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sneakypete

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  1. Perhaps other corps would want to go join the drum corps west circuit -- Pioneer would retrace the Lewis and Clark trail and relocate out in Oregon and the Phantom Regiment would follow them but in taking a short cut over the Sierra Nevadas their food truck would break down at Donner's Pass and we'd never hear from them again.
  2. The reason we boo is because we know no one is listening to us any other way. We know that dci and the show designers take us for granted. We know they don't really care what we think. We know that the designers and judges look at this activity as art for art's sake and that the audience needs to sit down and shut up and appreciate it. This is a simple grass roots uprising against the direction Hopkins wants to move the activity. I'm glad we booed from the stands last night. It's the only way to send them a message. And I agree with the other posters -- these musicians are not kids. They are serious musicians who are headed into college - they can take it. For all of the people who are hurt and agnered by fans booing, I'm sure you'll have the same opionion towards the leftist protesters at the next Republican presidential convention, right?
  3. it seems that the only thing narration contributes is to change the paradigm - so instead of drum corps meaning music and visual it now becomes music, visual and.... the spoken work? Ok, you're performing Lincoln Portrait and you've booked James Earl Jones for the summer - that would work.... but other than that type of narration, all I can see narration contributing to the art form know as drum corps is allowing corps to incorporate narration into their shows so they can become something like really neat show choirs? or really big poetry slams?
  4. great shots - do the Blue Stars take their helmets off during their show or did they just not wear them?
  5. what I'm interested in is the impact the organizational structure has with the product on the field. from reading other Madison topics I gather that there was some sort of shake up at the top of the organization and the leadership team from last year was asked to leave (?) So a totally new leadership group comes in and it takes awhile for the systems to get worked out -- I think what effects groups the most when there is instability at the top of the organization is member turn over due to instructors not being with the program any longer -- is this part of what happened last year after the shake up? Were there a lot of members who left when certain instructors left? Where is Madison getting most of their talent? Local high schools? Or do most of the members follow instructors with whom they have personal friendships and connections? These are just questions from a new drum corps fan -- it seems to me that successful corps have stability in their key leadership and design positions -- how are corps able to retain their design and instructional staff? Just pay them a lot of money and have them sign non competes?
  6. I would be curious what the percentage of kids from the immediate La Crosse area is and what the percentage of kids from out side the "coolie region (?) " is. The horn line sounds so mature - are these "kids from God's country" local talent or is the hornline made up of music majors from around the country like most top 12 corps hornlines.
  7. Wow! Blue Stars sound smoking on that field pass clip on dci's web site!!! They've beaten Academy two nights in a row -- looks like they have the vehicle to get them to Saturday night -- like they say --- The end crowns the work
  8. I'm sure others have made this comparison in the past - but in my opinion drum corps can not be considered a sport the way other artistic /thletic activities can be considered sports -- ie gymnastics -- In gymnastics it is understood that the primary audience is the judge and there is a very structured, finite number of athletic/artistic executables available to the performer. If they put their routine together and perform it nicely we can say one performer was better than another performer. In drum corps the artistic variations are infinite - these artistic expressions are supposed to be measured by a judge. The stakes are too high to not design carefully and specifically to the judges artistic tastes and preferences. So you can see that the real audience that matters to the survival of a drum corps is the judge.
  9. Piper - I'm not being elitist when I say drum corps is an art form. ask the designers and judges if what they are working on and criticizing is an art form or not. Ask the boards who are spending thousands on show designs if it's an art form or not. As much as some would like to think this activity is no longer tradition-based -- it's creativity-based. The higher the creativity the higher the art form. SnPt an arts booster
  10. I think this topic has been thoroughly discussed at other times and to me it seems that old school fans have a nostalgic connection to the art form as it was at earlier times. The music, styles etc -- they were more crowd accessible in earlier years. But because the art form has to evolve and change each year the music and styles of earlier times are left behind. Pure, dynamic art must always be free to innovate, evolve and change. When the art form becomes static it is no longer pure art but stylized folk art -- take bluegrass music for example. Bluegrass music is very structured. New bluegrass musicians emulate the earlier musicians and play their music. The latest generation of bluegrass musicians might write new bluegrass music but it is going to be within the expected structure and form of bluegrass music. If the new generation of musicians choose to go outside those set boundaries they are purposely leaving bluegrass and moving into another genre. I think when the artists and judges began to look at drum corps as more than just drum corps but began to look at drum corps as a pure art form - an art form with potential for innovation in all areas -- that's when drum corps changed from being a stylized/structured entertainment art form intended to delight the audiences and became a pure art form similar to modern dance or modern art -- where the opinion of the general audience is not the priority - but the opinion of the educated critic (ie, music educators and judges) and other artists takes precedence. SnPt an arts booster
  11. Maybe red plumes would help -- the colt's red plumes and helmet are arresting!!! b**bs The 1/2~n~1/2 right shoe reminds me of bowling shoes.... SnPt an arts booster
  12. how can people to deny that the choice comment is about anything *but* moral issues? Mr. Hopkins has chosen to use that inflammatory comment because he understands the power of language. If you deny that the creative staff is choosing to use very emotional/evocative language you are underestimating the ability and motive of the creative staff to grab their listener's attention. Art is supposed to cause the viewer to think. What the creative staff at the cadets have done is attempt take their art form to the next level. They chose to use a controversial statement because they knew it would get a reaction. The cadets show is an effective propaganda tool for leftist dogma. I would encourage Mr. Hopkins to share this with the Democratic party. The narration with clips of video from the show would make great propaganda advertising for the 08 election. Clinton/Obama 08 "This I Believe" SnPt an arts booster
  13. What amazes me is that there are families out there that can afford to send their kid to several corps in quest of a championship. Is this a great country or what? Parents can afford to spend thousands on giving their kids a great drum corps experience! SnPt an arts booster
  14. Great shirt -- I just ordered 3 --- zazzle is super easy to use --- thanks for the great design! While I agree that the anti narration shirt is not in good taste and is not sporting, I think we would all agree that the Cadets would be the first to agree that it is the individuals prerogative to choose to voice their opinion in the manner they want to. 1st amendment is a good thing. SnPt an arts booster
  15. Rather - I am new to this drum corps thing -- but from my reading here on the forum and from my experience in other areas of the art world this Mr. Hopkins fellow sounds like a most remarkable creative director -- he sounds to me rather like a typical director of a successful dance company -- dedicated, clear vision, innovative - ect - I guess being a lightening rod for criticism goes with the territory -- With this narration thing though I agree with others -- detracts from the music and visual -- the text being read is too cliche -- the narrators sound annoyingly adenoidal -- I'm not really interested in hearing someone's pompous pontification on their personal pet peeves <**> SnPt Arts Booster
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