LadyInRed/Blue Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 What about this: One tarp serves all. Put a plain tarp on the floor at the beginning of the show to protect the floor. All the units use it, and none of them have to carry around what usually ends up to be the bulkiest and hardest to manage piece of equipment they have. But you have to think, what if one of the unit's flags or uni's happen to clash w/ the floor, they might actually lose some of their effect (i doubt this would happen but think red on blue, it just hurts to look at). Plus part of the fun of WG is getting the mat on and off the floor, or running around trying to con other guards/alumni [ ] in to helping you. So you want to elimate dance? So then it would (in turn) eliminate all the under-work dance stuff, or atleast it wouldnt be done very well. Ive been in guard for going on 6 years now but i didnt take dance ballet lessons untill i got in to corps b/c i didnt need them untill then (2 years ago). I can feel a difference in my spinning, performing, i feel more confidant....almost everything changed, because i started dancing more. I spin smother, i actually stop looking at the floor/field, it has made me better all around. Now unless youre planning on getting a bunch of naturally gifted dancers good luck with the no dancing thing. I used to hate dance block, or anytime dance would be in the show, untill i learned how to dance well. We all know how hard exchanges and stuff like that are [not being sarcastic....i mean this with all my heart...they scare the crap out of me] but now a days they are seen as "tricks". A gift of emoting well is that the auidence can actually feel what you're feeling.....*psst* i think thats part of GE now :ramd: alright everyone lets bust out the sequins, rhinestone, and lame flags! sorry if im being harsh, but i've been around colorguard since 1983 (my dads a band director) and i like guard the way it is. Give me china silk, spandex and a pilates book please :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerFi Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 (edited) I wonder then, how I stopped looking at the floor and field without dance...actually that's how we were taught from the beginning, not to look at your equipment, floor, etc. You were supposed to look at and through the judges, people in the stands, GE box. That's what gave us such an intense look. I guess what works for one and was non-existent to another is very different. I suppose dance could take your mind off of a lot of things though couldn't it? Just asking here.... :) Edited May 7, 2003 by LancerFi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBrancheau Posted May 7, 2003 Author Share Posted May 7, 2003 So you want to elimate dance? So then it would (in turn) eliminate all the under-work dance stuff, or atleast it wouldnt be done very well. Ive been in guard for going on 6 years now but i didnt take dance ballet lessons untill i got in to corps b/c i didnt need them untill then (2 years ago). I can feel a difference in my spinning, performing, i feel more confidant....almost everything changed, because i started dancing more. I spin smother, i actually stop looking at the floor/field, it has made me better all around. Now unless youre planning on getting a bunch of naturally gifted dancers good luck with the no dancing thing. I used to hate dance block, or anytime dance would be in the show, untill i learned how to dance well.We all know how hard exchanges and stuff like that are [not being sarcastic....i mean this with all my heart...they scare the crap out of me] but now a days they are seen as "tricks". A gift of emoting well is that the auidence can actually feel what you're feeling.....*psst* i think thats part of GE now :ramd: alright everyone lets bust out the sequins, rhinestone, and lame flags! sorry if im being harsh, but i've been around colorguard since 1983 (my dads a band director) and i like guard the way it is. Give me china silk, spandex and a pilates book please :P Well, the equipment work isn't being done well currently...and the dance technique is not good either. Why not? How about a "neutral" tarp? Like a photo backdrop, blue or grey or tan. Something neutral. I was told that the reason tarps got used was to hide the mascot on the basketball floor. I never thought of that... I'm with Nancy here...we were taught to use peripheral vision for alignment, visual cues and to look "through" the audience and judges. If you worry about the audience and judges, you'll psych yourself out. I always fixed on a point on the wall, above the audience and kept that point. Tricks are ALWAYS good! They are like the "high" notes in corps. What would corps be without the sops? And a sop solo or duet is just awesome! That's the same with tricks. The emoting to the audience can also be done via equipment work. Some of the most exquisite equipment work I've seen (87 Phantom and 87 Cadets) was done with VERY little dance (solo dancers excepted), which captured perfectly the emotion of the music. I'm not saying eliminate dance...I just think it's gotten seriously out of hand. alright everyone lets bust out the sequins, rhinestone, and lame flags! sorry if im being harsh, but i've been around colorguard since 1983 (my dads a band director) and i like guard the way it is. Ooo...trash flash! Haven't seen it since 1983...it's kind of dated, isn't it? B) *gasp* that's "old guard", isn't it? Don't see much lame and sequins in winter guard...everyone's in black, emoting and sashaying across the floor. :::sarcasm off::: They