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1st: Emory Saraas
2nd: UGA Champa & Chameli
3rd: UGA Asura

Congrats to all the teams! I figured it would be a tossup between those three.

It seems like the state of Georgia took all the marbles.

Emory SaRaas: This group absolutely killed it on stage. Their energy was through the roof and lasted the duration of the performance. I don't think I saw a dropped dandiya either. Facial expressions were amazing and visible from a large distance. Furthermore, their track made me want to jump on stage with them. I didn't hurt that they were the only raas team there. Their space theme was incorporated well but could have been done better, but in terms of raas, they did an outstanding job.

UGA Champa&Chameli: These girls once again showed their talent on stage. Synchronization was very good as was the execution of the choreography itself. I feel their theme made an impression on the judges. After seeing their performance at UGA India Night and USC Aag Ki Raat, I feel they improved. I didn't care for their soundtrack too much and it got a little boring after awhile. I can't help but to think that their costumes and some parts of the dance seem familiar from another team this year. However, there is no denying that these girls are amazing.

UGA Asura: These team was fantastic. Personally, I believe they outperformed Champa & Chameli and that they should have been placed 2nd and Champa 3rd. Their energy and expressions were great and they cleaned up their track/ made it easier to follow their theme since UGA India Night. Despite their good synchronization, I feel that they could have been a tiny bit cleaner. I really liked the way they incorporated different fusion elements and their costumes were great.

Any comments/critiques/reviews on the other acts or overall show?

My reviews:

GSU Masaledaar Swag - this team has changed a lot... Much improved from before but still not that great. The Asian guy was good. Probably one of the weakest performances of the night.

Emory Azaadi - not clean. After performance, they changed back to their regular clothes. No pugs. Don't know what else to say but that they considered this competition a joke or something. People were walking on stage.

IU HoosherBhangra - decent, but nothing too memorable. Cleaner than some of the other bhangra teams. I liked the costumes.

Emory Saraas - Killed it! In terms of judging, I heard they got some perfect scores. I think it helped a lot that they were the only raas team there. Even so, they were super energetic and I think almost no dropped dandiyas. Execution was pretty good and the energy was through the roof. Mix was fire. They had a rocket theme that other raas teams did this year, but they had an alien/martian gimmick with odhani that caused the crowd to go insane. I just think it was a very LONG gimmick. Their light-up 5,4,3,2,1 was really cool too. High knees were definitely seen.

UGA Champa & Chameli- missed them cause I was backstage. Saw them at AKR the week before and must say -- they definitely improved a lot since ETSU last semester. With a black swan theme, I preferred them with black costumes and the new green ones look almost exactly like the ones Sharaara have this year. Synchronization was there, the choreography was interesting, but the usual Champa stuff. Could see why they got 2nd and got fusion category at AKR.

UGA Asura- this team is phenomenal. They truly are a fusion team. Super dynamic and closed the show really well. Freaking loved their costumes (makes them look tall, lol) and the face makeup was cool. I think what cost them a higher placing is that they had a lot of solos. There were a couple times where there were only three people dancing while others were just waiting. With so many dancers, they could have utilized that stage space even more. This team has grown a lot from last year and their choreography stands out as their own. They really made a name for themselves on that stage. Not a performance to forget. Oh and I loved their murder mystery theme.

UTK Board - Should really figure things out. Lots of lighting and music mishaps. Some teams lost their music DURING the performance and many intro videos were messed up.
The show took AGES to start.
Like doors opened at 5:30pm I think and the show didn't really start until like 7:30pm?
They need to figure out a better way of choosing who goes when. The show was very end-heavy, which is fine. But I heard certain teams got to choose when they go in terms of show order. Some emcees were inebriated but oh well. There was one guy who helped our team out a lot so thanks to him.... forgot his name though because he was just a volunteer.

A girl from Asura and a girl from Saraas were injured and still completed the routine. Props to them!
Congrats again to all the winning teams! Can't wait to see them next season!

There was a CLEAR distinction between the best teams of the night and the worst.
What was not clear was the order of placings between Asura, Champa, and Saraas. I feel like it could have gone either way. I knew who was going to place before the show started, but i just didn't know the order of the placings. All in all, I think the judging was right. Maybe get more judges for next year?

I definitely agree with Radek about the UTK board. The emcees, with there being five of them, could have done a much better job. It seemed rehearsed (not well) and "fake." One emcee said she was going to start over with her skit. The time in between acts was too long with the technical difficulties. Tracks for other teams playing during another team's routine, music stopping, a plethora of lighting issues...etc. The fashion show went on way too long, although it was "cute". Furthermore, I think the judges could have been better rounded. I think they said that one of them was a Zumba instructor for 3 years. Not sure what that has to do with Fusion, Bhangra, or Raas. At the end of the show, one of the emcees came to our dressing room and very rudely told us to clean up and leave the room as we found it.

I know I sound really critical but I do appreciate the effort that was put into it. The crowd was better than anticipated. Overall, I'm glad I went and I plan on attending next year as well.