Cesario steps up as DCI's Artistic Director

[skewerz]

I would say (of course, this is my opinion) that BLOOOOOO basically did a BD show...they just did it in a way that was more "acceptable" to the audience...

you wouldn't see the bluecoats do a show like they did in 2010 10, or even 5 years ago...Bloo wants to win, and they see what's winning, so they adapt it to their style and go with it...

[jaylogan]

Are you saying 11 of the top 12 corps were doing "cookie cutter" shows and were all similar in style?

I can't agree with that at all. I do agree that the Scouts projected their own identity, but so did the Bluecoats, SCV, Phantom, Cavies, and

7 other GREAT drum corps.

If 2011 has as much variety and entertainment value...it's going to be a very good year.

Completely agree with you on everything!

[jjeffeory]

Several of you have talked about the "cookie cutter" shows. I'm curious...which of the top 12 2010 shows would some you label a cookie cutter show?

I found GREAT variety and individualism within DCI last year. When I think of cookie cutter, I think of groups that are trying to COPY the "formula" of the group(s) that WIN. I saw none of the corps trying to be the Blue Devils last year...some would say even the Blue Devils were not the Blue Devils last year.

I think there are cookie cutter elements of every show, including uniform designs, marching styles, and just a generally generic approach to design that makes many of these shows similar. Look at the percussion visuals ( those leans, lunges, and hops) that have been copied from the Blue Devils by many, many corps. Things like this have been true for a while.

Several in my group would joke about the "OBJ" or Obligatory Jam session that many corps would insert into their show that was sort of a rip on the Cavaliers when they did it early in the '00s.

The top 8 is less cookie cutter from one another, if you look at the lower placing corps and take off their uniforms, you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart musically or visually. It seems like that was definitely less of the case in the past.

I'd take the time to give a in depth breakdown, but it would be a waste of time. Many who disagree are just going to disagree with me.

[jjeffeory]

You can see it all over the place in guard work, drum lines, arrangement style, body movement, etc. Do we necessarily want several shows that copy Blue Devils 2010? Do we want one? IMO, last year was TWO too many. It seemed to me that the Scouts were the only corps to break the mold, so to speak.

This.

[jjeffeory]

music selection no. pacing, flow, look at every drum break that looks like a WGI drum break....there's a lot going on out there that is VERY same from corps to corps.

Heh, you nailed it! I thought the drum breaks were all copying BD, but it's WGI that's influencing DCI.

I don't know if that's good or bad.

[Lance]

In what sense? They was no chopcut arranging; I thought it remained pretty faithful to the '75 show.

drum break and tuba pedal was a direct ripoff of things other corps have done in the 00s, particularly bd.

every corps does this, so to me it's not a negative thing at all.

and i know better than to try to convince anybody that music they happen to like is still chopped to pieces....

[Catan]

drum break and tuba pedal was a direct ripoff of things other corps have done in the 00s, particularly bd.

every corps does this, so to me it's not a negative thing at all.

and i know better than to try to convince anybody that music they happen to like is still chopped to pieces....

agreed...I thought the arrangement of rhapsody was quite chopped up. not a bad thing though - still entertaining.

[BRASSO]

The top 8 is less cookie cutter from one another, if you look at the lower placing corps and take off their uniforms, you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart musically or visually.

I agree. The 2010 Santa Clara Vanguard show was nothing like that of ( say ) the 2010 Cadets show. Not in style, form, approach, degree of seriousness or comity of theme, visual, music, guard.... nothing. There was a bigger disparity in these 2 Corps approaches last year than in any found in any other 2 Corps from the lower placing tier. It made it difficult for the judges to compare and contrast such completely dissimilar shows, but they did.

Edited December 12, 2010 by BRASSO

[wallace]

and i know better than to try to convince anybody that music they happen to like is still chopped to pieces....

Of course, I know it was edited, Rhapsody is a 15 minute long piece. However, it still retained the essence of the work unlike what the Devils did to Channel One Suite in 2002.

[BOBSMYTH]

It seems to me like they're taking everything into consideration except the paying customer.

I have to disagree.

After hearing some of Michael's thoughts, I came away with the impression that DCI is trying to do some things toward evolving the way the game is judged. When that happens - if it is done right - it could have a very positive effect on the audience.