weren't dancing too much in 1983...I know...I was in college guard then. We were still doing equipment work and not emoting to the crowd. We didn't have to...the equipment work did it for us. Oh, and we did have lame flags "back then"...just so you know that it was invented before the 1990s. Sequins and rhinestones were invented before the 1990s, also. Most of this was written tongue-in-cheek...so please don't take too much offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malibu Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 We all know how hard exchanges and stuff like that are [not being sarcastic....i mean this with all my heart...they scare the crap out of me] but now a days they are seen as "tricks". alright everyone lets bust out the sequins, rhinestone, and lame flags! sorry if im being harsh, but i've been around colorguard since 1983 (my dads a band director) and i like guard the way it is. Give me china silk, spandex and a pilates book please :P Umm...when I think of the word "trick" I think of someone pulling a rabbit out of a hat! Yes, I loved the exchanges and duet work from long ago. I heard recently that a lot of those "trick moves" are on their way back......we'll see.....in the mean time, I'll put in some "trick moves" for my fall guard. As far as "Lame" flags........I think they are slowing coming back to some degree as well. Take a look at some of the DCI top 12 guards last year. I personally like China Silk but will intergrate some Lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBrancheau Posted May 7, 2003 Author Share Posted May 7, 2003 Hey Malibu: I saw that you omitted spandex from what you'll integrate into your guard... What are you, chicken? b**bs Just kidding ya! Good luck with your guard this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerFi Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 Many guards should get a Pilates machine or at least a Pilates tape. Mr. Pilates invented that over 100 years ago....so then old is good? :P Just kidding with you. Glad you're doing the correct thing with your body. If you're going to dance, it should be better than what we've been seeing....stretch that body out, make it lean, and stand up straight and tall and add 1 or 2 inches to it.... As far as making yourself more confident with equipment work thru dance, I guess whatever works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBrancheau Posted May 7, 2003 Author Share Posted May 7, 2003 Nancy, you're just so GRACIOUS! *sigh* I'll never grow up to be like you. I am all for dance as a form of warm up...it does a body good (like milk!). Helps limber up joints and muscles and adds to fluidity of motion. And, like I said, I don't want to eliminate dance completely from guard shows, just mostly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malibu Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 Hey Malibu:I saw that you omitted spandex from what you'll integrate into your guard... What are you, chicken? b**bs Just kidding ya! Good luck with your guard this year! Oh....did I miss talking about Spandex? Nooooo, not chicken here. If the unis has spandex material and is gorgeous, then I might consider it. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerFi Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 Nancy, you're just so GRACIOUS! *sigh* I'll never grow up to be like you. I am all for dance as a form of warm up...it does a body good (like milk!). Helps limber up joints and muscles and adds to fluidity of motion. And, like I said, I don't want to eliminate dance completely from guard shows, just mostly. Sally, not as gracious as you might think....mostly a facade.... You're very kind as well! But don't kid yourself about me, I'm hard core militant "Queen" Nancy as I've been called many, many times in the past 30 years, among other things. Screw me once shame on you, screw me twice shame on me! Having said that, loyal to a fault, which is not so good for some people!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deftguy Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 Ive been in guard for going on 6 years now but i didnt take dance ballet lessons untill i got in to corps b/c i didnt need them untill then (2 years ago). I can feel a difference in my spinning, performing, i feel more confidant....almost everything changed, because i started dancing more. I spin smother, i actually stop looking at the floor/field, it has made me better all around. I am going to be a real New Yorker here. (In my best bronx accent) How in the heck can dance improve equipment handling? The two work off of two different concepts. Thats like saying I took up cooking and that made me a better sabre. Or I took up pole vaulting and it made me a better flag. Or this is even better, I took up wood carving and it made me a better rifle. When you dance, the body is the center of focus. When you are handling equipment, the equipment is the center of focus. I was taught to never look anywhere except right through the audience with an arrogant look(I was particularly good at this when I saw myself on the DVD's). Looking at the ground or your equipment was out. If taking dance helped your self esteem, that is one thing. But to say it made you better at equipment handling is like stretching a rubber band from L.A. to New York. In other words, that is QUITE a stretch. If you want to be better at equipment handling, you have to practice with the equipment more. You don't get better at playing the piano by taking a typing class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.