visualjellyfish

I didn't march the summer in between leaving high school and going to college. But for one, I didn't even know what drum corps really was...and my mentor who led me into the activity knew that I needed another year to grow up in order to be ready for drum corps. Secondly, I had an extra summer...which somehow justifies it for me. Ultimately, as others have said, if you do as much research as possible and simply talk to people, where there's a will there's a way. If there is a scheduling conflict (as far as orientation goes) just talk to the college, tell them you're in a performance group that tours nationally and they'll normally waiver your absence. If you're going into a performance art department it should be a little easier to explain...otherwise, spend more time on what and how you will describe the experience so that they fully understand your commitment. If you're marching drum corps...the administrative "taking care of your ####" part of college that orientation is supposed to teach you is a breeze! B)

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I didn't mean to offend. Just trying to find common ground. :) Ex-Cavies that are teaching in the activity today seem to know what's going on. There are some wonderful instructors coming out of that corps. BUMP

It is interesting to me how you seem to see color guard as this feminine entity on the field. It has become that. Was it more masculine before? I wonder...and has this turn from "masculinity" helped to cause the lesser focus on equipment work? Just some questions. BD dances the jazz technique very well. Jazz can be extremely binding and when I watch them I wonder how much they have worked to encapsulate jazz and equipment techniques into one color guard idea as a WHOLE. (Or if such things are even possible.) I personally feel that jazz teaches form and shape...something that is important...but not holistic. My mentor came from the Cavaliers. Who, on the other hand, teaches pure movement that I think may have not stemmed from any one existing dance technique but perhaps from the necessity for effeciency.

There is still a huge variation from west coast to east coast (and in some cases one may include Texas and the Midwest as their own regions too.) Normally the east coast is heavy on equipment, and HARD CORE in approach. West coast is more laid back in approach but is a major stickler on raising the right hand up (rather than keeping it down) before the catch of a weapon toss. But I definitely understand what you are saying. Perhaps this is also do to the constant switching of guard staffs as of late. The staffs that stay the most constant rule and their technique stays strong...I dunno, just a thought. :) Your post saddens me because a large part of me agrees. There are few teachers in the guard activity that are able to emphasize both (AS IT SHOULD BE) and still get strong dancers who relate their dancing ability to strong equipment work. When I started color guard positioning was key, in fact my mentor still teaches exercises in which all you do is hold the equipment stationary and change hand positions. I agree that color guard today has less focus on precision of equipment work...because whenever I see my sisters who marched back in the day spin, there is an intense longing for stronger hits, tighter, more "together" tosses, and a straight face. A huge part of me longs to march WITH the corps proper. I hope that all of you who marched in color guard back when you still did so with the corps proper understand how jealous some of us younguns are that you were able to do that. There is a gap now between the guard and the rest of the corps for this reason......... But I think that it wasn't necessarily the introduction of dance that caused this per se...but the inability of instructors to explain and demonstrate that both are important. And in fact that they support eachother. The most fundamental tool of magic is the body...and post-modern dance technique today is extremely compatible with color guard. There are just so few who are able to do it, articulate it, and teach it because their training and experience is in either one or the other. :(

I stand corrected, friend. I didn't mean to imply that they didn't emote. In fact, I am very moved by what some of my older brothers and sisters have done...so much to the point where I WISH I could do that today. :) NOTE: Many posts coming up...and many things I wish to discuss...sorry if I fill up the thread. :(

My corps color guard was trained during nine-to-nines in our marching technique and we did have some old school positions as well. It simply wasn't enough for me. I relish in moments like that. :) Oh, no, I know that. I was speaking about what color guard has become. It has evolved from the time color guards were performing slams into something more dramatically emotive...and in order to do this, I believe that more intricate movement vocabulary is necessary (dance.) Yes. I have. I chose to leave my corps last year, because of an injury. As a dance major, I think I have some understanding of how to move my body effeciently...and last summer was not it. The problem is that "guard dance" isn't even firmly rooted in any existing dance techniques. It merely mimics them, and in doing so, leaves out very important guidelines for practicing and performing them correctly and safely. EDIT: for clarification and typos

