PureRockFury Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 FANTASTIC review Sayre Kulp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 good stuff Sayre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeromeyBush Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Great review. Don't be afraid to voice your opinions. That's when the terrorists win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O.P. Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinions and thoughts. After this I will no longer be posting reviews. It is hard to have a skin tough enough for this. Everyone wants to hear the good stuff, but anything critical is taken personally. I feel like in my attempts to toe that line this year, I have managed to do little more than #### a lot of people off. It's one thing to have a nameless, faceless screen name disagree with your critique, but it's something different entirely when people you know feel it necessary to make an ### out of you in public in front of family and friends simply because they don't agree with your opinions. I still firmly believe that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion and shouldn't have to defend it against anyone. However, I feel that the "everyone was great" reviews are the only way to avoid controversy and it's just not in me to do that. Therefore, I'll be keeping my opinions to myself as best as I can from now on. That doesn't solve the problem. Keep your reviews coming and let the debate continue. People need to hear that not all people share their view on their favorite corps. Too many people believe there is an absolute truth out there somewhere, often labeling good opinions as "politics" or "getting screwed." Pity it is that more folks don't embrace the discussion and learn to debate in a healthy, educating manner. Constructive criticism should be healthy for us all in this activity, and we just might benefit from it in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasgroh Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinions and thoughts. After this I will no longer be posting reviews. It is hard to have a skin tough enough for this. Everyone wants to hear the good stuff, but anything critical is taken personally. I feel like in my attempts to toe that line this year, I have managed to do little more than #### a lot of people off. It's one thing to have a nameless, faceless screen name disagree with your critique, but it's something different entirely when people you know feel it necessary to make an ### out of you in public in front of family and friends simply because they don't agree with your opinions. I still firmly believe that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion and shouldn't have to defend it against anyone. However, I feel that the "everyone was great" reviews are the only way to avoid controversy and it's just not in me to do that. Therefore, I'll be keeping my opinions to myself as best as I can from now on. ...I enjoyed your review, Sayer. Have a second thought before retreating...you just need a new layer of journalistic skin. The internet, with all its benefits, has also made it easier to criticize and berate. Stay on the high road, I'm sure the great majority of readers respect your input... cg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkman Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Thank you Sayre on your review on Dream... It's been a downer for me, not having made finals... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayre Kulp Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Yeah, it just gets old after a while. The part that gets to me more than anything is that I don't think I ever made personal attacks or implied that I was some all-knowing resource. All I've ever tried to convey is my personal thoughts and opinions based on my observations. When a reviewer says something like "the judges must be crazy", it's not an attack on the credentials of the judges; just an exclamation that my opinion differs greatly. There isn't a single corps out there that isn't doing a whole bunch of really nice things. I find that it's more useful to readers to pick out good things in the lower tier corps and maybe look for the "chinks in the armor" on the higher placing corps. It gives readers something to look for. Finding mistakes in the the 23rd place corps isn't that tough. And naming every single achievement of the first place corps could take all night. I thought maybe by exposing a few things to look for at both ends, it could allow fans to see things they may other wise miss and draw their own conclusions. I'm not, nor have I ever been, anti-Reading, anti-Fusion, anti-Bush, anti-anybody. Maybe I'm more critical of the corps that I have the opportunity to see almost every week, but that's about as far as it goes. Seriously. Why would I root against the Bucs? I've been an active participant with the alumni corps for the better part of the past two decades! I guess I just don't understand the hostility. I get that people are passionate about their corps. And if I were a staff member, I'd probably want to jump to defend my guys if someone gave them a harsh review. But I've always tried to be fair, rather than offensive. I think the worst thing I said about the winning corps was basically that they were good, but I did not believe them to be untouchable. I don't see how that's so bad. I'm sorry for ranting & venting a little bit here, but it is really frustrating. No one NEEDS to do this. Those of us who review shows spend OUR money to get into the shows, OUR time driving to PA, NJ, CT, NY, etc., OUR time organizing our