New "Inside the Arc" column from Frank Dorritie

[fecontra]

Last year the PR was that the Cavaliers creative team took a trip to LOS to tailor their show to the dome to maximize it's potential ( and supposedly a few other corps )

What happened?

Worst part here for me is that it appears that DCI WANTS THE ROOF CLOSED AS A MATTER OF CHOICE

[euponitone]

Last year the PR was that the Cavaliers creative team took a trip to LOS to tailor their show to the dome to maximize it's potential ( and supposedly a few other corps )

What happened?

Well, they did do a show about caverns.....and echos. Seems pretty fitting to me.

[Jeff Ream]

Last year the PR was that the Cavaliers creative team took a trip to LOS to tailor their show to the dome to maximize it's potential ( and supposedly a few other corps )

What happened?

Worst part here for me is that it appears that DCI WANTS THE ROOF CLOSED AS A MATTER OF CHOICE

the roof was out of DCI's control.

[Abbevillekid26]

[fifer]

the roof was out of DCI's control.

That is not correct. While they had to live within the stadium's rules (roof closed if there is a threat of rain), DCI did have control over whether or not the roof was opened. Further, DCI asked the corps directors whether or not they wanted the roof opened on Saturday night and the popular vote was to keep it closed since they were concerned what the open roof would do to the large drapes (might flop around in any breeze and cause noise/distraction) and how any wind through the open roof would affect the color guards. Since the directors had no experience with what the open roof would do (how any wind would pass through the building), they decided to keep it closed since that is what they had lived with for the past two nights.

[fecontra]

Pure speculation - only trying LOS with the roof open will prove or disprove anything

[perc2100]

So they added all these things (synths and junk) to allow the design teams of corps to be ‘more creative’ and now they suggest corps tailor their shows to the acoustical dynamic of the Oily Echo Dome, narrowing their palette and limiting creativity?

OK

Nice philosophical 180

So that quip about overwriting, that’s irony, right? Just like comment about you would not like drum corps in a desert is a joke because the Oily Echo Dome is a desert, little to no precipitation

I don't 'get it'

1. The DCI Board approved of electronics, synths, etc. to give designers freedom to design anything they want.

2. DCI decided to move to LOS on a long-term basis due to financial considerations

Two totally different reasons for two totally different situations. DCI show designers have been designing their shows tailored to wherever finals is held (that's why seeing Blue Devils in a small HS stadium you will not get nearly the same/full effect as seeing them in a large college or pro stadium). Obviously having finals in a dome is quite a bit of an adjustment, but DCI has been having shows in domes now for, what, nearly a decade? I know having Finals indoors vs. two or three regionals is different. But this is not a new phenomena. Besides, as mentioned before, DCI is at LOS for financial reasons.

** FOR THE RECORD:

I did not go to Finals last year, and I have no idea what the Indy Championship week experience was like. Personally I would much rather see Championships outdoors, and I would MUCH rather have DCI go on a rotating basis to give us West Coasters another shot at Championships. But I understand that DCI has to do what they have to do to be financially stable. Obviously the gamble will be if DCI saves enough money to compensate for potentially lower attendance/ticket money.