Mr. Know it all

And let's not forget the user's advisory that the FDA tattooed on Sebastienne's backside during his first season as a choreographer/designer: WARNING: May cause drowsiness, irritability. Do not attempt to operate heavy machinery or unlicensed home depilation devices within a 12 miles radius of this man.

Oh, my stars...!!! Shirley Whitcomb must be throwing sixes in her grave. Oh, wait - Shirley's still alive. (Why do I keep making that mistake...???)

Stoneman Douglas seems to be experiencing some growing pains as a result of the directorial changes that have taken place this year. They'll work it out, though. They have a historically strong program and they'll rebound. They just need a little bit of time to settle-in to their new surroundings. This type of thing is fairly common when a program goes through major changes. It's just a natural part of the process. I didn't see their prelim performance, but I guess they had a particularly rough run. Even so, 74 does seem to be a bit on the low side - especially when they scored a 77 two weeks earlier at the Tampa Regional. But it's water under the bridge, now. I actually kinda liked some of the stylistic choices that were made in their show this year. Initially, I wasn't sure how much I could get into a show about greed and money and all that stuff. But by the end of the season, the total package had some interesting touches in it that I rally appreciated. I definitely give them props for working their show right up 'till their final performance.

I, too, am completely bewildered by the way you capitalized J.M. and S.W. in this discussion about "pre-judging instructions" and any role they might have played during this year's WGI Finals. Whatever in the world is one to discern from that...???

EXCELLENCE IN SOUNDTRACK SELECTION: Trumbull High School The vocal track from Puccini's opera, Gianni Schicchi, that was used in their production of "Aurora" was absolutely mesmerizing. If the aurora borealis had a voice, it would sound like this. It was so beautifully lush and rhapsodic. I wanted to hear another 45 minutes of it. A perfect choice for Trumbull's lovely program.

Another one from Scholastic World: OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE: I absolutely LOVED the way Choctawhatchee featured and incorporated their talented dancers. Beautiful. Someone in the Florida panhandle is really on the ball when it comes to teaching dance technique AND interpreting it for this activity. I think they had six young ladies who didn't touch a single piece of traditional equipment during the show. Rather, they were focused entirely on the dance/body/movement aspect of presenting the performance. And they were wonderful. The choreography added such a nice layer of emotional and visual depth to their show that was built around the bittersweet, on-screen love affairs of Hollywood's Golden era. LOVED it...!!!

Sebastienne, Sebastienne, Sebastienne. His delusions of grandeur continue to bloat at the same rate as his waistline. 1.) It's true: this year, he actually thought he had a legitimate shot at joining the Zydeco program. Thank Heavens Byron Valentine extended the restraining order that he and numerous other directors took out against Sebastienne at the end of the '08 season. 2.) Also, Mr. St. Jacques insists that he was Sacred Heart's original choice for their "Tina Turner" featured dance soloist. In an odd attempt to prove this claim, Sebastienne produced for the WGI steering committee a handful of crumpled-up credit card receipts for at least two dozen pairs of Size 13 patent leather pumps from "Big Gals Pay Less." 3.) And Sebastienne claims emphatically that he was approached by both Michael Townsend and Rosie Miller to "consult" on all of their 2009 programs. Upon hearing this statement, Mr. Townsend and Ms. Miller rushed - and I do mean RUSHED - to join the aforementioned restraining order initiated at the end of the '08 season, bringing the total of directors participating in the court order to 56. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I worry that maybe it's time once again that Sebastienne's medications need to be reviewed by a psychiatric professional or perhaps by a veterinarian.

BEST 'GET THE CROWD GOING' MOMENTS: INDEPENDENT WORLD Diamante: Pairs rifle work My jaw both dropped and bounced when I saw this two-person move: A guy tosses a rifle, one of the girls leaps into his arms and then SHE makes the catch. And I think four "couples" do this move. Absolutely genius. Diamonte showed us SO MANY new ways to handle equipment. What a terrific program they delivered...!!! Braddock: Death-defying weapons work 1.) Their daredevil saber specialist is PHENOMENAL. I'm really surprised that he didn't lose a weapon or two up in the UD ceiling somewhere. He's constantly throwing that thing as high as it can be thrown. And he never misses ANYTHING. Ever. He's a quintessential showman, too. Every release and catch has body accents, facial expression - you name it. Renew his contract for another ten years, please...!!! 2.) Toward the very end of the show they have a couple of guys who execute several HUGE tricks all in a row and one of them is a rifle guy who throws what must be, God, maybe a 10 and does a somersault underneath it. Jeez Louise...!!! And he had the nerve to make a rock-solid catch and then smile at the crowd like it was the easiest thing in the world. Lordy. It really was terrific edge of your seat stuff. Premonition: More good, clean fun for the whole family 1.) Of course, the Double Rifle Diva brought the house down - AGAIN. She's just the best. What an amazing performer. When she pops out of the magician's cabinet toward the end of the show and she starts workin' her way toward the front line, filppin' flapjacks with both hands - all of UD Arena went absolutely MENTAL. They loved it. They couldn't get enough. Every guard needs a superstar like her. 2.) And her double-rifle work was the perfect set-up for the guy who did a front somersault under one of the higest rifle tosses of the competition. And by the way, HE NAILED IT...!!! I'm surprised that half of Premonition didn't get knocked over by the wave of cheering and clapping for that guy.

