Michael Boo Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 ... 2.) Shofars? Ram's horns? I'd swear someone did that in the last couple of years.... ... Cavaliers in "The Great Divide." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 cough jet packs cough cough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azul Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I still remember when Cadets guard all missed catching a flag toss, intentionally. I remember the era of Cavaliers' primitive drums. I remember the night I stood, jaw agape, when Vanguard made their entire corps disappear at the end of their Phantom of the Opera show. Sometimes the things we really remember are truly excellent musicmanship, ruthlessly clean drill, painstaking detailing of a show. But sometimes the things we remember are something else - more than stunts. Call them ingenuities, novelties, inspirations. Creatively playing with the rules. Showing the audience something new. But I admit, I have no knowledge of the actual rules of DCI competition. So, I brainstormed a bunch of these kinds of things, and I'm asking the question - which of these are legitimate in competition? I'll leave it to the rest of you to imagine a show where each of these might fit, artistically or otherwise. 1.) Alphorns? Or gigantic, excessively large Suess-like horns? Or one humungous drum? BDB's taiko drums this year. Mandarins also had some big toms on the field this season as well 2.) Shofars? Ram's horns? Does PC using a lambs jaw bone filled with beads as a percussion instrument count? (See 2008) 3.) Can battery and brass use flags or equipment? How about the pit? Could a whole corps flash flags all at once? Someone already mentioned Cadets and Cavaliers but I don recall Crown had a horn member catch a rifle this season. Bluecoats had a pit member toss one in 2011 and Blue Stars had their high brass spin flags in 2009. 4.) Building pyramids out of guard members, launching jumps etc as in cheerleading? Springboards as per gymnastics? Teeter-totter-aided jumps as in circuses? Bloo and Crown this season with the pyramids and jump launches. 5.) Wheels - unicycles, bicycles? Inline roller skates? Skateboards? Guard members in giant hamster-balls (like Peter Gabriel)? VK and Blue Stars 6.) Spring-loaded launching of streamers (maybe attached to the instruments?) Flags or streamers flung from catapults or atlatl? I do recall seeing this happen in a show. 7.) Can brass players put down their bugles and beat on something - an MPE* (Massive Percussion Event)? Cadets had a guard member do so in 2011 so I'm sure a horn player wouldn't be much of a problem. 8.) To what degree can the audience participate? Like, SCV yell - could there be a call-and-response with the audience? Could you get the audience to scat with you? Pacific Crest actually had a section of their 2006 show where the crowd was encouraged to clap the beat. Phantom 08 with the Spartacus chants was another one. 9.) Put the director/conductor in the middle of the field, as Mickey in 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'? Wasn't this the old school way? Drum major started on the field if I remember correctly. 10.) Musical robots? Is, for instance, a metronome a crude kind of musical robot or mechanism? Could you just set loose a hundred slightly mismatched metronomes on the field? How about flag droids? I would be against this to be honest. 11.) Stilts? (I think Cavaliers did this once?) Yup Cavaliers 12.) Large puppets as in street protests? Big Chinese dragons as in Chinese New Years'? Mandarins had Chinese dragons in 2007. There's the shark as well in VK and the bull 13.) Tumbling? Trampolines? Tumbling is done. 14.) Could the Phantomettes, say, just pick up soprano bugles and blow some awesome lick? How cool would that be! Bluecoats had this happen in the late 80's. 15.) After PR's Turandot, it has to be asked - how many people are allowed on the conductor's stand (at once)? Can you play an instrument(s) from there? Record holder is Bloo for 3 in 2009. 16.) Illuminated or otherwise wired uniforms? Uniforms that flash or light up? Instruments that strobe to the beat? Only seen the illumination done in WGI. 17.) In-ear electronics that could deliver a 'click track' directly to the performers? Nope, that would be a mess if it was synced up correctly because of the individual locations all over the field. 18.) Is it even required to have a conductor on the field? I've never seen a corps do this but I've seen bands do shows without a drum major ever on the field. 19.) What are the limits of personnel per type of instrument? Could you field thirty contras, say, for one segment of a show? Forty? I don't think there is any. In 2006, Phantom had somewhere between 40-48 baris and euphs on the field when the trumpets switched for the ballad. 20.) Helium balloons? Radio-controlled balloons with motors? (OK, this is crazy I admit.) Gigantic, inflatable props to tell a story (Carnival of the Animals)? Glassmen 2008 and several others. Impulse had balloons this year in their show. (Added late season). 21.) Lasers and mirrors. Reflective equipment and uniforms. Mirrorballs. Mirrorshades. Q-beams and a crystal chandelier. Mirrors in BD 2010. Huge reflective shields in PC 2005. 