Beatrix Postpones 2012 USA Tour

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This past year, Beatrix ‘ has prepared itself for the 2012 USA Tour. We took the Drum Corps International Tour 2011 as a guide on which we composed a concept 2012 Tour that meets the requirements and wishes that we have; challenging competitions in the Open Class, good variety with World Class participants, enough time for rehearsals and some sightseeing spots.

This tour will be very different in terms of starting point and places to visit than previous editions, something that will appeal to everyone. On the basis of this concept tour we made an inventory for possible flight routes with corresponding prices and bus prices we received that resulted in a budget that the Board of the Beatrix Corps Association feels comfortable with.

The purpose of a USA Tour for Beatrix ‘ is to give members a drum corps experience that is as close as possible to the experience of the American Drum & Bugle Corps. This means; rehearsing during the day, perform in the evening and travel at night. It is unique for a European Corps to have this much rehearsal time to perfect the show. The hours spent on the rehearsal field are much more than hours spent on sightseeing, leisure and travel times. To spent these rehearsal hours as efficient, effective and fun you will need a well-trained instruction team that are really locked in together and know what to expect from each other.

The season 2012 will start with a lot of staff movements and changes. Changes that are necessary to give Beatrix’ a solid foundation to build on for the near future. However, the changes and new staff members are large in number this year and this group will need time to form a solid team. The Association has itself experienced, and seen in other associations, that the instructional staff team is the key to a successful tour. When rehearsals go slowly and inefficient in 40 degrees Celsius heat and there is no adequate response to the wishes of the jury; all the good food, the best sleeping places and the most beautiful tour buses won’t save the tour for the members.

The Board of the Beatrix Corps Association has, in consultation with the management team of Beatrix ‘ Drum & Bugle Corps and the 2012 USA Tour Commission, decided to postpone the USA Tour. The Board is aware that this is a disappointment for the members, but when Beatrix’ decides to go to the USA this is only when all the puzzle pieces are in place. All the pieces are currently available but still need to go better together. The project team, which was preparing the 2012 USA Tour, persists and continues to prepare as much as possible for a Tour in the coming years. It’s been a difficult decision, but both Board and management team are confident that building on the success of 2011 will be the basis for a successful USA Tour in the near future.

Currently, the options are investigated for a European Tour in the summer of 2012. Where competitions, commercial performances, rehearsals and sightseeing will be combined. Contacts with various countries are already been made and they want to welcome Beatrix. This European Tour will be an important test to see if the Association is ready for a Tour to DCI.

As much the Association regrets this decision, we are confident that we have made the right choice and we look forward to successful season where we once again are going to experience numerous highlights. Got questions about the above you can contact the Board via bestuur [at] beatrix [dot] org.

Posted by on Friday, September 30th, 2011. Filed under Current News, Drum Corps Netherlands.