DCA 2011/2012 Rules Congress Report

The fans have spoken and we’ve listened! For the first time, DCA will be judging corps utilizing 50/50 sheets. 50% will be split equally between music and visual effect. Brass, percussion, ensemble music, ensemble visual, and color guard captions will each receive 10%.

What does this mean for the drum corps fan? This change is to prove to you that our commitment to entertainment is paramount. DCA Corps have raised the bar on artistic excellence of the past decade. Now we intend to raise the bar of excellence even higher by assuring that when you leave the stadium you will want to see a show the following week! Staff members from various corps recommended this change and while doing so requested that we change how we produce and market shows. Over the next season, the audience will see several experiments as we move forward to retain our current market and capture a new one at the same time.

 

Other items were discussed:

The judging panel has been reduced from 9 judges to 7.

Proposals for amplification of the front ensemble were discussed, but did not pass through caucus.

Much discussion was devoted to assisting Class A corps and improving their programs to better prepare them to advance to open class.

The appointment of a new public relations/marketing team was announced by DCA President Gil Silva. David Hobart (Director of Public Relations), Tom Peashey (Director of Marketing), and Kim Symonds (Director of Corporate Sponsorship) have been charged with expanding the visibility of the DCA brand.

DCA 2012: Directors and business managers were welcomed to Annapolis by many dignitaries as the meeting opened. Corps directors and business managers were treated to lunch and given a tour of the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium. This amazing facility has nearly 15,000 seats on the front sideline with over 9,000 of them being between the 30 yard lines.

See the official press conference video announcing DCA Annapolis 2012