DutDutOut

Regarding modern dance, drum corps taking more influence from modern dance is a very good thing. But by modern, I mean within at least the last 100 years. Drum corps is just now barely even catching up to Isadora Duncan. The is a long way for drum corps to go to catch up to the dance world and personally, I'd love to see what could happen if this was sped up a bit more. I agree! Would love to see some William Forsythe ish out there on the field.

I'm really interested to see Light Brigade! They are back with blazing technique and their show was far from finished at the Raleigh Regional from what I hear. I'm a sucker for solid technique. Im also excited for First Flight. It is the most interesting show that I've seen from them in the upstairs captions. Other than that, Independent A is a blood bath and it will be interesting to see who ends up in what neighborhood. Sigh... I miss block scores.

I will just say the same thing I tell my kids when they scoff at the thought of dues. Things cost money. I didnt have money in high school. I sold lots of fruit. Hocked cookies. Hustled and bamboozled. Hit the streets and do the fundraisers. While your at it, work on your roll step.

I will bite. I will divide this into captions. Equipment- SW I have been floored by Trumball for years. This is the first time I think everything was on the next level though. I agree with Scott that their technique is stellar. Their catch technique is amazing. To me they are the gold standard in SW equipment. of course, They didnt win equipment because caption judging is a myth, but thats another topic all together. Runner up; West Johnston... underrated in equipment... alot... IW SCV was the most amazing twirling I have seen since the season finale of Toddlers and Tiaras... Their work is so difficult in a handsy non-traditional way. Well... tradtional for Jim Moore and Greg Legola. There is a third guy who writes for them but the name escapes me. Makes me reconsider strapless rifles, which is (again) another topic. Runners up; Corona... They are just fearless. what i like about Shapiro, he pushes his team to through those sevens... a lot of them... with turns... and feet... and (you get the point) Alter Ego... seriously, what are the feeding kids in CT. Movement- Full disclosure... not my forte. SW Arcadia- there is a level of polish to their extensions and commitment to length through their movements that turn my crank. Every year. runner up; Carmel. They were triad with a capital T! They werent just holding their equipment while dancing. It was full body composition. Loved it. And to do it wearing that uniform with the line... wow. IW SCV- Again, they have full body equipment that I think is what everyone should aspire to, but too few do. runner up; Opus X... they are sooooooooooooooooooo trained. but nothing really new per se. But they set new standards in execution. Ensemble- SW Carmel- moving 24 stools throughout an entire show and it is effortless the entire time. Depth of composition, and the vertically planned events are near perfect. Runner-up; Logan. Deconstructed reconstructed WSS. Mark Metzger is out there and I like it. IW (bring the torches) Onyx- heads are still reeling and eyes are still rolling but this show was an event. It was a game changer in what is considered ensemble. This scares a lot of people but it really gets me thinking of other options as a designer. The how may not have been perfect put there was plenty of WHAT? It reminded me of William Forsyth. Me and Scott disagree on this one. We already moved on. Love you boo! runner up; SAC! I was really pulling for them to get 3rd. This was so close with Onyx. I love the music choices and the staging had so much depth while still achieving such clarity. Their equipment book was so demanding and innovative. But... you have to keep it in your hands. God I wanted them to medal!!! General Effect- SW- West Johnston. Interactive colorguard. Duffy did what everyone always joked about... a 3D show. It was a testament that there are still ideas out there to keep colorguard fresh. It was a simple clear idea that was done to the nth degree. and a fleet of plasma screen hdtvs... runner-up; Carmel. It wasnt a guard show, it was a motivational clinic. IW- SCV- intelligent complex design with accessible music woven into orchestral pieces to create a new whole composition. Layering pieces to tell a different story and done the best I have ever seen it. Runner-up; Onyx. Being that this is about new standards. Mike really opened up the options for how to achieve effect. Even if you didnt like the show... it was refreshing to see how one can be effective in non-traditional ways. That is where they succeeded in my opinion. I didn't clap once during it. I stood up at the end. In awe. Then screamed my head off.

Let's here it for groups that have beent trying for years to make finals and did for the first time! Delazure, aTX, Nuance, Cpex... Anyone else in forgetting?

Well to steer this in a POSITIVE direction... I loved Black Gold and would have loved to see them again! In A class I loved the group that did Dexter! I understand why they didn't make the cut but I expect great things from that program. And I was really pulling for Green Hope! They are so close every year!

Any one got an extra ticket? Or... Does anyone know if they are sold out ?

I think that the fact that the uniform is such a defining feature can hold a program back. People have complained about the Cadets looking dated. Their last championship was when they did something wacky to the uniform. Nostalgia is a very powerful emotion, but it will never exist if we dont move on to something new to appreciate the old. I love the Cadets uniform. I will always be fond of it. But, when they bring it back, which they should, it will be WAY more special. I dont think the maroon and gold is what makes them the Cadets. I see what I perceive to be the true Cadet Spirit in ensemble rehearsal, in their horns up, in their horns down, in their technique, in their sound. Just watching them rehearse makes ME excited about hard work and excellence. And I never even marched there.

Stop reading this and go watch Braddocks show on the Fan Network.

OOOOOOOOO he has spaces in his name! tricky ricky over there! haha

Umm... I dont know what happened here but I am DutDutOut. I didnt say any of that. And I certainly havent had the good fortune on seeing it live. However, At least whomever that was gave some insight. lol I actually think the show makes a lot of sense with the talking. Its a commentary on the state of art and how definitions can limit it. They are Onyx and its becoming their identity. I know a lot of people hate it. I love it. I have things that drive me crazy that I think is leading the activity in the wrong direction. But this is not the arena for me to gripe.