Color guards emoting began the moment that first guard decided to slice into different planes and add a little bit of fluidity into their work. Ballet dance technique was added later...and for that matter not all that artfully. Dance within drum corps and color guard has become its own form of dance...that has is intentions rooted in formal dance technique...but not so solidly that color guards could be called technically proficient. This is where I think one problem lies. Not only can injuries occur due to incorrect training...but ineffetiveness in performance. I only wish that I could perform high mark time, right shoulders and slams in contemporary drum corps. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. But as a contemporary performer in the activity, I have to accept that I can't "march" like my brothers and sisters in the corps proper, and that I must be able to dance. But I have to stick up for what dance adds to performance value. With a stiff body and face, how far can a color guard go in portraying dismay, anger, joy...and other more complex moods? They color guard's job is to enhance visual performace. We have come far from our roots...but I can't agree that equipment work is all that much more important than the movement of the body in contemporary guards.

I agree with your earlier statements. But I can answer your questions about sabre as a person who loves to spin it. From the box, you can see sabres if they are taped. And the color guard eye can see them from afar when they are not taped (but I defintely see your point!) I know that I spin sabre for the challenge. And truthfully, sabres are just as good of an example of femininity in color guard as flags IMHO (but that's a whole 'nother touchy subject.) Sabres are the other weapon. A piece of equipment with some balls...and the most difficult to master. You can't just muscle it around like a rifle and get away with some points. Your body must look good too...meaning because the sabre is so much thinner and smaller, more of the body is seen...and the body that is seen must look good (and in an ensemble...must be similar.) But to stay on topic...I think we spin sabre and won't give it up because we love it for its challenge and beauty.

IMHO... I feel that color guard has evolved into something more simplistic than guarding the colors. We have become masters of manipulating weight (weight of any given object) in time and space. (We have also become more performance oriented of course...but that's not what I wish to discuss.) "Any object" has had many wonderful manifestations in drum corps (and countless ones in WGI.) Now, I understand how our traditional equipment may seem irrelevent in relation to a show (especially the more contemporary-oriented ones.) But the reason, I believe, why we don't give it up completely and march with abstract shapes that better represent the show... is because we first learn how to maniuplate weight in space and time with those traditional pieces. You master the flag first (wonderfully similar to Malibu's comments): and then the rifle and then the sabre. In my training, once you master those three pieces of equipment, then and only then can you move on to other abstract pieces and be fully successful. This is because the color guard (in the last century or more) has spent so much time with these three pieces that all of our knowledge of the art of weight manipulation is based on them. Translating that knowledge to alternative pieces of equipment is not necessarily difficult to for one person to do. But is difficult to codify, teach and clean. The technique, codification, instruction, and peformance with our traditional pieces has been done effectively for at least a century. We are much more familiar with it. And therefore much less willing to let it go. ...IMHO. Not to mention tradition and GE (as shawn craig said) among hundreds of other reasons I'm sure. :) There are many ways of doing this...I feel that in most shows, the guard is added last (almost like icing) with the exception of of some more avant-garde movements as of late...which have attemped to more fully integrate the guard in the visual ensemble (i.e. the Cavaliers). In my expereince it goes either music selection or visual concept selection first, then simultaneous visual and musical development (of which color guard designers are a part, of course)...and then when the guard can finally come and fully be a part of the corps (late April to May because of the WGI season)...their work is written to the music and design as an aid to the show's main idea. Now this is solely from the humble performer's perspective and definitely up for debate.

bump Please help me out. I asked those questions in order to gain more solitified information from alumni who marched. I wanted information from people outside of my own corps. You don't have to answer all the questions...even answering one or two would be extremely helpful. Thanks. MY

