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Why Jagged Line is actually brilliant


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1 hour ago, Eleran said:

Sorry, but Bluecoats screwed the pooch when they made the line down the pants leg straight, and not jagged.

Can you really say that on DCP? :)  j/k  I wonder how that leg stripe might have looked. Could be neat to see. 

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I’m willing to indulge the OP for the shake of taking a cheap shot…

 

So the top 4 corps all have the same theme of meta navel gazing proclaiming they are the sole torch bearers of the activity in spite of the fans. Why so defensive you, used-up, middle aged, out of ideas, sell-out, blandos designers? It’s as if you know you’re ruining Drum Corps and trying to Fake News a justification and status with a stunning hubris of being design experts while I yawn at your shows, covering my ears to protect them from the amps and am reminded how much we lost

 

TL/DR : The kids will NeveR no what thEy neVeR knew it isn’t as the ouroboros of self-satisfied, greed driven design metamorphosed drum corps in to an arms race of amps with poorly trained dancers playing trumpets and has crossed the jagged line of being acceptable

 still tl/dr :2017 is you’re ‘I’m not a crook’ year  

stl/dr: cow being cow:whip:

Edited by cowtown
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9 hours ago, pudding said:

Bluecoats' 2017 production, Jagged Line, has met with quite a bit of controversy. "It the same thing as last year!" "There's no theme!" "Dancing is dumb, why would anyone do it?" Well, these are all completely valid concerns, so I decided to dive into the Jagged Line and try and figure out what the show is actually about. What I found shocked me, and may shock you.

In an unprecedented move, the 2017 Bluecoats design team actually had the cajones to do a show of commentary on drum corps itself, both acknolwedging its past, and looking toward its future.

Hear me out.

The very first thing we hear when the show begin is a sample of the "Prelude" from Thank You Scientist's album Maps of Non-Existent Places; the lyrics are "Leaving without a trace / Don't know when I'll be back again". That is, we are starting from a place of familiarity (the paradigm of drum corps until now) and moving into uncharted territory (innovation in design). As the full brass choir comes in, we are given a final sample of "Leaving...", signaling our departure from where we "are" and the start of our journey into "where we will go".

As the percussion enters, the brass ensemble struts out from under the prop and performs a choreographed dance program. Some say that this is simply recycled from last year's program; in actuality, it is the beginnings of an examination into the "past", beginning with just one season prior. In fact, this is our first hint into the theme of the Jagged Line in general: the Jagged Line represents the schism of past and future. If you don't see it, simply look at a timeline that has been abbreviated:

0P4dtvE.png

Things that happen on the left of the prop represent the "old", and things that happen on the right represent the "new". This is a recurring theme that will show up later. But what does it mean when the corps is on the prop itself? Back to the show: The very first impact of the show takes place with the entire corps on the prop. Is this just a visual decision in order to emphasize the Jagged Line visual theme? Or is it more? When you think back to the left/right of the prop design from earlier, the answer becomes clear: when the corps is on the prop, it represents the marriage of old and new; the intersection of tradition and innovation in the present. Thus, the initial impact is a statement that while this show is going to examine both past and future, it is going to do so from the perspective of unifying them. 

Immediately after the opening chords, the high brass marches down the ramp and veers straight off into the "past" side of the prop. What does their drill do? They make rectangles and do box rotations, classic drill characteristics of the 2000s decade. When the low brass on the right side of the prop joins the high brass in the standstill with body movement, the form is disinctly reminiscent of 2000 Cavaliers, and the footwork reminiscent of 2010-era Crown; when they break into individual movements, it's a taste of "breaking down" the form and movements from unity into elements; a "deconstruction", if you will.

What's interesting about the next phrase of drill is that while the horns start off facing backfield, they quickly turn to face right; facing the "future". The battery drill seems to lead them to want to go to the "past", but they reverse their direction and follow the horns. Meanwhile, the guard is gathering in the "past", and using traditional guard equipment such as flags and rifles, both things that are becoming more and more scarce in modern guard design. 

After the impact, the quad feature; a standard of drum corps designs both old and new. This one combined both style, utilizing both modern rhythmic and melodic vocabulary (in the feature proper) and traditional, less active writing (in the ostinato). Note also that this feature is in 7/4, and then moves to 4/4; even while the written material moves from traditional to modern, the time signature moves from modern to traditional, ending on the same spock roll that was so lauded in 2015.

