mjoakes
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Posts posted by mjoakes
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There's a foot or knee twist that everyone seems to be doing. It's not just a Bluecoats thing. Watching video of the last few years of finals during December holidays, I remember thinking that small move must be a requirement or something. Like presenting the colors used to be.
The prance + smile of a guard member. Really respect what they do. But after a great toss and spin, that obligatory smile to the crowd makes me feel like I am at a circus.
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June 22 in Indy. Then Evansville and Muncie. Then seeing how things have progressed at Minneapolis and San Antonio. Then trying to hear the music during finals week at LOS in between the nacho crunches.
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1 hour ago, tesmusic said:
I'll say this...I've spent some time at camps, and I think you're completely correct. Granted, I'm a super fan when it comes to Madison, as an alum, so my opinion may not be respected on the subject due to that.
That being said, I think the 2016 corps was very talented, and I truly loved the show, but there were design issues that many in the judging community could not get past that led to them being 13th in 2016.
I believe 2017 will shock and surprise people in the best of ways, and that the corps will come back with a vengeance.
Once again, I predict this will be true because I want it to be.
More seriously, it's great to hear from tesmusic (and another poster or two?) when they reference hearing some of the music or visiting the Madison camp. Tidbits of evidence to get excited about.
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Several weeks ago, I finished Building the Green Machine: Don Warren and Sixty Years With the World Champion Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. (Here at Amazon.)
It's a nice read, full of history and background not just on the Cavaliers, but on early drum corps developments generally. Of course it is Cavalier-centric, however, and rich with Cavalier traditions and the sense of brotherhood that corps inspires. Alumni profess their genuinely life-changing experiences marching with the corps.
I wonder, though, is there something in the drum corps experience that differentiates it from other intense group experiences during those late teen years. For example, is the comradery in drum corps something different from what guys might experience on a high school baseball team battling successfully through early summer conference tournaments, sectionals, regionals, and state championships?
Drum corps participation appears to help develop teamwork skills, leadership, and self-discipline. In addition to the specific musical and artistic talent. Is there something else that is unique to the experience? Is there a connection between drum corps participation and later professional development that is tough to find in other activities?
Not at all trying to diminish the drum corps experience. With respect to later professional (or maybe, even personal development), I wonder if there is something specific to point to in drum corps that likely can't be matched by other experiences.
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1 hour ago, BRASSO said:
Anybody know on this Cavaliers thread the timeline when we might hear about their 2017 Theme & Music.
And Uniforms... anything we should know about any anticipated uniform changes we might see this summer ? Anything major or minor on the uniform front that we might see from the Cavaliers ?
Have wanted to ask this question for a month. But it seems like the kind of direct inquiry that only a Yoda-like figure (Thanks, BRASSO) can ask.
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6 hours ago, xandandl said:
I don't believe I said that at all but rather that folks would probably be out seeing the corps practice.
{I don't drink, never had due to diabetes and a familial liver problem, so I personally steer away from cocktail parties and alcohol oriented activities. As i have buried family members, students and friends killed by drunk drivers I also steer away from others while they are drinking as I haven't buried the feelings about those I had to bury.} Others may do what they want.
Since "proof" seems to be the direction of this thread of late, please provide it if I said otherwise. Thanks.
The link to the post is below. You commented, They're bad enough when they are sober. Haven't you been reading these threads????
I remembered it as funny, xandandl. And didn't mean the reference to it here as criticism. (Though I might have bothered to look it up before the recent post.) As more time has passed, I now think of it as both funny and poignant.
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This looks like a pretty safe prediction, based on a casual viewing of history, warping out three years:
- 2017 - Blue Devils #1
- 2018 - Blue Devils #1
- 2019 - Someone else #1
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4 hours ago, BoaDci said:
Last prediction of the year, in no way am i trying to underrate corps. Keep in mind these are just my predictions and my opinions.