I am calling the corona vs. onyx battle this year "Paper or Plastic". I love that Fantasia is doing Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral, but they need to "proceed" to tech block. Along time ago I was told that catching is a basic skill. And while I appreciate the risks they are taking, you can't drop that much and not have it effect your upstairs numbers. Well... outside of California. That being said, I love it! Welcome back Fantasia, and Corona... you bettah get it!

Also really excited to see what West Johnston does with their 3-D show...handing out 3-D glasses to the audience members is going to be such a neat thing. Great idea! I saw them at the richmond regional but their flags and costumes arent in yet. All I am gonna say is, the first things the rifles do is an ensemble seven. LOVE IT! They spin extremely well. The show is a riot, lots of fun. They have their closing flags and when they picked them up the audience gasped at the effect with the 3d glasses. I havet seen it on the fan network yet because I havent renewed, so I dont know how much comes across.

Good rifle lines are just a part of a colorguard. Their difficulty is to be expected. They are the elite. To really judge a guard you have to look at all the parts. The flag line can ruin a show if it is dirty. Also, movement is included. That being said. I still had Cavies at that score but thought Coats should have been a lot higher. Their flag book was really good. And BTW, Cavies got a perfect guard score in 2002 and the first thing out is a rifle drop. The Perfect score is not nor could it ever be actual perfection. Its just what the judges see that day. They are up top. Thats a long way away.

John Leonard is a great designer and a great educator! So excited to see what Xmen bring to the field in 2011!

To the original poster that didn't care for Marion Catholics narration... and this is just an FYI... the piece they opened and closed with is called "Are You Experienced" and the speaking is actually part of the composition. The director just substituted his name for the original composers name David Lang. I think it came out in the 80's. The piece is ooooouuuuuutttttt there. lol. St. John's open did the same piece years ago for winterguard. Im not defending the choice... just thought you might be interested to know. As far as the melding of BOA and DCI, I think they influence each other. I teach and design for band and I know that there are trends in DCI that I am sick of and am trying to move my program in a different way because I don't want to be a DCI clone. They are two different things and I think many bands falter in trying to do what corps do.

I'll bite! Mainly because I am bored, but none the less. For the record, I loved every single finalist this year, and almost all of WC. That being said: I would hate for BD to go down that road again. I LOVED their show this year for what it was. Different. They won't so its a non-issue. They are always changing gears. I don't want to see any more abstract shows unless they are actually saying something in an abstract way. Naming your show " Boundaries " and then playing random concert band music without a bit of logic in the design is totally outdated. Flags and costuming and character should make sense. That does not make it pedestrian. Abstract is, of course, a piece of an original source. Not random thoughts and concepts. On that thought... No more over arranging. When Cavies opened pandora's music box with their compositions based on the visual, it created a really cool effect. In 2001. They had success and won a crap load of titles. Now even they have moved on. Wisely so. They rocked my socks this year. The number one thing I don't want to see is, SLOPPY WEAPON CATCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good lord people. Drops happen, but catches need to be solid. This is my number one pet peeve.

Carolina Crown: Music from Danny Elfman - lots to choose from dark, slow, loud, fast .... maybe in a dark purple uniform with complementary paisley and orange .... They actually did this when they were in Div. II in ( I think ) 1992. It was my first live drum corps show. The guard costumes were the coolest things I have seen to date. It was called "Music for a Darkened Theater" and the guard had 40's era usher jackets over a black unitardand they wore spandex hoods over their heads so they looked like shadows! And the corps proper was purple btw!

South County Secondary School is looking for an additional staff member for the 2011 winterguard season. This position would start in November and would last the whole season. This is a paid position. Practices will be 6-9 mondays and wednesdays. Any interested candidates should e-mail kenneth.putnam@gmail.com . Hope to hear from you soon. Please list Marching experience and teaching experience in the e-mail. Have a great day!

Blue Devils '09: Bananas In Pajamas could also be any Bridgemen show

Here is the definition of corps: 1. Mil. a. a military organization consisting of officers and enlisted personnel or of officers alone: the U.S. Marine Corps; corps of cadets. b. a military unit of ground combat forces consisting of two or more divisions and other troops. 2. a group of persons associated or acting together: the diplomatic corps; the press corps. 3. Printing. a Continental designation that, preceded by a number, indicates size of type in Didot points of 0.0148 in. (3.8 mm): 14 corps. 4. Obs. corpse. Origin: 1225–75; ME corps, cors < MF < L corpus body; see corpse

Not the whole corps... just the Bass Drummer from 2000. Remember that?

Whats DCP?

I dont know but I am happy that one of my posts finally took off! Im still a rookie though. Im far off of Jeff Ream status. lol

I just wanted to also add to my original post that the audience response was awesome. It was not polite clapping. It was a genuine ovation. Its not a show that makes you jump up at the end like a run and gun cadets ending ( my personal favs ). It has this lingering effect where you feel like you just witnessed something unique and awesome and it takes a while to hit you. Its weird that way. Its kind of like a David Lynch flick in that way. If you have not seen it, I hope you are able to. To all the people who think that this is the direction of drum corps in general, I dont foresee that happening. Its a once in a lifetime show concept that challenges us in unique ways. BD has a habit of changing their direction each year. I would not be concerned. The activity tries to find the next level of design before others so I dont imagine any clones of this style. But, as much as we all think we are experts on here, we are wrong A LOT!!!! hahahahaha