The tubas being on the prop is the glue that ties the next section together; a truly brilliant marriage of old and new. The low brass on the right side of the prop are playing very modern, pointed rhythms, almost percussive; when the high brass enters on the left side, they are in the very high register, reminiscent of 1980s Madison Scouts. The tubas on the prop privde the grounding that marry the past screaming and the future minimalism together. This is emphasized even more when the brass snakes through the prop, literally jumping between eras as they bring their statement to a final close.

Now, the ballad. Much talked-about, very controversial. First, observe that the brass and guard spend the entire movement in the "past" side of the prop. This does not necessarily mean that the ballad is meant to be a representation of the past; rather, it is an examination of the past and what made the past great. The soloist stands on the prop, again signaling that the past will be viewed through the lens of the present.

There is a very clear demarcation during the ballad; the curvilinear where the brass puts their horns down. To me, this is intensely reminiscent of the visual theme of the Bluecoats 2015 show, Kinetic Noise, except inverted; where before, the frantic action taking place during the baritone solo was above the curve, where here it is below. Note that as players "escape" from the hectic choreography inside the curve, their movements "calm down"; they become pensive as they reflect on the past.

As the brass choir comes to a cadence, we expect a huge hit, but no. The brass begins marching away from us, as if to say that our expectations are outdated, and we cannot cling to the past. To emphasize this, they literally turn around, gazing one last time into the venerated altar of history as they play their beautiful chorale, which, again in defiance of our expectations, gets played back to us loud and clear, a foreshadowing of the integration of old (brass) and new (electronics). On the final chord, they turn back to the front, allowing us for one last time to luxuriate in the lushness of the traditional chorale ending of ballads old. However, even as this is happening, the battery, under the prop instead of over it, beckons us toward the present (the prop), to grow till tall, heard but not seen as if to represent the irresistable pull of idiomatic evolution.

I haven't spoken much about the front ensemble yet, because there hasn't been too much to say about them so far. However, note that for the percussion break, the marimbas (the featured instrument in the original One Study, One Summary) are pushed forward; this may seem odd in the context of their setup, but realize that where the marimbas have pushed to is actually where the marimbas would normally be in a traditional front ensemble setup (at least in terms of front-to-back). This is a small way to ease the transition into the very, very modern percussion break; our attention is drawn to the snares on the prop, who start as a solo but build into a full section, representing more and more people wrenching away from the past and back to the present. During the snare feature, notice the shapes that the hornline make with their drill; they are arrows, first pointing right, to the future, then for a moment heading back left, toward the past, before resolutely heading into the prop (the present), simultaneously "pushing" the guard into the future. Note that the guard equipment has changed from the traditional flag and rifle into a newer implement: a cane. As the percussion breaks down their groove, the hornline and guardline are integrated into a very, very modern dance choreography, in some ways reminiscent of the choreography from earlier but also different. At the climax of the percussion break, the hornline has formed a literal line through the prop; this is the timeline that got slashed in the image above. Note that most of the timeline is on the right side of the prop; we are nearly finished with the past, but the future has much to explore.

The Zappa piece, Zomby Woof, takes place exclusively on the right side of the prop, much like the ballad took place exclusively on the left. Canny observers will note the extensive similarities in visual design approach to the very recent developments of the Blue Devils, as well as the Bluecoats themselves in 2016. Musically, no more fitting word can be applied to Zappa in general than "weird"; when gazing into the immediate future of drum corps, that word applies aptly, and the strange fivelets that the trumpets (and piccolo trumpet solo) play reflect that perfectly. 

The Zappa is fun, it's energetic, and it's high energy, but it can be easy to be lost in all of that hype and energy, and lose sight of the history that got us to where we are. The quads show up just in time to remind us; two on the left of the prop, two on the right, and one up on top, they march down the field to remind us that we can't just have fun in the sun with our new design toys. Indeed, as the quads finish, the snares pick up, this time entirely on the left side of the prop, as if to emphasize that we cannot forget the past; the front ensemble has returned to the groove from earlier in the show, demonstrating even here a small look into ten minutes ago. 