For guidance, I have come up with a few interview questions. Please note that I would like to use any and all information listed in this topic. If you want to be credited (and help me out) please give your information. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can PM me instead. If there is anyone who has given information and does NOT want it used, I would suggest editing it out of your post. These questions are put into categories simply for my own organization. If you are a woman and marched guard but would like to respond to a question I posed to the women who marched horn or drums, please do not hesitate. Same goes for the men. If any of my questions raise other related topics feel free to elaborate and pose questions to others. You do not have to answer all questions! Just any that you want to. Thanks for all the help. 1.) Please state your name, the corps you marched and in which section, and when 2.) If you could give a brief definition of drum corps to me, this would also be helpful. 3.) What, do you feel, was your drum corps most known and recognized for? WOMEN Horns and Drums a. Were your caption heads/directors enthusiastic or reluctant to accept you into this section of the corps? b. How, do you feel, was their sentiment related to the period of time during which you marched? (particularly, the Second Women's Movement of the 1960s) c. If staff/ male members were reluctant, did you feel you had to work harder than the men? Give examples, if possible. d. If staff/male members were accepting, did you still feel as though you had to "prove yourself"? Give examples, if possible. e. Do you feel like your body could have hindered your marching moreso than men? (There are natural differences in the male and female bodies, besides the obvious, that make it more difficult, in general, for women to do many athletic activities.) f. Was there ever a driving force for you of "women CAN do drum corps just as well as/better than men"? If so, how did you go about acheiving this? g. How did you perceieve all-male corps and their unwillingness to permit women? Did this raise political/social/legal issues for you? h. How do you perceive the women who march in the horn and drum sections today in contrast to when you marched? Colorguard a. When you marched, how do you believe your colorguard was perceived by the men in the corps? b. Was there ever a desire, within your group, to make colorguard into a more artistic activity? Why do you believe this happened? c. How have you perceived the evolvement of the colorguard activity from a strictly militaristic role to a more artistic one? (Please modify/elaborate upon my question if it is incorrectly stated.) d. When you marched, was there any moral/feministic protest (either spoken or unspoken) against such masculine/militaristic characteristics of colorguard? e. How did you perceive all-male colorguards (as far as their process and product) in contrast to your own? Did these perceptions raise any political/social/legal issues for you and/or your group? f. How do you perceive the women in colorguard today in contrast to the way it was when you marched? g. How do you perceive the men in colorguard today? MEN a. How did you perceive the women in colorguard when you marched? Reflecting back now, how has that changed, if at all? b. How do you percieve the women who march colorguard today, in contrast? c. How did you perceive the women in the horn/drum sections when you marched? Reflecting back now, how has that changed, if at all? d. How do you perceive the women who march in the horn/drum sections today, in contrast? e. Did you feel as though women had to "prove themselves" either for male approval or simply for themselves? f. Do you feel that women still need to prove themselves in any section today? Thanks again for all help! MY

All of this is great. I'm thinking of designing a series of questions to help further direct the info all of you lovely alum can give me. I'll have it up in a few days! Thanks for everything so far! -MY

This is all wonderful! Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming! ^OO^

I am a dance major at Texas Woman's Univ. and I will be writing a capstone paper about women in the history of drum corps this semester. I was hoping to get as much imput as possible from any and all alumni of the activity. This concerns all areas of drum corps, not just color guard. I would like to know, if applicable, what it felt like (from both genders' perspectives) for women not to be allowed in the horn and drum sections, only in the guard. What was it like to look at all male/all female corps? Is it fair, in your perspective? What did it feel like for the women in color guard back when had more of a militaristic (masculine) overtone? What changes have women seen since the beginning of drum corps? Etc. All perspectives are welcome! Topics and issues are not limited to the above. If any of my above questions are misinformed, feel free to correct me, please. Please keep the conversation clean and construcitve, because I will be drawing some of my research from this topic. If you wish to respond, you can do so within the forum or send me a personal message. If you could please give your name and who you marched with and for how long (for research purposes.) Thanks for any and all help! MY