The idea for Change

[Stu]

This might be a hard pill to swallow, but if I remember correctly, the idea that DCI had to somehow change in order to reach more people and become more entertaining developed around the same time that a group of DCI directors attended both the DCI Atlanta show and the Battle of the Bands at the Georgia Dome. With the DCI show, they had seen the Dome audience only on the concert side of the stadium with the fans giving a few standing ovations at various intervals; however, with The Battle they saw the Dome completely packed to overfill capacity on all sides with fans screaming, dancing, hooping, hollering, and having a grand ole time during each and every performance. Am I wrong on the timing and connection to when all of this "DCI needs to change to reach a larger audience" talk was initiated?

[fsubone]

Well, I think all of this decides on what you consider to be change. DCI has always been changing and evolving. It can all be traced back to the Cavaliers and Madison Scouts in 1971, putting out the theme shows to voice their discontent with the VFW style show, thus leading to the birth of DCI. As time passed since then, DCI has always been changing, whether it's instrumental changes, or design changes, change to stay relevant and alive has always been a driving force in the marching arts. I think the shift towards more audience appreciation has been a product of the last few years more than just one experience. Through the 90s and 2000s, we've seen a shift in shows from the fun and crowd-pandering shows of the past to more cutting-edge, avant-grade shows. Clearly, there are exceptions to this rule, but it has been a shift. And I see this current run of change as the pendulum shifting back. People's tastes are always going to change, so music and DCI need to change to stay with it. It happens all the time in the art world, it happens in the music world, the pendulum is always shifting, so this is just DCI's time to shift.