thoughts & notes and writing the reviews, all so that OTHER PEOPLE get an idea of what's going on out there without having to make the drive or spend the money themselves. And we do it for FREE! We do this because we're passionate about the activity. Besides... if you are a corps director, staff member, marcher, etc., what the hell difference does it make what some nobody like me posts about your show on the internet? Is it going to change your score? influence the judges? sell more or less tickets? I doubt it. If anything, a little controversy on the web may actually convince more people to go to shows. I'm not sure, but the stadium didn't seem near as full this year as in past years. And frankly most of the shows I attended this year didn't either. The shows people wanted to go to were the ones that had the potential for drama or maybe a chance of an upset. Like I said, I'm not going to suddenly drink the KoolAid and accept everything that the judges tell me. And neither should anyone else. They're not infallible either! YES, their job is a tough one, and YES they are very good at what they do. But in an activity with subjective judging, nothing is an exact science. Your opinion is just as valid as my opinion and any of the judges out there. I just figure that if I keep my opinions to myself, maybe I won't have a half-dozen marchers & staff members seek me out to give me ####. Frankly, it just isn't worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Kirby Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Cincinnati Tradition - These guys made their first trip as a full corps to DCA this year and I was excited to be able to see them. They had a great feel for the Latin show they presented and "One More Time, Chuck Corea" really made me miss marching this season. They perform with a TON of passion. My only complaint would be that I'd like to see them move more. However, the fact that they didn't try to cover the entire field allowed them the stamina to really max out a tough musical book, and as a fan, I could appreciate that more. Thanks for the notes on movement! That is exactly the kind of feedback I think all corps value, or at least they should, even if supporters whine and moan. Thanks also for your other remarks. If we entertained, we won! I'm completely not a visual person, so could you amplify a little if you have time? For instance, we had some segments where a portion of the corps marched at one-half tempo or one-third tempo while the remainder of the corps marched at straight time. Do you think that this feels to the spectator like a block of stop-time instead of a block of motion? Any other remarks you think might inform us? Regarding people jumping your case, I don't know what to say. What is the point of griping at people giving of their time to offer your corps feedback? You either think it is valid and therefore valuable or you don't. You do what makes sense for you, but I valued this review. Thanks, Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayre Kulp Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Thanks for the notes on movement! That is exactly the kind of feedback I think all corps value, or at least they should, even if supporters whine and moan. Thanks also for your other remarks. If we entertained, we won!I'm completely not a visual person, so could you amplify a little if you have time? For instance, we had some segments where a portion of the corps marched at one-half tempo or one-third tempo while the remainder of the corps marched at straight time. Do you think that this feels to the spectator like a block of stop-time instead of a block of motion? Any other remarks you think might inform us? Regarding people jumping your case, I don't know what to say. What is the point of griping at people giving of their time to offer your corps feedback? You either think it is valid and therefore valuable or you don't. You do what makes sense for you, but I valued this review. Thanks, Robert There's a big difference between limited movement and no movement. I know I zeroed in on "One More Time" because it's one of my all-time favorites and there was a good chunk of time that the majority of the hornline was pulled up front, stage right and parked to play. In a ballad, limited movement isn't so noticeable, but in a fast paced tune like that, the longer you stand still, the more it feels like you're there forever. If it were me writing drill to that for a smaller hornline, I'd probably try to do something where the step sizes are relatively small (so you're not huffing all over the place) but utilize contrary motion (groups marching in opposite directions) to give the appearance of higher velocity than what is actually being done. That could add the appearance of high-speed marching without killing your stamina and consequently affecting the sound. Hope that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayre Kulp Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Thank you Sayre on your review on Dream...It's been a downer for me, not having made finals... I said it about two other corps too - any other year... I wish there was some way to get the CA corps another score closer to Championships. Hard to say, but a better seeding position maybe could have helped that show score a little closer to the next group up. Still, I think the placement was about right. Nothing to be down about though. Anyone who watched Prelims would likely agree that this was BY FAR the toughest field of Class A corps in DCA History. No doubt about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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