BEST 'GET THE CROWD GOING' MOMENTS: SCHOLASTIC WORLD Warren Central: The double fast rifle spinning/running section WOW...!!! When the rifle line started double-time spinning and ran around for the first rotation, I was like, "Cool." When they did it the second time, I was like, "That's REALLY cool...!!!" When the did it the third time, I was like, "Oh, my GOD...!!!" And when the did it the fourth time....??? I came unglued. I screamed bloody murder and I literally could feel myself rising out of my seat with excitement. Hands down, THAT was one of the best things I saw ALL WEEK. Period. Those ladies ROCKED their ENTIRE SHOW. Flanagan: They get two votes 1.) The triple turn saber catch from the back corner...??? Holy jumpin' up and down...!!! I'm calling this move a "triple" turn but it very well could have been a four or five or six 'cuz that young lady CRANKS IT AROUND like nobody's business. 2.) The "sliding into home" move under the mega rifle toss. How cool was that...!!! In Prelims, the "sliding" person didn't make it quite as far under the guy tossing the rifle as she usually does. But in finals, someone must have greased that section of Flanagan's tarp because she was all the way under and beyond at the moment he caught that sky high toss. Bada BING, badda BANG...!!!

FAVORITE FLAG DESIGN: The flags used by Marian Catholic in their Gold Medal SO program, "Fallen" How gorgeous were the deconstructed/frayed silks that hinted at angel wings...??? Absolutely beautiful. And I loved the subtle color shift from the off-white flags to the pure white flags that were used in the closing moments. In a word, they were "heavenly." As a result of the effectiveness of this interesting design, I think we're going to see more "textured" flags incorporated in future shows.

I can't reveal my source, but "friends of the WGI community" have indicated that as a result of his brilliant and daring performance in the lobby of the Dayton Marriott, Sebastienne St. Jacques is being reassigned to a little known and seldom assigned class established long ago by WGI. In 2010, look for Sebastienne St. Jacques to be promoted to IB. That's "Independent Banned" class. Also promoted to IB status are all current and future alumni of The Sebastienne St. Jacques School of Dance, friends and family of Sebastienne St. Jacques and any person whose name contains "Sebastienne" "St." or "Jacques." (WGI is taking no chances from here on out.)

I mentioned this in another thread, but it's worth mentioning again in this one. Freedom High School from Orlando, the Silver Medalist in SO last year, was promoted and made Finals in SW. At the beginning of the season, I really thought that they might have been in a little bit over their head. I thought that maybe this was another example of a group being promoted before their time had arrived. By the end of the season, however, Freedom was right there in the thick of things for a spot in SW Finals. And they earned one - and rightfully so. But you know what...??? Making finals didn't just "happen." It took a LOT OF HARD WORK. Specifically, it took a lot of SCHOLASTIC WORLD LEVEL hard work. Just be clear, I'm not implying that other groups that were promoted didn't work hard. I know that's not the case. Every group puts in a tremendous amount of work. But in the case of Freedom, they could have easily looked at their scores form February and decided that maybe they didn't have what it took to be in SW this year and that maybe they didn't have what it took to qualify for finals. But you know what, they DIDN'T do that. They didn't get discouraged. They didn't let numbers and placement shut them down. Instead, they just kept on cranking it out right up to the end and THEY MADE IT HAPPEN. I just want to make sure that the accomplishments of this talented program doesn't go unnoticed in the whole "promotion" debate. Congratulations, Freedom High School, on a job VERY well done. We'll be looking for you next year...!!! :)

<------- Straight for the featured dancer/saber from SCV and the Double Rifle Diva from Premonition. And Sebastienne St. Jacques' fabulous ensemble that was debuted at the Dayton Marriott...??? It's Tommy Keenum for the Band Hall, naturally. (Mr. Keenum assures us that it's a one-of-a-kind creation...!!!)