22.) Stage magic - ladies sawn in half, levitating the conductor, drill with interlocking rings, making the battery disappear? Locking the conductor in a trunk a la Houdini? scv 89, Blue Stars 2010, scv guard uni change 2008, several others I'm sure. 23.) Styrofoam gliders or paper airplanes? Never seen these. Things I'm pretty sure aren't allowed, or shouldn't be - flash powder, fireworks, paints, confetti, water, smoke-making equipment, video and projection equipment, live animals of any kind. Shooting anything (tour shirts, confetti, water) at the audience. Filming the audience. Trapping or chasing the judges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think of the first use of sections switching instruments was in 1987, when Star of Indiana did the Close Encounters show. Didn't they have the euph section switch over to tuba or the other way around? Playing multiple instruments at the same time I believe happened with Cavaliers in 2005, trumpets and flugels, but that may have been some clever trickery. And didn't Madison have a guard member play out a screaming soprano note in their '99 show? Or was that just an illusion as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gak27 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 14.) Could the Phantomettes, say, just pick up soprano bugles and blow some awesome lick? How cool would that be! How about Cadets in '77? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoContraAlum Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think of the first use of sections switching instruments was in 1987, when Star of Indiana did the Close Encounters show. Didn't they have the euph section switch over to tuba or the other way around? This was in 1986, and the Euphs picked up Contras for the Close Encounters bit. Also, didn't Phantom 2006 do a tune with a crap-ton of Buicks? You can NOT play from the podium, as Surf found out this year (Which is why the "bugle" call was played by the synth to start Tell William). Also in 1986, Cadets had a Sop/Contra duet, where the Contra played his horn on a trumpet mouthpiece to get a ridiculously low "high" note. Not only did BD's Contras play cymbals in the 84-85 drum solos, but the Cavies entire guard was on (red) cymbals for Mars in 1985. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 This was in 1986, and the Euphs picked up Contras for the Close Encounters bit. Also, didn't Phantom 2006 do a tune with a crap-ton of Buicks? You can NOT play from the podium, as Surf found out this year (Which is why the "bugle" call was played by the synth to start Tell William). Thank you. I knew it was either 86 or 87, but it was too late for me to go dig through my Legacy DVDs. Yes, Phantom in 2006 had the trumpet section switch to baritones for the ballad. Apparently skills on both horns was used as part of the audition process, or the ability to learn both. I think you can actually play from the podium, Pioneer did it less than three years ago. I think Surf's problem was that they had a trombone, which is an illegal instrument in DCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoContraAlum Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thank you. I knew it was either 86 or 87, but it was too late for me to go dig through my Legacy DVDs. Yes, Phantom in 2006 had the trumpet section switch to baritones for the ballad. Apparently skills on both horns was used as part of the audition process, or the ability to learn both. I think you can actually play from the podium, Pioneer did it less than three years ago. I think Surf's problem was that they had a trombone, which is an illegal instrument in DCI. Actually, they started the season with Ben (the DM) actually playing a trumpet on the podium. They switched to a faux heralding trumpet, then finally the plastic trombone, after they moved the part to the synth. I read on their FB page that they could not play from the podium (or maybe read that here... I don't know). Disclaimer: I by no means claim to be an expert on DCI rules... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Actually, they started the season with Ben (the DM) actually playing a trumpet on the podium. They switched to a faux heralding trumpet, then finally the plastic trombone, after they moved the part to the synth. I read on their FB page that they could not play from the podium (or maybe read that here... I don't know). Disclaimer: I by no means claim to be an expert on DCI rules... Considering that corps have played from tunnels and cross the sideline, I see no reason that they couldn't play from the podium. Perhaps they couldn't do it because it didn't work for them? Otherwise, It just seems like a strange rule considering Phantom's Into the Light Show and Santa Clara's Carmen show... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 cough jet packs cough cough True story. Dennis DeLucia told me that in 1977, Bridgemen's staff had looked into the possibility of having a jet pack pro descend over the top of Mile High Stadium as the corps was setting up, wearing a banana costume, and swoop around the stadium. The idea got canned when they found out how much it would cost to rent someone and transport them to Denver. (There weren't that many jet pack people in the entire country.) Also, jet packs weren't designed to go rather long distances because the propellent runs out quickly. But it was a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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