Bhangra Empire
Encyclopedia
Established in 2006, Bhangra Empire is a San Francisco Bay Area
dance team in California
. The team is composed of undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates pursuing a variety of career paths while taking time to pursue Bhangra and Punjabi
culture. The team has won 16 awards in four years.
and the First Lady, Michelle Obama
. The event honored its chief guest Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh
and was held on the South Lawn of the White House
in Washington, D.C.
Along with Bhangra Empire, the entertainment lineup included the National Symphony Orchestra
, A.R. Rahman, Kurt Elling
, and Jennifer Hudson
.
The guest list included a mix of prominent figures in United States and Indian politics, business, and entertainment, including the President and First Lady, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell
, Bobby Jindal
, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
, Steven Spielberg
, M. Night Shyamalan
, Alfre Woodard
, and Blair Underwood
.
(Season 5) with a first round audition in Portland, Oregon. The performance received a standing ovation from the audience and three yeses from celebrity judges Howie Mandel
, Piers Morgan
, and Sharon Osbourne
.
as one of the foremost up-and-coming talents in the United States, Bhangra Empire participated in a photo shoot in the White House Ballroom with the First Lady for Harper's Bazaar
magazine. The full article, and photo, were published in the November 2010 issue.
.....
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
dance team in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The team is composed of undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates pursuing a variety of career paths while taking time to pursue Bhangra and Punjabi
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
culture. The team has won 16 awards in four years.
President Obama's first State Dinner
On November 24, 2009, Bhangra Empire performed at the first State Dinner hosted by President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and the First Lady, Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
. The event honored its chief guest Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
and was held on the South Lawn of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in Washington, D.C.
Along with Bhangra Empire, the entertainment lineup included the National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra that performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.-History:...
, A.R. Rahman, Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling is an American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and vocalese performer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling first became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church...
, and Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
.
The guest list included a mix of prominent figures in United States and Indian politics, business, and entertainment, including the President and First Lady, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....
, Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, M. Night Shyamalan
M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan,known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies in and around...
, Alfre Woodard
Alfre Woodard
Alfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
, and Blair Underwood
Blair Underwood
Blair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
.
America's Got Talent (Season 5)
On Tuesday June 22, 2010, Bhangra Empire made its debut on national television on America's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
(Season 5) with a first round audition in Portland, Oregon. The performance received a standing ovation from the audience and three yeses from celebrity judges Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
, Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
, and Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
.
Harper's Bazaar
Selected by First Lady Michelle ObamaMichelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
as one of the foremost up-and-coming talents in the United States, Bhangra Empire participated in a photo shoot in the White House Ballroom with the First Lady for Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
magazine. The full article, and photo, were published in the November 2010 issue.
2010
- Boston Bhangra - 1st place
- Performance video: unavailable
- Held at the Orpheum Theater in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, on November 13, 2010
- VIBC - 3rd place
- Performance video: unavailable
- Held at the Queen Elizabeth TheatreQueen Elizabeth TheatreThe Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum and the Vancouver Playhouse, it is one of three facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres Department .Formerly the home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, which...
in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia, on May 9, 2010
- Kollaboration - 1st runner-up
- Performance video: Kollaboration 2010
- Held at the Shrine AuditoriumShrine AuditoriumThe Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California on March 6, 2010
- Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational
- Performance video: Elite 8 2010
- Held at the Lisner AuditoriumLisner AuditoriumLisner Auditorium is an auditorium, located on the campus of The George Washington University, at 730 21st Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.. It is named for Abram Lisner, a trustee of the University who donated the money for its construction....
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on February 27, 2010
.....
2009
- Boston Bhangra - 2nd place
- Performance video: unavailable
- Bruin Bhangra - 1st place
- Performance video: Bruin Bhangra 2009
- Best of the Best V - 1st place, 1st overall
- Performance video: Best of the Best 2009
- VIBC - 1st place
- Performance video: VIBC 2009
2008
- Boston Bhangra - 1st place
- Performance video - Boston Bhangra 2008
- Bruin Bhangra - 2nd place
- Performance video - Bruin Bhangra 2008
- Bhangra Fusion
- Performance video - unavailable
- SoCal Bhangra - 1st place
- Performance video - unavailable
- Dhol Di Awaz - 2nd place
- Performance video - Dhol Di Awaz 2008
- Punjabi Showdown - 1st place, most entertaining
- Performance video - Punjabi Showdown 2008
2007
- Rooh Punjab Di - 3rd place
- Performance video: Rooh Punjab Di 2007
- Bhangra Nation West - 1st place
- Performance video: Bhangra Nation West 2007
- Giant Bhangra
- Performance video: Giant Bhangra
- Dhol Di Awaz
- Performance video: Dhol Di Awaz 2007
2006
- Bulldog Bhangra
- Performance video: Bulldog Bhangra 2006
- Nachda Punjab
- Performance video: Nachda Punjab 2006
- Rooh Punjab Di
- Performance video: Rooh Punjab Di 2006