I agree with everything that's been said so far. (Told ya we had an AMAZING bunch of shows in Dayton this year...!!!) A couple more from my list: SCHOLASTIC WORLD: Avon's show from beginning to end. INDEPENDENT WORLD: Amachi's show from beginning to end. I could watch both of those programs on a continuous loop and never get tired of either one. Ever. In vastly different ways, each of those performances was as close to perfection as I've ever seen. I feel EXTREMELY fortunate for having the opportunity to see them live.

She was WONDERFUL, wasn't she...??? And her vocals (and guitar playing) were integrated into the show in just the right way. LOVED it.

BEST USE OF HIGH HEELS: Sacred heart Perfect way to end that show. Clearly, a lot of people saw this performance at prelims because toward the end of their finals show, you could hear people whispering all through the stands, "She's gettin' the shoes....!!!"

During the three days of 2009 WGI Finals, countless discussions have started with variations on the phrase "Can you believe that ____________ ???" Well, I've participated in and overheard so many of those conversations that, frankly, I'm exhausted. If I hear one more person mention Amachi, I might need professional therapy AND medication. (For the record, I'm firmly and permanently on the PRO-Amachi side of the debate...!!!) So now, I'd like to return the focus to the AMAZING PERFORMANCES we saw this year. Talk about setting new standards for this activity - holy guacamole...!!! From Scholastic A all the way up to Independent World, I was overwhelmed by the shows that I saw this year. Literally, I had goose bumps multiple times while watching finals. And THAT is the ultimate gauge of something being delivered EXACTLY RIGHT, regardless of how the final numbers and placings play out. Remember, this activity is about the performers, the shows and the audiences that get to experience them. I hereby invite everyone to share their personal "Best of WGI 2009" moments. Let's hear 'em ALL...!!!

Bias or not, it's easy for anyone to see that this talented group of performers note only rose the occasion of being promoted into SW class but also rose to the occasion of competing at WGI Finals with some of the best scholastic guards in the entire country. I had the opportunity to see this guard perform three times while they were in Dayton and each show - while slightly different - was solid, solid, solid all the way through. They OWNED that show. Well done, Freedom High School...!!! And how great is it that the State of Florida now has yet ANOTHER scholastic guard that can deliver a performance worthy of a Top 15 placement in their class finals. (I'm already eager to see Freedom's 2010 program...!!!) :)

Ya know, a lot of people feel the same way about sequins speaking to the essence of Sebastienne. And the people who say that are mostly right. However, NOTHING says Sebastienne St. Jacques like his preferred breakfast of two bags of sour cream and onion potato chips and a Faygo grape pop. And to think that he was never featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."

Sebastienne also holds the unique distinction of realizing all of the original choreography for "Blade Runner" and "The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps." And while his name isn't mentioned specifically anywhere in the credits, I can see Sebastienne's artistic fingerprints can be found all over this landmark performance: If only Sebastienne could use his powers for good and not for evil. (sigh...)

You know, many people have mentioned that in person, Sebastienne St. Jacques emanates a "Mrs. Peele meets Lucretia Borges" vibe. I never would have guessed how right those people were.

I preface my response by stating that the following show is my favorite show of the shows that I've seen IN PERSON this season. When I watch a show on medium-quality digital video, broadcast on a 6 inch media player, well, I'm never quite sure that I can tell what's going on, much less whether not not I actually like it. So, that being the case, I'd have to say that my favorite show of the season is: TIE Northeast Independent and Tarpon Springs I've already gushed about these two groups in the Tampa Regional review, so I'll control myself here. :) (But they're both AMAZING shows...!!!)

My vote for "Year of the___________" goes to: Random guard members running across the performance space, seemingly for no reason and with even less effect. I don't even know HOW many times I saw this move on Sunday at the Tampa Power Regional. But it was staged in nearly identical manner every time. It goes something like this: Just out of the blue - and with no musical moment to justify it - someone will run, run, run from far stage right allllll the way over to far stage left. Or from the back line to the front line. Or in a complete circle around the entire ensemble. This performer will usually do something upon arrival, like, an odd, freeform "dance" solo for about 8 counts. Sometimes this person then will run BACK to the starting place. I have no idea how this peculiar move became so commonplace or why it's perceived as being effective - or even interesting - visually. I guess that's just not a moment that I'm meant to understand. :)

Yeah, I got my wires totally crisscrossed on that one. Mea Culpa. I'd been jotting brief little notes about each guard in a steno pad. But the stands started getting really crowded. So, I put my notebook away. That'll learn me, won't it. :)

Whoops...!!! Even the good ones can make a mistake from time to time. Guess that's my faux pas for the year. I'll fix my review. (And thanks for pointing that out...!!!) :)