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bgg80

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    DCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRELIMS - 8/11/16

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Top 3: from my vantage point down low ... what to work on:

    Crown: cleaner feet. Tiny bit of overplaying by brass. Guard could have been slightly cleaner

    BD: I haven't heard the ballad mello solo work yet as they turn her around. Wireless technology may be failing here. Time for a different staging? That ballad is too stunning to continually have that shaky audio. Percussion has the hardest book. Execution is getting there ... Feet are CLEAN. Brass can get there to Ott award, but not quite there tonight. Almost ...

    Bloo: the amplification is too much, at least down low. Turn down the electronics volume a tad (may be fine up high). A few brass stick outs during big ensemble moments. Keep cleaning feet.

    All three were CRAZY good!

    Blue Devils 2016

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Arrived in Indy today for my first trip ever to DCI Finals week. I was introduced to DCI and BD in 1982, and 34 years later ... tonight was a great kickoff to Finals week! We went to BD's practice at the Indianapolis Colts' practice facility. They were working hard, and looked awesome! Very focused. The ballad, up close, is unreal. The individual and ensemble demand is just off the charts. Percussion is really tightening up, and I think their ability to get really clean will determine how they stack up vs Bloo and Crown. The battery demand is insane!

    Oh ... and some nice new GE treats for the close! :)

    • Like 8

    DCI Eastern Classic - Friday Aug 5 2016

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Oh Wow ... Bluecoats show is mesmerizing! Very different. Percussion is outstanding. Brass great -- still has to work to do on the "ballad". Overall .. I don't see how anyone tops them in GE. And the ending with the ramp effects, with the final slide by the guard with the "strum". Just unreal. As a BD homer, I wouldn't be upset at all if Bloo won next Saturday. I do think BD will have something to say about this though.... >:)

    Blue Devils 2016

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Awesome post! Brilliantly shows why DCI is so great. Variety of excellence, and of opinion. This will be my first year attending Finals since I started following in 1982 (my first show was Precision West in Concord). BD grabbed me then (what a show!), at the age of 14 ... and I've been hooked ever since.

    Ill take a stab at this

    Crown has a traditional drum corps show this year but within that context, the left to right movement of the corps as lead by the stage coach across the field is fresh but even more so, their visual body work is cowboy style this year where as last year it was devil style. They adjusted their individual visual repertoire of the horn line to better support the show theme. Since the show theme is different from last year, it becomes original and creative. This is not the case for Blue Devils this year as a lot of their visuals and GE points are rehashed, BD stock moves, therefore they become less original and less creative (stale). Crowns show has a similar arc to last year but these 2 years are a departure for them, as were the 2 years prior. Crown in 2012 was stale; it was the end of their 2007-12 period which was played out, how many times do we want to see a bug squash?

    Bluecoats have unique visuals that are built around the props, ones we havent seen before so its original and creative. They also have a new sense of staging with multiple points transitioning by visual movements and GE grabs built around the props. Its very show specific. Plus the color of the props are mixed into the overall color scheme, design palette so it looks fresh compared to BD typical white prop boat. BD did add color to the panels this year but so far its a negative. Bluecoats show follows a progression, the bleachers from 2013 combined with the ramps from 2014 but the combination is still fresh, new, original and creative.

    Watching DCI for a number of years, you start to notice things; sometimes a corps has a big jump in the ranks then does a copycat show and drops, the staleness (lack of originality and creativity) catches up to them. Im inclined to think Bluecoats have the winning design in DCI this year. Personally, its not my favorite nor do I think its the best but I do think its the one that has the most reward potential within DCIs current system and directional push.

    There are a lot of shows I enjoy that have massive flaws; BD is only under such scrutiny because they are in the top tier, as it should be when every .1 counts

    Drenched in DeKalb

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    not sure where i said anything of the sort. wait let me check

    nope. :tic:

    fwiw implode= 6th place or worse

    explode= medal

    as i said -- don't know which.

    Sorry -- I misread. When you said "it's not the performer ... usually isn't with the Cadets" , I guess I interpreted that you feel the Cadets have an ongoing trend with design that either explodes or crashes...

    Actually, what did you mean by that statement?

    On another note -- thanks for posting those recaps. I haven't seen anyone comment on the percussion scores. Crown finished second, ahead of BD! I think that's a big development.

    Drenched in DeKalb

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Yeah it's not the performer. Usually isn't at Cadets.

    That show is either gonna implode or explode. Don't know which.

    Hmmmm ... Because Cadets have "bounced around" between 1st and 4th over the past few years? Doesn't seem like any implosion. How is that different than Crown ranging between 1st and 5th over the last few years?

    • Like 2

    Too Many Tosses!

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Oh come on! Just watched the 2012 finals video. BD did a great job with that equipment. Very effective and clean! And I recall seeing an "Inside BD" video where the members talked about how extra difficult it was to clean.

    I also re-watched the 2015 finals performances and focused on the guards (now available on DCI website -- high cam and multi!). They were both amazing. I'd say BD showed more variety in movement and equipment. Great effect by both. A LOT of tosses by Crown, and they are fantastic. Maybe too many, which loses some of the "wow" for me. Hard time going 15 seconds without seeing one. Similar "cleanliness" except for saber work, which was a bit shaky for Crown.

    For me, this could have gone either way Whether on the sheets or not, it did appear that BD slightly outperformed Crown that night, in terms of being clean. That tipped the scale ... Oh ... And apparently the "gamed" finals judge (and semis and quarters ...)

    In 2016, from the looks of it, Crown may break this very impressive, well-earned streak by BD's guard. They look very impressive.

    We can criticize Cadets big blocks when they don't move together or Crown's frisbees if the aren't timed with the music but we can't criticize BD on a piece of equipment with well-defined international standards (most of which transfer easily from standard cg equipment standards like timing and heights). Got it! It's not dirty -- it's the effect of the century!

    I'll agree it would have been cool if they weren't a mess. But they were. So...that doesn't matter? And hey they made the choice to use a piece of equipment which was so easy to judge with regard to timing and heights -- no one made them do that. And shouldn't the "best" be held to higher standards?

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