As the final percussion break finishes, and the trumpet duet takes over, the hornline gives perhaps the best homage to old-school drum corps possible: symmetrical drill, and follow-the-leader. Even as we are hearing an incredibly modern usage of mic'd guitar patch over screaming trumpets, we see a throwback to the earliest visual designs of drum corps. However, right at the end, when the block consolidates, it is not symmetrical, but repeats the arrow from the drum break, pointing to the right. The message is clear: Even as we respect the past, we MUST stride toward the future. As the form unwinds and the low brass sprints down the ramp, we see this demonstrated as the symmetrical drill returns and the brass, now completely in front of all of the mic picks and therefore playing completely acoustically, marches into a double company front, while the guard behind them chaotically throws their flags to the winds, mounts the prop, and flings their hats, creating an explosion as old and new fuse to create the perfect marriage of style. 

 

----------

 

  Reveal hidden contents

If you've made it this far, congratulations. This post was mostly made to be tongue-in-cheek, and hopefully most of you will have gotten that. I figured that since everyone wanted to stretch to say that BD, SCV, and Crown's shows were about DCI Past and Future, I figured that the Bluecoats deserved the same (BD I can understand, SCV and Crown much, much less so). There are several legitimate observations in here, some of which I only discovered after taking on this venture of deeply looking into something that isn't really all that deep, but mostly this is just fluff. Perhaps, if you want, you can incorporate some of what I've said into your own interpretation of the show, but I suspect that most here will chuckle (or fume) and move on. 

 

 If I have to spend 15 minutes reading on DCP or wherever about what a 12 minute Drum Corps show is all about, it was the show designers fault for being obtuse, obscure and confusing in the 1st place regarding their theme messaging ( Bluecoats, by the way, are far from being alone in shows where most people in attendance have no clue at all what the show is all about). The whole notion of Art, Dance,   Music, Performance is to convey thru THIS fashion what the spoken and/ or written word could not entirely and holistically capture. That is the fundamental essence of the Performing Arts itself. I do applaud you for taking the time to explain in the written word what this 2017 Corps show is all about in your opinion. Your imagination on what the show COULD be about is intriguing. There is not much nobility in my opinion however for anyone involved in the Performing Arts to produce a show ( Drum Corps or otherwise ) where  most ticket purchasers to shows have no clue what the show was all about at the conclusion of the performance.  Drum Corps used to have no themes, no messaging to their performances. Corps then decided to move into themes, and later to messaging with these themes. When themes, messaging of the TOP DCI Corps shows have to be explained in the written. spoken word on what the theme and messaging MIGHT be, it just demonstrates to me that judges are awarding finely produced, finely performed productions that frustratingly the vast majority of people in attendance at shows can only appreciate THAT aspect. The theme/ messaging should be understood by most, imo.. not an epic fail with many regarding the theme messaging. We should not have to read and try and decipher thru the written word, what the Performance itself failed to do. So long as DCI judges continue to reward on the GE sheets however, obtuse, convoluted, and/ or confusing themes, we the audience will have to " read about it " later. And thats not how it should be in ANY Performing Arts endeavor, imo, Drum Corps or otherwise.

Edited by BRASSO
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8 hours ago, MikeBD said:

I give the bluecoat fans credit.  Even when they continually place 4th all we hear from their fans is that they are getting screwed or they are transcendent.  If there was an award for the most ardent fans i would nominate you guys.

Should we just rename this forum the Bluecoats are great and the best thing since sliced bread?  If you don't agree than obviously you are biased and don't recognize the greatness that is the coats.  

And not to be outdone the blue devils still stink and never march.  If I didn't know better I would check BD for a pulse since they obviously don't work hard maybe they are statues?

It's amazing to me that almost every single post you make is a mirror of every Bluecoats fan post, but defending BD. And yet somehow you believe the world has nothing better to do than to unfairly downgrade the great Blue Devils dynasty that no truly intelligent drum corps fan would ever question.

We all get that you love Blue Devils. Like fans of all the other corps, you have strong emotions about your convictions. But when you are constantly jumping into almost every thread to defend your favorite corps, and coming up with straw man after straw man in your defense, it belies your supposed level headed analysis. We get it, you love blue Devils, but George loves Cadets, and he is honest about where they succeed and fail. It doesn't mean they aren't wonderful, it means they are one of many great corps.

We discuss things here. Occasionally we discuss Blue Devils. Every once in awhile, someone goes off the rails and blow up blue Devils. So what? Others have done the same with Cadets, Bluecoats, Crown (ad nauseum), Scouts, Blue Stars...you get the picture. It's a subjective activity, and if someone doesn't like something a corps does, the world continues to spin on its access.

