Suncoast 88, Magic 90

A follow up months later, as I posted today elsewhere on this site: With what is going on in Ukraine, I humbly suggest watching Suncoast Sound 1988, "Symphonic Dances for the Contemporary Child." By Suncoast 88, Magic 90, 1 hour ago in DCI World Class Corps Discussion Suncoast 88, Magic 90 Posted 1 hour ago It was a show that tried in 12 minutes to deal with the roots of war from childhood on. The biggest creators of the show were Robert Smith, composer, and Karl Lowe, Color Guard and more. A lot of the other staff did drill and such that were amazing too! It was 1988 and showed still fear of the then Soviet Union, ultra-nationalism of other countries, nuclear war, and memory of the Vietnam War that were alive for all of us who were in Suncoast then. The show isn't perfect but there was a special pride for many of us to have been a part of a DCI piece that dared to be different and have a message.

It was a show that tried in 12 minutes to deal with the roots of war from childhood on. The biggest creators of the show were Robert Smith, composer, and Karl Lowe, Color Guard and more. A lot of the other staff did drill and such that were amazing too! It was 1988 and showed still fear of the then Soviet Union, ultra-nationalism of other countries, nuclear war, and memory of the Vietnam War that were alive for all of us who were in Suncoast then. The show isn't perfect but there was a special pride for many of us to have been a part of a DCI piece that dared to be different and have a message.

Oh, thanks. I just replied to another not remembering which year on another post. Michael Boo is correct about all the "call backs" years before of Suncoast 88. I think, that in part, explains this deep loyalty at the time the entire corps and staff felt about the 88 show along with pride in Smith's composition and Karl's color guard. Michael Boo--I remember we all looked to his assestments back in the day!

Yes, The Wall was in a previous Suncoast Sound show (was it 84 or 86? I don't remember because it was before my time). I was shown a video of it before we all in 88 starting rehearsing and still creating it. I recall a young girl having a bit of what I did. However, for 88, Karl was going going to have a boy to my part (which was more expansive than that earlier show). As well, my recollection is that I was the second mostly just a dancer in a DCI troupe. The closest predecessor to me of mostly dancing throughout was a wonderful dancer with then Garlfield/Cadets of Bergen County (do I have that right?) in the 87 show. He went on to dance with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre in NYC. Nice young man. He came around during the 88 tour and we felt a kinship in our place in DCI (and I loved that corps and the staff I ended up knowing pretty well).

A factoid about the 88 Suncoast Sound show. At some point we were in the Wash. DC area for a competition. We had a "free day" in DC. If memory serves me correct, a part of the corps performed near the Vietnam War memorial, The Wall. The Wall was a key part of Symphonic Dances of the Contemporary Child (sadly during the KC finals one segment didn't go up correctly but don't blame anyone because this show was very intense with equipment, costumes, props etc.!). Anyway, we all went down to The Wall in DC to see it for what we had been portraying for half a summer. I got a bit emotional because during tour, I had been, as you can see on video, looking and responding to the Suncoast Sound "Wall" on the football field for over a month! I already had felt a bit a emotional then about that part of the show because I had a father who served in the Vietnam War (and grandparents and relatives in WW2 and other wars), but seeing the actual Wall, all the names inscribed on it, teared me up. So, feeling really guilty, I then picked up a few flowers that folks had left at The Wall's bottom in memoriam and put them in a bag I was carrying and hoped I wasn't descreting anything (and few in my corps knew I had done this). You see, I was already dancing with fake cemetery flowers as choreographed to pick up in the SC show at The Wall, and I figured that these real flowers at the actual memorial would be discarded anyway. So yep, I took a few and put them in that fake bouquet in order that these fallen soldiers would be honored in a way over and over again thru many shows Suncoast Sound would go on to do. At the KC Finals, those are in that bouquet and which I and the rest of the corps honored.

Thank you Continental for this note. I truly loved my totally unexpected venture into DCI. What wonders DCI can be and, wow, memories that are now over 30 years ago!

I just saw that someone posted the show on Youtube recently. OMG it makes me wince to watch my dancing but it reminded me of the difficulties of 1) trying to dance through such long distances of space, 2) doing so in flimsy ballet slippers, 3) hit all my marks on time with the rest of the corps, 4) the wind was against me throwing up and catching that darn ball throughout the entire show (not just the end of it as I mentioned above), and more. The real stars of the show were the guard and musicians!!!

Thank you for your kind words. I ended up in Suncoast 88 because of George whom I had worked with strictly as a ballet dancer for a couple of Christmas shows in Dallas, Texas (and got paid!) that also featured former members of Karl's Odyssey winterguard (I had seen a video of the innovative '87 show I think it was). He gave me a call from Florida and asked me if would I be interested in being a part of the 88 show: A young boy was supposed to have done my part but that fell through. I knew nothing about drum and bugle corps/DCI. There wasn't internet to look up stuff, so I flew to Florida with so much ignorance that I called the corps a "marching band"--I was, of course, swiftly informed of the differences! 😅 So many things to say but here are a few. What was really challenging for me was trying to dance in the immense space of a football field (as well as on all varying ground conditions from field to field) instead of in a small theatre stage with decent flooring! Karl would take me through where he wanted me to be on a specific count (OMG, I think at one point in the show, he wanted me on a count of 42 to hit my mark--I never counted music like that). As well, while he gave me some particular moves to make, for other parts he left it up to me to choreograph my own steps and moves: Same thing for Magic 90, Fantasia, and in that one I wore pointe shoes. LOL, try doing that on grass, grass/dirt or slippery astroturf perched on your toes! Anyway, I so loved my time in DCI and will feel forever thankful for all the support the Suncoast staff, corps members, other corps's folks, fans and everyone else gave me!

Hi, I was in the Suncoast '88 color guard, and I literally was the "contemporary child," soloist dancer (you know, the "little girl" in a sailor suit dress and hat?). I don't know if anyone will see this so many years after this thread was posted, but yes, it was Karl Lowe, along with George Sellers (as well as I think on that staff Kevin and Deena and sorry I don't remember their last names!), who was the designer and choreographer of the guard for Symphonic Dances for the Contemporary Child. Karl was a genius. It was so extraordinary for me that I was asked to do the part even though I never threw a rifle or flag (and notice if you see a video, I don't). It was something magical touring that summer and to open and close the show alone on a football field--nothing I'd ever experienced before or after. More so, I so admired the rest of the guard who did some really intense guard work (that last long rifle toss/catch during Kansas City finals was a OMG moment!). Finally, everyone in Suncoast, guard and muscians, was so dedicated to the original music by Robert Smith and original concept dreamt by him, Karl and others on staff. So, you can imagine how very emotional it was to do this show. A show that in a mere 12 minutes tried to not only be completely original in composition but also make a message about children and how the seeds of hatred implanted start wars. On a lighter note, during finals, as I recall, at the end when I was dancing again with the "globe of earth" ball alone on the football field (with the corps on the sides), a gust of wind blew the ball and I improvised my reaction to it! For DCI folks interested, I was also the dance soloist for 1990's Magic (Suncoast staff back again), Fantasia. In the end, I only wish is that I danced better because everyone was so nice and very artistic in Suncoast/Magic and it was such a privilege for me to have experienced DCI.