Jump to content

2012 Independent World Prelims: A Primer


MiamiNight

Recommended Posts

So I’ve watched every group on the Fan Network, except for Lake Erie Regiment and Aimachi. I’m assuming Aimachi makes finals in the top 10, because they’ve been drawn into that group. This is my take on the whole group from top to bottom – please enjoy.

(Again, biased views included – take with grain of salt. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. )

Round 1:

Light Brigade (6:00 PM) – It’s Light Brigade. Fantastic tricks, but small guard. Actually, considering the group took last season off, I think it’s a pretty decent show to come back with. Unfortunately, they take the same Peter Gabriel “In your eyes” that SCV and others are using. I know you’ll struggle to make it to finals on-time, but it’s worth it for this show.

Etude (6:10 PM) – Using Tori Amos’ “Silent All These Years” and boxes, Etude continues in their second year in world class. I like their flags in the middle section of their show, but as a whole, the show is just… a little lacking. The show is shorter, especially when compared to the marathons of the upper echelon of world class. In my opinion, it’s a very mature open class show.

Lake Erie Regiment (6:20 PM) – Not on the Fan Network. The real question is how this group affects the later groups. Orlando Visual and Diamante are both in the hunt for finals, but going on after L.E.R. doesn’t give a good basis of comparison. Unfortunately, L.E.R. in this spot might pull down the scores for this round by judges trying to leave room at the top.

Orlando Visual (6:30 PM) – “It’s a Man’s World” – This show has grown on me, but I still don’t think I really like the show. As a friend mentioned to me, it’s hard to take serious any group with a pink floor. The split guy/girl guard is cool, and I think visually it’s used well. On the other hand, the props are not useful, and I don’t think they add to the show. They also create an enclosed space by walling off the sides, which makes this group appear cramped and cluttered. 36 members and 18 huge portrait-like props are a lot on a gym floor. I like the weapon book, and it’s a great first statement from the boys, IF it’s clean. I’m looking forward to what they bring in Dayton, and I’m wondering if they squeak into finals. They sit in 15th going in – can they fend off Diamante and Emanon? (P.S. – can someone explain why they use “OTV/OVT”?).

Diamante (6:40 PM) – Uh, what? This group is very tribal, sporting bald heads and earth tones. The props and movement also suggest primeval. I think this group is performing what they are given, and the tosses are sky high. But what’s the “zing” factor besides the tosses? The other thing is that the music doesn’t build, develop or grow. The show draws us in, but then just leaves us there. Diamante sits just one spot out of finals, but have to push past Orlando Visual and hold off Emanon. Thankfully, OV goes on right before them, giving the judges a head-to-head comparison. May the best group take it.

Imbue (6:50 PM) – “Interior”. Another shorter program, Imbue comes to WGI looking to capture the same magic of Opus 10 last year and Fantasia the year before to make Top 7. With a household setting, I think its Imbue’s strong ensemble sections that give them that “umph”. That said, it’s a small guard, and ensemble sections, while powerful and interesting, don’t seem to give the same World Class intensity that I see from other groups. Whereas most groups have lots to look at and take in, Imbue doesn’t seem to have the same “I see something new every time I watch.” Kudos to the weapons and strong performers, because the show doesn’t allow for any person to hide. But to me, the group loses a little depth with the straightforward show.

Blessed Sacrament (7:00 PM) – Can a world class guard be considered cute and adorable? “O-Zone” from Sac looks at the emotions from the Wizard of Oz (for those of you who didn’t get the show yet, ooooohhh is the appropriate response). From the preshow to the work to the floor and costumes, I love this show. Is the floor a little cluttered? Possibly – they have a large guard and people have to go somewhere. But I think the show sells itself. Sac is reaching for a medal, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to grab third (Onyx and SCV seem to be locks). Whatever their final standing, Sac took the fun parts of last year and transformed them into a whole whimsical show. While Zydeco took a serious look at Oz, Sac is fun and I look forward to seeing them.