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9 hours ago, pudding said:

Bluecoats' 2017 production, Jagged Line, has met with quite a bit of controversy. "It the same thing as last year!" "There's no theme!" "Dancing is dumb, why would anyone do it?" Well, these are all completely valid concerns, so I decided to dive into the Jagged Line and try and figure out what the show is actually about. What I found shocked me, and may shock you.

In an unprecedented move, the 2017 Bluecoats design team actually had the cajones to do a show of commentary on drum corps itself, both acknolwedging its past, and looking toward its future.

Hear me out.

The very first thing we hear when the show begin is a sample of the "Prelude" from Thank You Scientist's album Maps of Non-Existent Places; the lyrics are "Leaving without a trace / Don't know when I'll be back again". That is, we are starting from a place of familiarity (the paradigm of drum corps until now) and moving into uncharted territory (innovation in design). As the full brass choir comes in, we are given a final sample of "Leaving...", signaling our departure from where we "are" and the start of our journey into "where we will go".

As the percussion enters, the brass ensemble struts out from under the prop and performs a choreographed dance program. Some say that this is simply recycled from last year's program; in actuality, it is the beginnings of an examination into the "past", beginning with just one season prior. In fact, this is our first hint into the theme of the Jagged Line in general: the Jagged Line represents the schism of past and future. If you don't see it, simply look at a timeline that has been abbreviated:

0P4dtvE.png

Things that happen on the left of the prop represent the "old", and things that happen on the right represent the "new". This is a recurring theme that will show up later. But what does it mean when the corps is on the prop itself? Back to the show: The very first impact of the show takes place with the entire corps on the prop. Is this just a visual decision in order to emphasize the Jagged Line visual theme? Or is it more? When you think back to the left/right of the prop design from earlier, the answer becomes clear: when the corps is on the prop, it represents the marriage of old and new; the intersection of tradition and innovation in the present. Thus, the initial impact is a statement that while this show is going to examine both past and future, it is going to do so from the perspective of unifying them. 

Immediately after the opening chords, the high brass marches down the ramp and veers straight off into the "past" side of the prop. What does their drill do? They make rectangles and do box rotations, classic drill characteristics of the 2000s decade. When the low brass on the right side of the prop joins the high brass in the standstill with body movement, the form is disinctly reminiscent of 2000 Cavaliers, and the footwork reminiscent of 2010-era Crown; when they break into individual movements, it's a taste of "breaking down" the form and movements from unity into elements; a "deconstruction", if you will.

What's interesting about the next phrase of drill is that while the horns start off facing backfield, they quickly turn to face right; facing the "future". The battery drill seems to lead them to want to go to the "past", but they reverse their direction and follow the horns. Meanwhile, the guard is gathering in the "past", and using traditional guard equipment such as flags and rifles, both things that are becoming more and more scarce in modern guard design. 

After the impact, the quad feature; a standard of drum corps designs both old and new. This one combined both style, utilizing both modern rhythmic and melodic vocabulary (in the feature proper) and traditional, less active writing (in the ostinato). Note also that this feature is in 7/4, and then moves to 4/4; even while the written material moves from traditional to modern, the time signature moves from modern to traditional, ending on the same spock roll that was so lauded in 2015.

The tubas being on the prop is the glue that ties the next section together; a truly brilliant marriage of old and new. The low brass on the right side of the prop are playing very modern, pointed rhythms, almost percussive; when the high brass enters on the left side, they are in the very high register, reminiscent of 1980s Madison Scouts. The tubas on the prop privde the grounding that marry the past screaming and the future minimalism together. This is emphasized even more when the brass snakes through the prop, literally jumping between eras as they bring their statement to a final close.

Now, the ballad. Much talked-about, very controversial. First, observe that the brass and guard spend the entire movement in the "past" side of the prop. This does not necessarily mean that the ballad is meant to be a representation of the past; rather, it is an examination of the past and what made the past great. The soloist stands on the prop, again signaling that the past will be viewed through the lens of the present.

There is a very clear demarcation during the ballad; the curvilinear where the brass puts their horns down. To me, this is intensely reminiscent of the visual theme of the Bluecoats 2015 show, Kinetic Noise, except inverted; where before, the frantic action taking place during the baritone solo was above the curve, where here it is below. Note that as players "escape" from the hectic choreography inside the curve, their movements "calm down"; they become pensive as they reflect on the past.