1. bd
2. scv
3. cadets
4. bloo
5. cavies
6. crown
7. bac
8. scouts
9. bk
10. blue stars
11. pr
12. crossmen
13. colts
14. troop
15. bdb
16. academy
17. mandarins
18. oregon crusaders
19. pacific crest
20. vanguard cadets
A good set of predictions. For the entirely sensible reasons that I like where you placed my favorite corps and because I am not especially enamored of The Academy. (Loved their 2016 show, however.)
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34 minutes ago, tesmusic said:
At any rate, I do believe that 2017 will be a strong year for the corps from a design and performance standpoint.
I don't need any confirming evidence or proof. I will happily accept this as true. Very much looking Forward - see how I worked that word in here? - to a great summer from the Scouts.
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1 hour ago, BRASSO said:
Even when factual data is demanded to " provide proof ", and then " the proof " is provided, a few posters on here then get mad that " the proof " was then posted as was demanded ( lol!) Some people are just NEVER happy ( haha!)
As for " guessing something might have happened " as was said above, there is no " proof needed ". But a couple of posters aren't apparently satisfied with THAT reply either . So yes, the board DOES tend to get " very quiet " when " proof is demanded " from a poster or two when guesswork and mere opinions are expressed from other posters ( haha!)
Yep. But one reason why I like forums (here and elsewhere) is for perspectives and ways of thinking from others. Even if I think the critical thinking is a weak. Which is a nice way of saying, even when I think some perspectives are silly.
Some forum topics suggest a need for facts and evidence more than others. But even those things are way open for debate and interpretation.
Early in posting life at DCP, I wondered if DCP forums people ever meet up for a cocktail hour during finals week. xandandl responded with something like I must be crazy. (Apologies that I didn't trace back to the post.) I better understand that comment now. And that is haha.
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9 hours ago, 2000Cadet said:
This is all conjecturing unless there is actual proof of this. That the example of George Dixon spoke negatively of the show name on a forum, does not mean the entire alum of Cadets is a monolithic force. We can go back and forth all we want with this, but unless we get the information DIRECTLY FROM THE SOURCE, we have no way of knowing what his motivation behind that show title was, other than what he already said; we cannot conclude he did it for controversy because we don't know what was in his mind.
I feel for you in the issue at hand. Really. But if conjecture is off the table, and if proof or direct-from-source info is required, then these forum will grow very quiet.
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My mid-September notice on the Super 3 package says tickets for this package will be mailed out by end January. So I think there is an early deadline for the Super 3 - Sep or Oct 1? - and it isn't offered now. (But I haven't received my tickets. Should I be surprised DCI doesn't get that right?)
A couple of mild tips:
- Spend the money to stay downtown near Lucas Oil. It's convenient, there is much to do, and you and the family will feel part of something.
- For Prelims and Semifinals, go early to see the first corps and stay to the last. Obviously, many of the early corps at Prelims are not in contention for the final 12, but they are still much fun to watch and hear. And the members in them work as hard as the members performing finals night.
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10 hours ago, xandandl said:
By volunteering, you become that listening ear of opportunity that allows the other volunteers and alums to spout those stories of BITD. You become the bridge builder and conduit for the MMs to bond with those alums who might be distracted from the many chores at hand while they share the experiences for which the MMs are so eager and the alums so well relish. You become the instrument for the corps' history past to come alive to the present corps and to become born again for those who previously lived it. You serve an important role for the corps' future as you also experience phenomenal people, young and old, and help build great memories for MMs and audiences alike.
You, sir, have a lot to give.
Thanks for the nice thoughts, xandandl. I'll think more seriously about jumping in. Madison's camp at Trafalgar is only about 45 minutes away.
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The "clash" idea just doesn't seem to work. More than that, it's unrealistic - targeting in advance a season-long competitive tug-of-war between just two corps. Following two corps and contrasting their strategies, personalities, experiences, and performances seems fine and interesting enough. And if that were the case, it could be any two corps of interest - BD and The Academy; SCV and Cavies; Crown and Scouts. Etc. Plenty of contrasting story lines no matter who they choose.