Pride of Cincinnati (7:10 PM) – Another contender for that final medalist spot, Pride’s Christianity show amazes me. Michael Gaines has some master staging, and the work is phenomenal. But the best part is that the show is the intellectual part. Pride asks you to consider whether there is a God or isn’t one, and uses the voices and imagery of Christianity to great effect. I think the props are some of the best in World Class. This show is memorable, but is it enough for 3rd?

Fantasia (7:20 PM) – “That show”. First off, boo. Fantasia’s request to remove themselves from the Fan Network was in poor taste, and has left a sour taste in my mouth all season. The chatter is they changed their show, and removed the offensive parts. But the design decision from the start was poor. If it was in poor taste and WGI strong-armed them into taking the video down, WGI deserves the fault and blame for not taking responsibility. If Fantasia did it, then they shouldn’t have designed the show in the first place. (side note: I guess we are now finding boundaries in world class). Back to the show, I find it interesting, but there’s one thing that gets me. Fantasia’s tradition includes 2008’s all-weapon show that was breath-taking and standard-setting. Any attempt by Fantasia to go all-weapon will be inevitably compared to that group, and unfortunately this group doesn’t match up. The show is strong, but I think Fantasia’s design team face-planted here. Top 10 quality obviously, but intangibly frustrating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Round 2

Eklipse (7:40 PM) – In the same vein as Etude, Eklipse has some nice moments strung together with a very mature Open class show. The door props are interesting, but the show needs more huzzah to get it higher up. The group hasn’t been out since the Cincinatti regional, so they may be able to show up a couple of close guards (Etude, Light Brigade), but I think their current ranking is about right. A nice start to Round 2, but meatier guards coming up…

Perpetro Independent (7:50 PM) - …after Perpetro. I’ve seen online that this guard was formed by people wanting to spin, and that’s the effect I get. A nice show, and welcome to World Class.

Juxtaposition WG (8:00 PM) – While we start moving a step up in terms of world class maturity, Juxtaposition still needs refinement. I like the show about time (and love the music), but the show comes and goes in terms of performance value. Certain moments are sold, especially some ensemble moments, but little things are lost, like the flags coming in. I think the show is just too far behind others close to it to fight into finals.

Alter Ego (8:10 PM) – Into the solid contenders for finalists block. AE’s concept is “i”, which sounds intriguing, but I’m afraid it doesn’t translate to the floor. The silks are pretty. There are clear moments, like when the weapons are up stage to the left and weapons downstage to the right , and they sell their show, but I don’t think the performance covers the show. The music is interesting though. Someone told me that was Brittany Murphy’s face – true? This show needs some work before finals, and I think other groups could pass them up if they don’t sell their show.

Opus 10 (8:20 PM) –In complete contrast to last year, I truly like Opus 10 with “Fearless Symmetries”. The show is fun and zany, with exaggerated movements and quirks. The show is still very much in the style of Opus 10, and movement is still the strongest part of this group. The read is simple and understandable, but still with enough variety and layering to keep the show exciting. The judges are hitting them on G.E., and there are some transitional places, but the talent is there to just watch them dance and spin. The music is jazz-y (?), and I smiled watching it. Is it good enough to hold onto last year’s placement? Landing mere tenths behind their West Coast competitors, Opus 10 may have what it takes to schmooze their show and get the judges to smile.

Emanon (8:30 PM) – I think this show is demonstrably better after someone explains the show concept. Emanon presents “Rise and Fall”, which is a non-literal take on the Tower of Babel (similar to Sac, “ooohhh”). You can hear a couple of the quotes scattered into the music (“so they will not understand each other,” “who are you,” “that is why it was called Babel, etc.”). You can see Mike Lentz’s handiwork in the drill design – very reminiscent of the craziness of Onyx the past couple of years. I’m torn on the show. On the one hand, I love it because of its intensity and complexity. On the other hand, it’s confusing and it needs cleaning and polishing. This show is a finals contender IF it’s clean(er). Will Emanon surprise everyone again and rise into finals, or will it fall out after being close to top 10 at one point? (heh. pun)

Aimachi (8:40 PM) – Presenting their program “?” Aimachi will be surprise fans with their rendition of something. Just kidding, I don’t know anything about the show. And few people do, besides Michael Gaines. I think their video submission should be put on the Fan Network (everyone else had one up); they’ll have the element of surprise. However, this could backfire, as in 2009’s prelims score. Apparently the video puts them into the top 9 seeding. I usually enjoy Aimachi, but I’d like to see a few less batons and a few more interesting twirls of rifles, flags and sabers.