As the brass choir comes to a cadence, we expect a huge hit, but no. The brass begins marching away from us, as if to say that our expectations are outdated, and we cannot cling to the past. To emphasize this, they literally turn around, gazing one last time into the venerated altar of history as they play their beautiful chorale, which, again in defiance of our expectations, gets played back to us loud and clear, a foreshadowing of the integration of old (brass) and new (electronics). On the final chord, they turn back to the front, allowing us for one last time to luxuriate in the lushness of the traditional chorale ending of ballads old. However, even as this is happening, the battery, under the prop instead of over it, beckons us toward the present (the prop), to grow till tall, heard but not seen as if to represent the irresistable pull of idiomatic evolution.

I haven't spoken much about the front ensemble yet, because there hasn't been too much to say about them so far. However, note that for the percussion break, the marimbas (the featured instrument in the original One Study, One Summary) are pushed forward; this may seem odd in the context of their setup, but realize that where the marimbas have pushed to is actually where the marimbas would normally be in a traditional front ensemble setup (at least in terms of front-to-back). This is a small way to ease the transition into the very, very modern percussion break; our attention is drawn to the snares on the prop, who start as a solo but build into a full section, representing more and more people wrenching away from the past and back to the present. During the snare feature, notice the shapes that the hornline make with their drill; they are arrows, first pointing right, to the future, then for a moment heading back left, toward the past, before resolutely heading into the prop (the present), simultaneously "pushing" the guard into the future. Note that the guard equipment has changed from the traditional flag and rifle into a newer implement: a cane. As the percussion breaks down their groove, the hornline and guardline are integrated into a very, very modern dance choreography, in some ways reminiscent of the choreography from earlier but also different. At the climax of the percussion break, the hornline has formed a literal line through the prop; this is the timeline that got slashed in the image above. Note that most of the timeline is on the right side of the prop; we are nearly finished with the past, but the future has much to explore.

The Zappa piece, Zomby Woof, takes place exclusively on the right side of the prop, much like the ballad took place exclusively on the left. Canny observers will note the extensive similarities in visual design approach to the very recent developments of the Blue Devils, as well as the Bluecoats themselves in 2016. Musically, no more fitting word can be applied to Zappa in general than "weird"; when gazing into the immediate future of drum corps, that word applies aptly, and the strange fivelets that the trumpets (and piccolo trumpet solo) play reflect that perfectly. 

The Zappa is fun, it's energetic, and it's high energy, but it can be easy to be lost in all of that hype and energy, and lose sight of the history that got us to where we are. The quads show up just in time to remind us; two on the left of the prop, two on the right, and one up on top, they march down the field to remind us that we can't just have fun in the sun with our new design toys. Indeed, as the quads finish, the snares pick up, this time entirely on the left side of the prop, as if to emphasize that we cannot forget the past; the front ensemble has returned to the groove from earlier in the show, demonstrating even here a small look into ten minutes ago. 

As the final percussion break finishes, and the trumpet duet takes over, the hornline gives perhaps the best homage to old-school drum corps possible: symmetrical drill, and follow-the-leader. Even as we are hearing an incredibly modern usage of mic'd guitar patch over screaming trumpets, we see a throwback to the earliest visual designs of drum corps. However, right at the end, when the block consolidates, it is not symmetrical, but repeats the arrow from the drum break, pointing to the right. The message is clear: Even as we respect the past, we MUST stride toward the future. As the form unwinds and the low brass sprints down the ramp, we see this demonstrated as the symmetrical drill returns and the brass, now completely in front of all of the mic picks and therefore playing completely acoustically, marches into a double company front, while the guard behind them chaotically throws their flags to the winds, mounts the prop, and flings their hats, creating an explosion as old and new fuse to create the perfect marriage of style. 

 

----------

 

  Reveal hidden contents

If you've made it this far, congratulations. This post was mostly made to be tongue-in-cheek, and hopefully most of you will have gotten that. I figured that since everyone wanted to stretch to say that BD, SCV, and Crown's shows were about DCI Past and Future, I figured that the Bluecoats deserved the same (BD I can understand, SCV and Crown much, much less so). There are several legitimate observations in here, some of which I only discovered after taking on this venture of deeply looking into something that isn't really all that deep, but mostly this is just fluff. Perhaps, if you want, you can incorporate some of what I've said into your own interpretation of the show, but I suspect that most here will chuckle (or fume) and move on. 

