There’s no denying that having passion for what you do in life is the number one way to become the best at your craft. And it’s that undeniable passion that’s at the foundation of the most pivotal South Asian dance competition in the US known as ‘Best of the Best’ - or as dance fanatics and enthusiasts alike lovingly refer to as “B.O.B.” It’s the only competition in the nation that brings together the best dance teams from the Bhangra, Raas/Garba and Bollywood Fusion genres that compete with each other to prove who really is ‘The Best of The Best.’

Sam Eliad and Raji Bedi, B.O.B. Founders

Within its 4 years of existence, B.O.B. raised the bar for the US collegiate dance circuit and has become the most sought after title within the South Asian dance community. Whether you’re a dancer or a fan of the art form the B.O.B. movement is something not only to be watched, but truly experienced. For the next 9 weeks Desi Hits! will take you on a journey behind the scenes into the world of South Asian dance, the intricacies of the cultural show circuit, inside profiles of the best teams in the US along with exclusive video, pictures and interviews that will draw you into the infectious passion of this scene. We thought we’d start by giving you a little insight into the world of Best of the Best by having a discussion with the players who made and make B.O.B. happen.

Best of the Best started 4 years ago in an apartment building in New York City with the original co-founders, Sam Eliad, Palak B. Sheth, Jasmina Chhabra, Adarsh Doshi, Jill Chokshi, Anuja Tolia, Tapan Patel and Raji Bedi – all of whom share a true passion for dancing and were former student dancers at their respective universities. “The number one thing for us is that dance is a culture, it’s not a hobby … for us it really is a big deal, it’s a way of life, it’s a lifestyle for us,” said Sam. “We live and we breath dance every single day, whether we’re lawyers, some of us are consultants, whether we’re still in school, whether we’re acting, this is a part of our life and it’s important to us.” Dance teams at schools across the US have become serious icons on their respective campuses. Competition is fierce to be a part of one of these elite squads, and students have been known to practice for weeks leading up to tryouts for marquee teams. Why is dance so integral into the lives of these students? The B.O.B. board replied unanimously pointing out the fact that dance for the South Asian community is the expression of our culture, and those Eastern roots have been engrained into the youth of America paying respects to their heritage by illustrating their passion each year on stage.

Best of the Best Board

So you may ask yourself, what gives B.O.B. the right to say that they are the most elite competition in the US? Why are they the best? According to predetermined criteria, the board uses un-biased techniques to analyze all the major shows in the US. Elements such as caliber of teams, regions and audience size assist in their difficult decision. Each year after the dust settles, 9 top shows are chosen as B.O.B. bids that feed their winner into each of the following 3 types of dance: Bhangra, Raas/Garba and Bollywood Fusion teams. There are 3 teams per category and a winner in each category – but the overall winner of the 9 competing teams is given the honor of “The Best of the Best.” The motivation of the show isn’t necessarily to pit the ferociously talented teams against each other, it is to showcase the best teams from the different categories and then educate the community on the different types of genres/cultures that each dance is related to. In effect this unifies the different cultures from the South Asian sub-continent – the underlying goal of the show. “When the idea formed it really came out of all of us believing that it’s important for South Asians and South Asian dance as it’s growing and developing to also unite and see each others culture and appreciate each others cultures,” said Palak Sheth, one of the founding members. She along with the other board members fondly remember backstage at the first show when members of bhangra teams started banging a beat on the Dhol when all of a sudden Raas/Garba teams started Raas lines and dancing in Garba circles while Bollywood Fusion teams danced in the middle – a completely organic representation of what the show set out to do.

Jasmina Chhabra, Palak B. Sheth, Anuja Tolia, B.O.B. Founders

If you analyze the fervor for dance competitions in the US, you’ll notice that there are hundreds if not close to a thousand different shows that have sprouted over the past decade. B.O.B. – coincidence or not – has been held the very same weekend that the NCAA Final Four Basketball Championships are held. It has become the Superbowl of the dance circuit with teams across the US seeking to compete in the B.O.B. bid shows. The competition is coming on to its 4th year. Originating in New York City, the third and upcoming competition is set for Chicago. With the word competition and the prestige of the B.O.B. title, you would expect it to be an all out war, but actually it’s quite the opposite. Founding member Jasmina Chhabra tells us all the teams have profound respect for each other and they are actually very sophisticated and mature. All the teams really unite with one another with the common love of dance, whether they’re on a Bhangra team, Raas/Garba team or Bollywood Fusion team. With those categories it would be easy to expect that a genre like Bhangra or Bollywood Fusion would consistently win, but that’s not the case. “A Raas team won our first year and it was kind of a testament to the sophistication of our audience and of our judges and of our teams, that we can really look beyond what’s [widely] popular and what we would normally like to the quality of dance and creativity and really which one is more unparalleled to any other,” said Jasmina.

It’s important to note that B.O.B. is a non-profit organization which prides itself on the fact that the founding members of the board were all once members of their college dance teams. All members of the board aren’t merely passive appreciators – they have all experienced first hand the love and passion that goes into dance competitions. Best of the Best has really transcended the title of dance competition to become a pillar of hope and achievement for young dancers who deem to be in the competition one day. “We really try to go above and beyond and while reaching out to these different communities we’re just trying to empower the youth to strive to always want to achieve the next level and be involved in something and truly believe in it,” said Jasmina. Not only that, they also pay for all costs for the weekend of the challenge, including accommodations and activities. The founders of B.O.B really believe in making sure these dancers are treated the best way possible as they are essentially just as talented as student athletes who command the same respect.

When you attend B.O.B. in Chicago April 19th this year, expect to see the best of these dance forms performed one after the other, but also expect the best of the best in celebrity performances. Urban Desi star Raghav will be performing at this year’s show. Former stars have included Bhangra stars Josh and Malkit Singh. B.O.B. is a must live experience and pushes the envelope for dance competitions while breaking creative barriers. Keep it locked here at Desi Hits!, because we will be bringing you EXCLUSIVE videos, commercials and interviews with the 9 dance teams in the coming weeks leading up to the competition itself. Dance is movement, and The Best of The Best showcases it as a movement in and of itself. Experience the revolution April 19th.