Black Watch (8:50 PM) – Putting together one of the stronger seasons in a while, Black Watch took second at the Northeastern non-power regional with “Together we can make it.” No doubt about it, this guard does “This Bitter Earth” the best, but picking a popular song this year does take a little away from. The music does a lot for BW, and the emotion is there. The big question for this group is how they will stack up against the trio of west coasters (Fantasia, Imbue and Opus 10) and if they can take Zydeco. On the other hand, they could fall into the clutches of some of the guards right behind them if they lose the emotion in a big venue. Design wise, I think the colors are weird and the uniforms are not my style at all. Lastly, sheer again? Please don’t become that guard. One year was cool, and that was because it fit your theme. This year, I don’t understand it. GE points aside, that’s fan points I think you’re losing.

Santa Clara Vanguard (9:00 PM) – Strong like “John Henry”. SCV takes another stylistic change, presenting a live narrator and an enormous guard. I like the presentation – from preshow to finish, this show is thought out. And it’s great strength of strong design and great performance that give me the strange weakness of this show to me – too much control. I guess I don’t connect with this show as much as I do some of the others at the top. I like the story-telling and there are some great features, like the blue flag statement and the laying of railroad tracks. But to me, the show just passes me by without catching me (sidenote: I wasn’t caught by last year’s show either). I think the show is great, and definitely a medalist contender. But I don’t think it’s a lock, and I don’t see this show being regarding as a legendary great. I’m hoping seeing it live changes my mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Round 3

Black Gold (9:20 PM) – My sincerest regards to Black Gold – you guys got jipped. A starting spot in the third round is not right for this guard, but an unfortunate quirk of scheduling (a tenth of a point higher and they could be performing 50 minutes later in Paramount’s spot). They’ll comfortably move into semis, but performing in the first three spots probably prevents them from getting into finals. The show is good, and their soloist boy is great. Positive show message against bullying and being yourself. The newspaper floor and costumes work well. The show design isn’t mature enough for the next level of competition, but it’s a great show for where they’re at. I wish I could see it on the DVD.

Ars Nova (9:30 PM) – Two years of getting kicked out of finals after being in for prelims looks to have taken its toll on Ars Nova. This group doesn’t look to make semis. I think the show is cute. They present “It’s alive”, which starts off pretty soundly but trails off a bit. It seems to be a bit over the performers heads. I also don’t think they connect strongly with the theme, but that may be hard to do with, “it’s alive.” Overall, the show is cute, but thin. I hope they come back stronger next season.

Rhapsody (9:40 PM) – With just Ars Nova separating them, Black Gold and Rhapsody will be vying for the pro-gay crowd with “Somebody to Love” using the song of the same name. Unfortunately, someone has to do it better, and that someone was Black Gold. There’s great things happening in this show, but overall it’s a little bit hard to watch. The guard doesn’t match the song in intensity or focus. I don’t understand the things on the floor, and the black and white don’t match the color of the song. There are lots of tricks, but still a lot of inconsistency and drops, especially for late March. Individual mistakes hurt here. I think this guard had a lot of potential, but with such little time, I’m not sure they can pull it together to move up.

Cypress Independent (9:50 PM) – Agh, my ears. Cypress presents “Ex post factum”, or After the Fact. I think they play Adele’s music backwards, and then play just a snippet at the end of their show to tie it together. What gets me is the thud, which just irks me. Besides the music, the group of spinners is great. Their book is good, and they spin it well. Unfortunately, the show concept is a little two strange, and I think the pathway they lay from corner to corner restricts them too much. It’s hard to think of memorable moments form this show. We all knew Adele was this year’s it song; Cypress tried it and was only partially successful in my opinion. I think they’ll spin their way into finals, but it’s a tenuous grip on their 12th place right now.

