). I noticed that we had decided against Awaazein (and all
other comps) and I wanted to voice my opinion on that. I think that we are
doing ourselves a disservice by not competing next semester. I understand
that we are worried about time and getting newbies, but these are all
things Hum has dealt with successfully in the past.
I really believe that we had a place worthy set at Anahat. During
rehearsals we performed well enough to move someone to tears; that
shouldn't be overlooked. I am also aware that our execution when it came to
the actual performance was poor. That was more of an issue with projecting
and having the team confidence to perform no matter the external response.
Hum has lost something recently, and it certainly isn't talent. I think
it is something more intangible: confidence. Performing at a competition is
something that has continually driven me to excel as a performer and I
think it something incredibly valuable for everyone on the team. We have
the talent, the arrangements, and the potential to win. All we have to do
is buckle down and execute consistently.
I know we have already made a decision, but I hope that some of you would
re-consider. If not, it's cool cz I'm cool.
XOXO,
Ruch