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6 hours ago, DrumManTx said:
I guess. I'm not saying they have a special privelage just I'd feel a bit out of place.
Probably sounds really dumb, wish some were closer to me and I'd probably have just gone for it by now.
I hear ya. I didn't march in 1970s because I couldn't afford not to work summers. Now, however, the age and some greater flexibility in time and resources mean I can recharge my interest in drum corps. And I possibly have some professional experiences that matter. But yeah, there is a bit of who am I to volunteer when I can't tell war stories from the 1979 tour.
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Cool idea. Sorry I can't contribute. But good luck. And great for starting this thread, since it sent me to some memorable 27th photos. And I remembered: Crown Imperial!
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This is fun. Sort of. Why do so many people assume their own preferences and reactions to things must then be projected as true more generally to the larger population?
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3 hours ago, xandandl said:
Because DCI involves humans, and humans think/feel/live not as robots but as multi-layered beings in a complex world, there will continue to be overlaps of entertainment, politics, belief systems, and interpretations whether real, imagined or imposed.
This. So be tolerant and give people some space to explore, think, and express. Even if you don't agree with everything.
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7 hours ago, msesq said:
Good news from Madison . . .
http://www.madisonscoutslive.com/mainsite/2017/02/announcing-forward-performing-arts/
I agree. Wonder that it might have been a tough decision. Surely some emotion involved, appeals to tradition, the angst of change. But I'm impressed. Moving toward a smart, visionary, contemporary, sustainable organization is a great way to honor Scouts tradition and legacies.
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3 hours ago, tesmusic said:
Had that corps not put that show out, we might not have the Madison Scouts. People can criticize it all they want, but those boys kept it going. It took a great deal of character and courage to be part of the 2007 corps.
If it doesn't take the thread too far off course, can someone provide some background on the Scouts in 2007? I don't follow this at all.
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6 minutes ago, cowtown said:
In the print copy they had an this as an insert to the main story, a bit on the David Byrne Color Guard Show, mentions winter guard too
Thanks for thinking to post this. Nice heads up for something on iTunes or Netflix.
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21 minutes ago, Newseditor44 said:
I've often thought it would be interesting to make scores accumulative throughout the year. Have 20 shows designated as "DCI Championships" shows, take all 20 scores and average them (throwing out the best and worst scores) and using those to determine the champion.
Interesting idea. It's something that an independent person/group/org could do. Just to make public the info and see what it might reveal.
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- BD
- Crown
- SCV
- Bluecoats
- Cavaliers
- Cadets
- Madison
- Phantom
- Blue Knights
- Blue Stars
- The Academy
- Boston
- I’m trying to work through my BD issues.
- Another clean, simple, but powerful show.
- The entire corps (including pit) will do the bottle dance.
- Using only holograms and no live mms on the field will be startling, but they will score high on GE.
- Just because.
- Grudgingly even this, after the statue mess.
- Because a good office pool lineup needs something bold and unexpected. Plus, I am encouraged by some excitement in the Madison thread.
- Genuinely sorry about this.
- Still a little put off by that lamp lady floating aimlessly around the field. (But also still really liked the music!)
- They just seem nice and 9-10-11 ish.
- More something-different strategy to boost my odds. They’re sort of like Gonzaga (NCAA) of several years ago.
- Was going to be Crossmen, but (a) 2016 prop karma will hurt Crossmen chances, just as it will for Cadets and Blue Knights, and (b) I am fearful of pushing too hard on the BAC fans here on DCP.
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What Show Design Tropes Make You Cringe?
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Not sure I am honoring "trope," but here is another element that has become pretty cliche. And of course, cliche for me, anyway: the whole corp starting or finishing lying down. Okay, so Santa Clara V did it pretty well last year.