 

Great satire! I read the first few paragraphs, rolled my eyes a bit, then zoomed down to the hidden content. You gave me a pretty good laugh! As you pointed out, thus isn't a deep show and for that I am greatful. 

Edited by Jurassic Lancer
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3 hours ago, Stu said:

Did anyone else besides me notice that the symbol in the time line graphic that started the era of electronics, amps, voice overs, dancing, prancing, was the exact same symbol for the Waffen SS.

Coincidence.....hmmmmm.....?

Z Nazis. 

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23 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 If I have to spend 15 minutes reading on DCP or wherever about what a 12 minute Drum Corps show is all about, it was the show designers fault for being obtuse, obscure and confusing in the 1st place regarding their theme messaging ( Bluecoats, by the way, are far from being alone in shows where most people in attendance have no clue at all what the show is all about). 

While I do not disagree with your statement as far as having to read a 15 minute bio about a 12-minute show, this actually isn't true of the 2017 Bluecoats. Last time I checked the Bluecoats were crowd favorites, or certainly in the top 2, at most shows in which they compete.  Bloo themselves did not put out any pre-season or pre-show documentation to help folks better understand the theme. There is no theme. It's a concept show. The show is designed to just get it and have a blast watching. It seems the crowds are doing just that. So in that sense the corps is incredibly successful. 

Edited by jwillis35
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Appreciate the OP taking the time to write the extensive post about HIS (or her) interpretation of the meaning of "Jagged Line."  It was an interesting read.

I do urge others to understand that this is NOT an explanation of the show from the Bluecoats or the design team.  Comments such as If I have to spend 15 minutes reading on DCP or wherever about what a 12 minute Drum Corps show is all about, it was the show designers fault for being obtuse, obscure and confusing in the 1st place regarding their theme messaging...PLEASE NOTE....

The Bluecoats and their design team have produced shows the last few years are actually NOT full of hidden meanings or in need of deep thought.  Folks are certainly welcome to do this on their own if they feel the need, but the ACTUAL goal of these recent shows have had the same goal and "theme messaging" (if you need that term)...and that is

Can we produce a show that will make those watching go WOW, will make them want to STAND AND SCREAM/CHEER, will make them say I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN, will make them say I WANT TO HEAR IT AGAIN, make them use words like AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVABLE and WOW WOW WOW!!!!

and design a show that makes them want to buy a Tshirt.

THANK YOU DESIGNERS and THANK YOU SCIENTISTS!

 

Edited by oldbandguy
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24 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 If I have to spend 15 minutes reading on DCP or wherever about what a 12 minute Drum Corps show is all about, it was the show designers fault for being obtuse, obscure and confusing in the 1st place regarding their theme messaging ( Bluecoats, by the way, are far from being alone in shows where most people in attendance have no clue at all what the show is all about). The whole notion of Art, Dance,   Music, Performance is to convey thru THIS fashion what the spoken and/ or written word could not entirely and holistically capture. That is the fundamental essence of the Performing Arts itself. I do applaud you for taking the time to explain in the written word what this 2017 Corps show is all about in your opinion. Your imagination on what the show COULD be about is intriguing. There is not much nobility in my opinion however for anyone involved in the Performing Arts to produce a show ( Drum Corps or otherwise ) where  most ticket purchasers to shows have no clue what the show was all about at the conclusion of the performance.  Drum Corps used to have no themes, no messaging to their performances. Corps then decided to move into themes, and later to messaging with these themes. When themes, messaging of the TOP DCI Corps shows have to be explained in the written. spoken word on what the theme and messaging MIGHT be, it just demonstrates to me that judges are awarding finely produced, finely performed productions that frustratingly the vast majority of people in attendance at shows can only appreciate THAT aspect. The theme/ messaging should be understood by most, imo.. not an epic fail with many regarding the theme messaging. We should not have to read and try and decipher thru the written word, what the Performance itself failed to do. So long as DCI judges continue to reward on the GE sheets however, obtuse, convoluted, and/ or confusing themes, we the audience will have to " read about it " later. And thats not how it should be in ANY Performing Arts endeavor, imo, Drum Corps or otherwise.

I stopped reading at "In a unprecedented move" :peek:

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