oldtimedrummer Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 How have changes in style of the colorguard affected the drum corps activity at large through out the years? IMO, you can point to the influence of WGI regarding the change in the color guard more than drum corps. The bigger change has been in marching band. Way back in the day, most bands had baton twirlers and drill teams. Now, you see mostly color guards because of the influence of Drum Corps. How long before your band director retires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Skyliner Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) I guess you've never been to a retreat or parade these days then. The color guards still guard the colors, just not duringthe show. YES I have been to what you call Retreat and Parades. Yes I have seen them (US Flag Section's) used. In most cases not very well I might add. Saw the Div II World Champions,Raiders in a parade in Wildwood. The person carrying the US Flag at Present arms the whole distance. BUT, we are not talking about those places. We are talking about "ON the Field During a show". DCI Groups DO NOT use an American section. aka Honor Guard. And besides. Why would such Great "Visual Dance Ensembles" want to be called , what they are not. Edited February 2, 2008 by LucysSkylinerAlumni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Skyliner Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Although i do not watch guards that often either....i find the 'original' colorguards boring...and i'm personally glad they do what they do today, it's more interesting, more demanding, and...and...I'm going to run and hide before i get flamed, lol. Nothing wrong with likeing what they do today. What they (VDE) do is VERY PROFFESIONAL. Very much of the Highest Quality. Helps bring a show alive! "I just do not call them Color Guards" They are a DANCE Team, with props. Edited February 2, 2008 by LucysSkylinerAlumni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BST07 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Here is my opinion on the matter. Drum corps is still, and always will be drum corps. Just because it has changed and progressed does not make it different. This is a bit of a stretch but , look at video games in the 80s then look at them today. The ones of today are much more complex and generally much more entertaining, but they are the same basic idea/concept. You could say this with a number of different sports/activities, that was just the one that made the most sense in my head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToferVis Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Nothing wrong with likeing what they do today. What they (VDE) do is VERY PROFFESIONAL. Very much of the Highest Quality. Helps bring a show alive! "I just do not call them Color Guards" They are a DANCE Team, with props. This comment strikes a nerve, but it may just be a wording difference.... a 'Dance team" like the ones i see at colleges and show bands, is in NO way even close to what colorguards in corps do today...i'm not really harping on you because i realize your definition of dance team may vary from mine, so no worries, just stating my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambando Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I just couldnt work with a director who chose words like "artsy fartsy" to back up his arguments :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowncontramom Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) IMO, you can point to the influence of WGI regarding the change in the color guard more than drum corps. The bigger change has been in marching band. Way back in the day, most bands had baton twirlers and drill teams. Now, you see mostly color guards because of the influence of Drum Corps. How long before your band director retires? Interestingly, more and more, color guards are doing tricks with their rifles and sabres that are exactly what baton twirlers do with batons-- whether in a marching band or a drum corps. Drillman's trick with his rifle is a prime example. :) Edited February 2, 2008 by Crowncontramom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Drum corps "honor guards" were just bastardized military honor guards; not quite military, not quite pageantry. I'm glad they've moved on. There was no guarding of the colors in the way that one might describe a REAL color guard; it was still a showy version of military guards and we (the drill community) frown collectively on what's referred to as "exhibition" color guard routines (national colors + spinning). No matter how liberal a drillman, it's generally considered VERY disrespectful to the flag. REAL color guard: http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/pho...F-0261M-165.jpg Military-style Exhibition Drill: http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/pho...F-0261M-165.jpg At the end, a color guard presents the National colors. The riflemen do not spin. Edited February 2, 2008 by DrillmanSop06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Search YouTube for JROTC/ROTC military drill teams. These units are what is left of "old school" color guards. Marching around in uniforms, spinning, doing exchanges.EDIT: I do that stuff independently (fully weighted, demilitarized weapon) as seen in my avatar. Yeah, you guys are studs! LOVE the Marine commercial featuring the silent drill squad. Of course, we all know those guys aren't allowed to appear on television, so that's actually the Texas A&M (whoop!) freshman drill squad. I didn't know that, actually. If I got it wrong, flame Medeabrass--he told me, he told me! Yes i mean 60's and 70s....although to me it took until mid to late 90s to finally pretty much fully develop into today Early- to mid-90's is when the "old school" and "contemporary" meshed, IMO. There was just enough equipment work to entertain those who love that aspect, and just enough of the experimentation with dance and movement so as to please fans of that aspect. Today's 'colorguards' do, indeed, appear different. VERY good as others have mentioned, just different. Notice how well-received something so simple as an ensemble spin (Crown's horsey race) was? And a good toss still elicits a roar from the crowd! I would think that designers would take this into consideration. Oh well. IMO, you can point to the influence of WGI regarding the change in the color guard more than drum corps. The bigger change has been in marching band. Way back in the day, most bands had baton twirlers and drill teams. Now, you see mostly color guards because of the influence of Drum Corps. How long before your band director retires? I hope someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in...but I believe that Newman Smith High School in the Dallas area has done away with the traditional dance team in favor of a beefed-up 'colorguard.' Pretty impressive when I saw their rehearsal a couple years ago. Director kept referring to them as 'Troyans,' the name I remembered for the dance team. But there they were with silks and weapons during MB practice. Incredible! Now THAT's what needed to go!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Funny you should mention that; the Texas A&M drill team (all "fish" or rooks) also played the MC Silent Drill Platoon in the movie "A Few Good Men". My good friend is currently their soloist. Haha! In my college band, our color guard is referred to as the "flag corps". Talk about old school! Of course, for lack of talent, we haven't had a baton twirler in a few years. The stuff baton spinners do is absolutely nuts. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after watching some short clips from their world championship competition. Dance intensive but much more spin intensive. I enjoy the theatric element that modern guards bring to drum corps. The demands on that particular section in terms of performance are so high compared to the rest of a corps. In fact, the idea that all corps guards are the way they are really makes the activity as a whole special when compared with high school bands, some of which are still stuck in the past (drill teams, batons, majorettes, etc.). :D EDIT: When I saw my first "old school" drum corps (Troopers), I was baffled by the guard; they were doing the same sort of synchronized spinning and exchange sequences that we did on my high school JROTC drill team. It was actually really awesome to see that the two share a common ancestor. The split really happened when the military aspect was no longer needed. The hallmark of military exhibition drill is its strict adherence to strong military bearing and intense precision. This is nearly the mirror opposite of guards today. Edited February 2, 2008 by DrillmanSop06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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