NR_Ohiobando Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 First off, I do enjoy avante garde and improvisational music built around chance and don't really have a problem with performances of said avante garde music meant to shake up the system. However, I do feel like BD is entirely missing the point of Dada while simultaneously building an entire show themed around it. From BD's website on Cabaret Voltaire: "Instead of a carefully orchestrated structure, evening performances offered improvisation, the deliberate juxtaposition of uncoordinated actions, and a delight in the chaotic." By presenting to us a show that is incredibly coordinated and structured down to every last drill set and foot movement, aren't the Blue Devils entirely missing the point of the Dada movement? And if they are, shouldn't they be penalized for it? (By penalized, I mean lower GE scores in comparison to other shows) Now, if the Blue Devils decide to do something different for every show they perform I would say that they are actually doing a great job of portraying their theme. Since that probably is not going to happen, I assume that their theme and what they present to the audience is not going to match up. "We're doing a dada themed show, here's the same thing over and over again". Honestly if I were a judge I'd simply give them a score of 0 in GE. Why? The show is built around the idea of unpredictability; what is more unpredictable than a score of the complete opposite of what they would normally desire? If the staff ends up throwing a fit about it, then they obviously are not committed to the theme of the show. Either way, the system is shaken up, the unpredictable happens, and hypothetically the Blue Devils should be happy to receive said score. The 2012 Blue Devils show is obviously created to promote discussion and thought, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling. Other thoughts? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noname Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 First off, I do enjoy avante garde and improvisational music built around chance and don't really have a problem with performances of said avante garde music meant to shake up the system. However, I do feel like BD is entirely missing the point of Dada while simultaneously building an entire show themed around it. From BD's website on Cabaret Voltaire: "Instead of a carefully orchestrated structure, evening performances offered improvisation, the deliberate juxtaposition of uncoordinated actions, and a delight in the chaotic." By presenting to us a show that is incredibly coordinated and structured down to every last drill set and foot movement, aren't the Blue Devils entirely missing the point of the Dada movement? And if they are, shouldn't they be penalized for it? (By penalized, I mean lower GE scores in comparison to other shows) Now, if the Blue Devils decide to do something different for every show they perform I would say that they are actually doing a great job of portraying their theme. Since that probably is not going to happen, I assume that their theme and what they present to the audience is not going to match up. "We're doing a dada themed show, here's the same thing over and over again". Honestly if I were a judge I'd simply give them a score of 0 in GE. Why? The show is built around the idea of unpredictability; what is more unpredictable than a score of the complete opposite of what they would normally desire? If the staff ends up throwing a fit about it, then they obviously are not committed to the theme of the show. Either way, the system is shaken up, the unpredictable happens, and hypothetically the Blue Devils should be happy to receive said score. The 2012 Blue Devils show is obviously created to promote discussion and thought, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling. Other thoughts? They aren't method acting, they're just acting. Imagine you can only see one show a year. Shows are generally designed to make sense off of one read. They don't always make sense after just once, but I think that's what they go for. Then they move off to the next audience and do the same thing again. Theoretically, very few people (besides those of us on DCP) have actually seen the show already, so it works. The unpredictability is for the audience and judges, not for the performers and staff. Besides, it's not a judge's job to do something that goes along with the theme of the show. They aren't a performer or on staff! Good thoughts though. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Well in this activity which judges score higher based on each time they see a performance and how well you have improved on it I can see why it is tightly scripted. I agree with your sentiments but the whole idea of drum corps kind of goes against this. Some of the visual aspects are improvised each night though at a small degree it is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 "Instead of a carefully orchestrated structure, evening performances offered improvisation, the deliberate juxtaposition of uncoordinated actions, and a delight in the chaotic." By now, you should know better . . . . . .the show announcements for most corps are almost always navel-gazing "intellectualism" trying to tie together why someone is playing Samuel Hazo and Lady Gaga in some vague "colors" or "dark versus light" or "Planet Earth PainSongs" dressing. This is no different; the Blue Devils show is, indeed, scatter-shot in its rep and pacing, and this is a fairly easy design "out" for them to use. It works a simple window dressing. Drum corps doesn't stray too far from the usual design check boxes, no matter who it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 <large snip> Other thoughts? You're trying too hard? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 look, if they have quotes asking for mama instead of dada, then they missed the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Now my favorite BD shows are this one and 2010. Last years show I hated. I like the avant guard stuff they are doing. I would love to see them do a half improvised half scripted show but then again what if someone got injured as a result of another persons improvisation? Has the OP seen their show live yet? This show is really exciting and really has to be enjoyed in person to get the full effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I hope so, because I've listened to it half a dozen times, and it hasn't grown on me at all. Quite the opposite. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 By now, you should know better . . . . . .the show announcements for most corps are almost always navel-gazing "intellectualism" trying to tie together why someone is playing Samuel Hazo and Lady Gaga in some vague "colors" or "dark versus light" or "Planet Earth PainSongs" dressing. This is no different; the Blue Devils show is, indeed, scatter-shot in its rep and pacing, and this is a fairly easy design "out" for them to use. It works a simple window dressing. Drum corps doesn't stray too far from the usual design check boxes, no matter who it is. I need to be able to + your posts... Let's look at the top 7 or so and what really, at the end of the day, designers did to "tie" these shows together. Usually a pretty thin process... -Cadets: Christmas. Um... that's it. -Cavaliers: 15-minutes-of-fame, paparazzi, etc - built around being "popular," the show is basically just saying, "hey, look at us do stuff!" Just like in '11. -Crown: "Common Man" (musical selection) vs. Superhero (visual). Really, that's all that ties it from what I see. Pretty straightforward -Bluecoats: Masquerade, masks, playing "Masquerade"... um... that's it, too. -Phantom Regiment: Ok, Turandot - music from Turandot, story from Turandot... yeah -Vanguard - Starry night, Music of the Night, Planets... visible at night... -Blue Devils - ...an exploration of Dadaism through musical and visual discord? One of these things really isn't like the others. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I need to be able to + your posts... Mike we all do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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