First Flight (10:00 PM) – In contrast to Fantasia, First Flight’s look at the Holocaust is much more light-hearted and optimistic. What I found the best was their ending flag feature, which was spotless on the Fan Network and utterly beautiful. Their equipment work is up to par, and the opening sequence with the squares is pretty cool. There are some moments of significantly less energy in the show, such as starting slow, but the ending pulls this together. I’m curious to see how they stack up against the west coast, and semis will be interesting to see where they get put.

Paramount (10:10 PM) – Paramount does a tribute to film with their delightful show. Black Gold’s scheduling loss doesn’t help Paramount either, as they get sandwiched between First Flight and Braddock, both solidly better guards. That said, I think this guard is doing better than what they are getting credit for. I like the televisions and the tribute to film. I can see Michael Lentz’s drill stamp on this show. They still need more huzzah to bump themselves up to the next level of competition. This is a well put-together show. I don’t think it’s enough to bump out another finalist, so check them out in prelims or semis.

Braddock Independent (10:20 PM) – Braddock’s show is about PTSD, Post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a fierce Braddock show, with loud music and fast spinning. Michael Rosales’ dance work is great as always, and their guns can spin. For me the, first two minutes are fantastic (even if it is the same trick from the past two years). Then its two minutes of pretty good stuff with their weapon work. Then the last two minutes loses me. Strangely, their flag feature wasn’t clean, and it didn’t wow me like First Flight’s did. I dislike the running around, and the dancing at the end was veeeerry color guard (I’m hoping it will be fixed). I’m afraid for me there are just too many people on the floor, which leaves for some cluttered sets. I’m normally a big Braddock fan, but this year doesn’t hold up to last year. I think the medal is out of their hands this year.

Onyx (10:30 PM) – Wow. This is world class, and a strong front runner for the championship. Onyx presents “The Blank Canvas.” A blank white floor, simplistic black costumes, and a big pencil-like object set the stage for my favorite show this season. The level of execution is outstanding. I know ripping silks on and off poles isn’t terribly new, but the way they do it is still entertaining and exciting. The flag soloist is one for the ages – she’s outstanding. There’s interesting body shapes and ensemble moments, but this show isn’t going to change the hater’s minds of what color guard “should” be. Onyx has a favorable round and will almost certainly take the lead into semis and finals.

Zydeco Colorguard (10:40 PM) – Sac’s sister guard in theme this year is Zydeco’s “The Tin-Man’s heart.” While Sac looks at the various emotions of the Wizard of Oz and presents them in the context of the movie, Zydeco takes the singular emotions of a man without a heard and how that works in our world. I liked this show more as the season went on. You can see Michael Shapiro’s handiwork in the flag feature (which is very good). I like the yellow brick road floor. I really like this show, but it’s got its share of small issues, such as cleanliness. I think this show should be challenging Braddock and Sac, and I look forward to seeing them live in Dayton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Predicted prelims finish:

Round 1:

Pride of Cincinnati

Blessed Sacrament

Fantasia

Imbue

Diamante

Orlando Visual

Light Brigade

Etude

Lake Erie Regiment

Round 2:

SCV

Aimachi

Black Watch

Opus 10

Emanon

Alter Ego

Juxtaposition

Eklipse

Perpetro Independent

Round 2:

Onyx

Zydeco

Braddock Independent

First Flight

Cypress Independent

Paramount

Black Gold

Rhapsody

Ars Nova

Semis results:

Onyx

SCV

Pride

Aimachi

Blessed Sacrament

Braddock

Zydeco

Black Watch

First Flight

Fantasia

Opus 10

Imbue

Cypress Independent

Emanon

Alter Ego

--

Orlando Visual

Diamante

Black Gold

Paramount

Juxtaposition

Finals:

Onyx

SCV

Pride

Aimachi

Blessed Sacrament

Zydeco

Braddock

Black Watch

First Flight

Opus 10

Emanon

Fantasia

Imbue

Cypress Independent

Alter Ego

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...