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The End to the Color Guard Controversy


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Well, this topic is basically my rant on this whole color guard debate. I know, its all overdone, that's why I'm trying to put an end to this. To those who are not familiar with this controversy..here's a break down.

Person A: " I dont like modern guards because they lack precision the old school guards had. Plus, they waste their time doing ineffective dance moves and facial expressions"

Person B: " I don't like the old school guards because they lack emotion and almost seem boring at times"

Since you now get the picture, here's my take on the whole thing:

Please realize that color guard is not clearly defined. No one put out a rubric of what a color guard should or should not do. Therefore, doing high-mark times and pulling off perfect spins and angles with the rifle is just as acceptable as doing jazz runs, while spinning a sabre around your body, then tossing it and catching under you leg. So whatever a color gaurd puts out, it cannot be considered wrong or not what a color guard should be doing.

Old school guards were great. Were all of them as good as 27th Lancers? Of course not. Modern color guards are still just as talented. Are all of them just as good as the Blue Devils? Of course not! Can everyone just realize that guard members of one era worked just as hard as members from the opposing era. I think that many often forget the effort and sweat that all these kids put in, and rather, go straight to complaining about what they do wrong and how you are displeased from the style of that certain era.

Can everyone just accept the fact that the color guard of now is very different from the color guard of then. Who cares if the new schoolers dance on the field and has facial expressions? Who cares in the old schoolers were militaristic? That doesn't make one era of guard better or more correct than the other. I hope you agree, and if you don't, enlighten me with your arguments. Everyone just drop this whole thing, since you know that the guards are totally different from one another, there is no sense in ranting anymore.

Here's a thought: Would you ever compare 1973 SCV and 2002 Cavaliers and say that one was more correct that the other? Hopefully not because it would be ridiculous to do so. We know that in the context of their time period, each show was amazing. Am I right? In the same effect, why would we compare the color guard of 1980 27th Lancers to the 2002 Blue Devil color guard? With that perspective, doesn't it seem equally ridiculous? I think so...

Edited by just_another_fanatic
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Fanatic:

Check out the Color Guard Forum for the announcement of the new guard circuit, Color Guard International. Our motto? "All Equipment Work all the time"...

You will never convince me that what guards are doing these days is "guard". It's dance theatrics with a little equipment work thrown in to satisfy the "guard" requirement. There's too much dance and not enough equipment work in drum corps and winter guard shows.

I want to see clean equipment work. Not dance.

Period.

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"Just" is right, of course! (may I call you Just?)

:P

I'm from the old school, and yes, guard was different in my day, just as drum corps was different!

The term "color guard" has its origins in the group "protecting" the colors (that would be the U.S. Flag for those who aren't familiar with the term!). So the old school's roots are based on just that - and the military style that went with it throughout the entire corps!

That was the way it was then.

Today's color guard has evolved into what it is today, for better or worse - yes, it's less military, it's more "showy" with more dance moves etc, but it is what it is!

I'm working on understanding it better, coming from my "ancient" background, and I think I'll be ok with it. I just need to see more shows, and for those who don't know, I was completely away from the activity for over 30 years - so I have a "Rip Van Winkle" approach to my vision of drum corps!

I believe that one of the issues many "old schoolers" may have about the "new" guard is that they are trying to understand it as well - remembering that they came from that military style long ago.

Some people have an easier time with it, others lean toward the "traditionalist" philosophy.

It's very similar to the different Christian faiths - a fundamental Christian looks at the Bible differently than, say, a Methodist, Lutheran, or Episcopalian. Or even a Roman Catholic!

But it's the SAME Bible - just as color guard is THE same color guard - the interpretations today are different based on the times we live in and the evolution of drum corps overall!

So maybe, as a new idea, perhaps the NAME Color Guard should be considered for modification to suit its style and its current role in drum corps - "visual team," "dance group," "artistic interpretation squad?"

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no offense, then watch tapes. that isn't what guard is anymore. and it hasn't been that way for a long long time now. and there some incredibly talented guards out there if you took the time to look and not just judge it on the dance/theatrics.

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Anyone else see the irony of a post like this ending with a signature that says "Wait, you forgot to ask me if I cared. Do I? Of course not."? :whip:

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You will never convince me that what guards are doing these days is "guard".

i just cannot understand how people can say this. If you pull out baseball tapes from the 20's, or basketball tapes from the 70's even, they are COMPLETELY different games now. The objective is the same, but the way its done, the rules, the strategies, the participants...they are completely different! YET they are STILL basketball and baseball. Just because guard has evolved doesnt mean its not guard anymore!

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Liz,

who are you directing your comments at?

Sally?

"Just?"

MOI????

they were directed at Sally. in between the time i started typing my comment and hitting send you jumped in the middle there buster :P

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