craiga Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I think one could logically say, however, that the Cadets and Boston Crusaders are probably the most "military-inspired" uniforms to this day. In the case of BAC, (which actually wore authentic West Point uniforms in the early 60's) the uniform continues to be a great source of pride. In fact, at move-in, the new members are actually given a class by the drum major(s) on how to treat and wear the uniform....including the rules that girls have their hair "up", guys must not have any facial hair or visible jewelry, everyone's hairline in the back must NOT touch the uniform collar, no smoking, eating, or foul language while in full uniform, etc. While I do not know what the Cadets do, based on the fact that they always look flawless in their uniforms I have to assume that they have the same kind of philosophy. And to these members, these are definitely "uniforms" and not "costumes". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) I think one could logically say, however, that the Cadets and Boston Crusaders are probably the most "military-inspired" uniforms to this day. In the case of BAC, (which actually wore authentic West Point uniforms in the early 60's) the uniform continues to be a great source of pride. In fact, at move-in, the new members are actually given a class by the drum major(s) on how to treat and wear the uniform....including the rules that girls have their hair "up", guys must not have any facial hair or visible jewelry, everyone's hairline in the back must NOT touch the uniform collar, no smoking, eating, or foul language while in full uniform, etc. While I do not know what the Cadets do, based on the fact that they always look flawless in their uniforms I have to assume that they have the same kind of philosophy.And to these members, these are definitely "uniforms" and not "costumes". Well, that's all well and good, and I applaud these units for their attempt to show that guard dancers in tights, or units with guards in halters are " military- like ". The Boston Crusaders and The Cadets ( and several others ) marching member propers have " military- inspired" uniforms. However the " Guard " ( bad term by the way... we need to dump " Guard ) are anyting but " military-inspired uniforms". They could be correctly called " Calvin Klein inspired" or " Armani inspired " or " Vegas or Broadway- inspired ", etc....... but " Military- inspired " ? Please..... nobody that is objective and rational would try and make that case. Edited February 5, 2010 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Good Lord, BRASSO! I was referring to the corps proper!!! NO, I wouldn't imagine anyones guard would be considered "military-inspired" these days.......and certainly not BAC 2009!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cop Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) I think one could logically say, however, that the Cadets and Boston Crusaders are probably the most "military-inspired" uniforms to this day. In the case of BAC, (which actually wore authentic West Point uniforms in the early 60's) Trivia: Madison Scouts wore Authentic West Point cadets as well.. The West Point Academy, passed em to the Scouts. Edited February 5, 2010 by Cop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) Actually, Madison and Boston were both wearing West Point unis during the same general era. I wonder if they ever encountered each other at the same show? Edited February 5, 2010 by craiga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Triva: Madison Scouts wore Authentic West Point cadets as well.. The West Point Academy, passed em to the Scouts. Same for Suncoast in the 80s....tops were a direct donation from the AF Academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedihunter80 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Gee, my humble opinion definitely opened up a can of worms gotta love DCP! . . .when uniforms look closer to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" than West Point, I'd say we've pretty much abandoned anything even quasi-military about the activity.Seriously, if you took off the shakos, you could put the Glassmen to work on the warp core. Haha I agree with you on some of the more modern uniforms, especially the new ones my high school band got But I'd still take unis over costumes any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseyboy Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Hey all, The common "thread" of late on this forum seems to be "change"... While most are talking rule changes and tackling the broader issue of "how drum corps has changed" - or, in some instances, "how drum corps changed me..." I have been approaching my usual isolated and specific dilemma: Uniforms. As most of you know by now, uniforms are my "bread and butter" - My work designing for DCI corps and marching bands around the world in conjunction with Stanbury literally puts a roof over my family's head and food on our table... This line of work has given me the unparalleled opportunity to gain insight into the history and development of musician's uniforms - so much so that I am now questioning their relevance. You can read more about this inquiry HERE... Maybe it's the Mid-Winter wait - perhaps just a passing fancy - but I've recently thought it might be interesting - that is: Controversial, upsetting, anti-establishment, creative - to outfit a corps in individualized, themed outfits - costumes, if you will - rather than centuries-old military uniforms. Again, rationale can be read through the link above... Again, please appreciate the irony of being a full time professional uniform designer - and wanting to do away with traditional uniforms... Ha! Anywho - I selected The Cadets for this little project of mine. They've proven to change the game from time to time ;) and they've established a nice balance between tradition and pushing the envelope... The concept behind these "costumes" is this: "New City Revival" is a show concept intended for The Cadets - It's meant to be a Bernstein-heavy program anyways, but containing elements of early jazz through hip-hop and punk.. The idea is an exploration of the way the New York City music scene influences other arts, visual culture and vice-versa. It's an "e pluribus unum" notion - recognizing a variety of styles that influence audio and visual culture; how they combine, how they conflict, and how they work in synergy to create the A/V/ hybridity of post-modern culture. As with my other "fantasy re-design" projects, these in no way reflect the actual designs for any corps in this or any season - I realize that these would never work in real-life - it's just for fun, OK? It's a work of fiction and needs to be viewed as such! That said, I hope you'll take a momentary break from real-life drama to relax and engage in some visual drum corps fantasy involving a beloved and controversial corps: As always, questions and comments welcomed - And yes, if you're wondering I had a lot of help from recent "J Crew" catalogs... Enjoy! -TGB First , this is NOT an original idea. I heard of this idea being talked about 5 hears ago. second . why the same colors ? you want to give every individual a slightly different look but all colors are the same ? why ??? go to a Broadway play. Are all the colors the same ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 First , this is NOT an original idea. I heard of this idea being talked about 5 hears ago.second . why the same colors ? you want to give every individual a slightly different look but all colors are the same ? why ??? go to a Broadway play. Are all the colors the same ? ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) First , this is NOT an original idea. I heard of this idea being talked about 5 hears ago.second . why the same colors ? you want to give every individual a slightly different look but all colors are the same ? why ??? go to a Broadway play. Are all the colors the same ? The OP's idea has already been somewhat realized in the Cadets' guard uniforms starting way back in 1989, 1990,1994,1995,2000, etc... Check out the individualized aspects of their guard uniforms. I guess he may want this to extend into the whole corps? How about Sky Ryders' 1987 West Side story? That's sort of one step removed from individualized uniforms, but it's getting closer with 3 different corps uniforms and then the guard uniforms. Stars '89 guard uniforms wore highlander and lowlander uniforms. You're right, it's not a new idea, but it's not an idea that has been fully realized in DCI to date. MAybe it could be fun for a season! Edited February 6, 2010 by jjeffeory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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