The thunder of dhol drums and the flash of vibrant costumes will take over Lisner Auditorium this weekend as eight collegiate Bhangra teams battle for Bhangra Blowout’s top title.
What started at GW in 1993 as the nation’s first intercollegiate Bhangra competition has grown into one of the most anticipated events on the circuit, now in its 32nd year. Competition directors said bringing the weekend to life requires nearly a year of planning and a team of more than 70 organizers, all working to deliver a high-energy celebration of culture and competition.
Competition Director Trisha Brahmachari, a senior studying economics and political science, said planning for the April event begins after the previous board selects new leadership in May, kicking off months of detailed coordination, staff recruitment and preparations for team auditions.
More than 70 students, including board members, staff and team liaisons, work together to bring the event to life, Brahmachari said, adding that board members oversee key areas like hospitality, logistics and promotion, while staff support operations in the months leading up to the competition. She said student liaisons guide teams through a tightly scheduled lineup of rehearsals and events throughout the weekend, ensuring everything runs smoothly and participants stay on track.
“We do a really great job about creating a very detailed by the minute schedule,” Brahmachari said, adding that the schedule will already be in motion by the time the teams arrive on Friday.
She said that while competitors are busy checking into their hotels, organizers are decorating practice rooms in the University Student Center with themed designs, snacks and merchandise before teams gather together later that night.
Brahmachari said she feels deep connection to the competition because both of her parents are from India. She said she wanted to continue her cultural connections going into college, which moved her to begin as a liaison during her first-year, an introductory position in the competition, escorting teams from place to place to ensure they were on track. Brahmachari has been on the board ever since, she said.
“Coming to GW, I wanted to find that connection again, especially going to a [predominantly white institution], it’s kind of hard to find that,” she said. “I originally was on a dance team and grew really close with some people there. We’re not on that dance team anymore, but we got involved in the other side of planning these dance competitions instead of competing at them.”
Competition Director Isha Macha said she and a team of more than 170 GW dancers begin heavily preparing in December for the April competition, coordinating the weekend schedule and managing sponsorships as they plan for more than 1,000 audience members to fill Lisner Auditorium. She said being part of the competition has been one of the most “foundational” experiences of her college career, adding that she found her closest friends after joining in her first year.
“I would do it over and over and over again if I could,” she said. “In terms of the reason I joined, it was mainly for that community, to find that familial aspect, but also to find a way to stay busy and to gain some real, tangible skills as well.”
Macha said although the competition is the main event, events take place on Saturday and Sunday, with the first day being a “mixer” day for teams where they focus on preparation for the big day. Saturday is the main event, she said, with this year’s competition featuring eight schools — Michigan State University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, University of Maryland, Case Western University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan and University of Florida. She said GW does not compete because, as hosts, they want to eliminate any perceived biases with judging.
Macha said many of these teams re-compete year after year, with UMD and Virginia Tech achieving the top spots at previous Bhangra Blowout competitions.
“We love that these teams choose to come back year over year, and they always have such cool and new things that they’re adding every single year,” Macha said.
She said the competition partners with vendors and sponsors — including A2B, a local vegetarian restaurant, Red Bull and That’s It, a fruit bar company — to help cover costs and build community support. Macha added that the event also serves as a gathering point for the DMV’s large Punjabi community, bringing people together to celebrate their culture and roots.
The audience, she said, includes students, performers’ friends and families, professors and campus groups like the Sikh Student Association, all coming together to support the teams and the cultural traditions they represent.
“It’s really amazing to be able to not only bring this incredible experience to them, but their families and audience members that are coming from all over the place to come watch it, but also for us to be able to integrate our GW community into the event planning that goes into it,” she said.
Competition Director Diya Nookala, a junior majoring in international affairs and environmental science, said the weekend begins with a mixer at the USC, where teams play games and share a meal — an early moment that helps set the tone and build camaraderie among competitors. She said the dance event is judged by a panel of five professional judges with Bhangra experience, who evaluate performances using a detailed rubric that includes criteria like set design, choreography, energy, synchronization, technique and the incorporation of traditional elements.
Joining the competition organization as a first year, Nookala said it’s fulfilling to see the teams put on their final show of the season despite the chaos the weekend brings.
“When you see how much time and effort these dancers put into their sets and how much it means to them, it motivates you to want to create a space for them to be able to show off everything they’ve been working towards,” she said. “The audience just also enjoys it so much. You obviously want everything going smoothly, and just want everyone to be happy.”
