OleMissRebel Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 This is a really dumb idea and really a dumb thread which says a lot about me cause i'm posting in it. Why are we even having the conversation. Useless.....the rifles are fine and being a brass player I don't pay that much attention to the guard but when I do its because of awesome rifle tosses. Dumb idea. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 ...It is not about violence or being politically correct.... it is just that what the #### do guns have to do with say Turandot, set in 12th century China? It isn't a bit strange that guns are put into a piece set hundreds of years before the gun was even invented? ... Got to correct you on something..."Turandot" is set in the 12th Century Persian Empire. Rifles are no less relevant to the Persian Empire as is having the characters sing in Italian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko the Wonder Llama Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 It is not about violence or being politically correct.... it is just that what the #### do guns have to do with say Turandot, set in 12th century China? It isn't a bit strange that guns are put into a piece set hundreds of years before the gun was even invented? Wasn't it the Chinese who invented gunpowder in the first place? (And, coincidentally, the gun as well.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rifuarian Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Except for the occasional high toss I probably wouldn't notice if weapons work disappeared entirely. I always found that the flags added the most to a show, far more than weapons or dancing which aren't always very effective from high in the stands. But what my guard friends tell me is that rifles are difficult to replace because an entire school of technique has developed around this particular piece of equipment so it is very difficult to find a workable replacement. I don't really think of the guard side of things as being very resistant to change, so it seems to me like factors other than tradition are working to keep the vaguely rifle-shaped block of wood in use. Now I'm not a guard person at all so that could be wrong. You can find funny - and not so funny - little traditions enduring in most any performance art. In ballet en pointe technique can be brutal on the body (just ask my sister) yet it's kept around mostly unchanged because, well . . . just because that's the way it's done. Drum corps is hardly unique in this regard. Edited February 4, 2013 by Rifuarian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I quit reading at page 19 and skipped to the end. What conclusions concerning rifles did you guys come up with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) I quit reading at page 19 and skipped to the end. What conclusions concerning rifles did you guys come up with? Overwhelming, people here believe that rifles in Drum Corps should continue to be tossed in the air, not tossed out. Edited February 4, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueorginal Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 who needs a rifle just spin..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I quit reading at page 19 and skipped to the end. What conclusions concerning rifles did you guys come up with? In summary: DanielRay is confused by symbolism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Dancing around with guns and swords is equally strange and makes absolutely no sense in the context of modern drum corps. Drum corps complete with marching, flags, uniforms, majors, and a battery is born out of military tradition, so I don't see why you find one particular aspect of that tradition more problematic than the rest. In any case, plenty of other military elements have fallen out of favor in modern drum corps for one reason or another. Lots of corps have left out rifles and sabres in the past. But they are de rigeur in most shows these days. I'd take that as evidence that they provide something that the designers, members, and audience appreciate in the activity. If your objection is just over the glorification of violence and firearms in American culture, well... drum corps is probably not the first place I would look if I wanted to start changing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Overwhelming, people here believe that rifles in Drum Corps should continue to be tossed in the air, not tossed out. I do see Daniel's point which was posited on the initial page....this is the target audience he is speaking about... Whenever I show drum corps to anyone that is completely unfamiliar with the activity... He is not talking about those of us already immersed in the activity. He is talking about making DCI something with wider appeal to attract those not "in the know". Even uniforms these days are an anachronism that we all know and love, but they make little sense to an outsider...Surf "School's Out" and Elvis shows come to mind as great examples of shows where the corps costuming was tied to the overall show. Again, he is talking about attracting total newbies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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