Tim Coffey Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 re:Turandot Highly dramatized Chinese characters in a Western opera does not constitute a connection to China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 re:Turandot Highly dramatized Chinese characters in a Western opera does not constitute a connection to China. Kung Fu Panda, then?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Exactly what qualifications does DCI have as a leader in growing the drum corps activity? Buehler? Buehler? Hint: Isn't it the corps that have grown the activity (or not) over the years? (admittedly throwing fuel on the fire :ph34r:/>) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlamMan Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) This is absolutely ridiculous. Your activity is on life support in its home country, yet you run off the China to expand internationally? You haven't even been able to expand your activity here! Why would anyone think you are capable of growing it in China? How about you focus on the problems at hand here? Maybe we can send the entire DCI staff to China & leave them there & get a new DCI board here that has a clue. Edited May 31, 2013 by FlamMan 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Great. We can all look forward to a bunch of Chinese drum corps performing near exact copies of American drum corps shows. But cheaper. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normy diploome Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) This is absolutely ridiculous. Your activity is on life support in its home country, yet you run off the China to expand internationally? You haven't even been able to expand your activity here! Why would anyone think you are capable of growing it in China? How about you focus on the problems at hand here? Maybe we can send the entire DCI staff to China & leave them there & get a new DCI board here that has a clue. Yes, my question is merely one of speculation given that few American corps are meeting their budgetary needs or affording just the fuel costs of touring coast to coast of the US. But let us also be honest with our emotions: Did the CEO of DCI initiate the visit of his own volition or is he an invited guest as he was to the Drum Corps Europe Championships a few seasons back (and that is growing), and I think an invitation or two to the Japanese events? There has been advancements in SE Asia initiated by Blue Devils as well as by American alumni working there who have put the Indonesians and others in touch with the DCI activity. Similar outreach is developing with South and Central America; BD went to Guatemala; Mexicans and Brazilians have come north to march in U.S. corps, just like the Japanese, Italians, English, Germans, Taiwanese, and Canadians. This year Surf will have one marcher from Brittany in France (as did Madison previously) and the Cadets will have their first member from the Republic of Ireland. Pioneer annually has several members from South Africa after Dave Gibbs of Blue Devils and Brian Hickman, then of the Glassmen, visited there. The American corps are well benefitted by international relations. I would not be surprised if some of this "international" "dialogue" has also been generated or financed in part by some of the manufacturers; an example would be Yamaha (not an American company at its origin.) These enterprises may see this as a financially beneficial opportunity. (Are any of the uniforms/costumes worn in competition actually American made???) The video aspects of Drumbattle and SoundSport take down international boundaries today. I don't have any other info or facts besides knowing Dan did go previously to England for the DCE's as their guest. Everything else is speculation, unless someone else knows actual facts. Edited May 31, 2013 by normy diploome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordsw24 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) I don't believe forging ties to the marching arts activity in Asia (China), in whatever form this might take, is necessary ridiculous at all, when you consider that the North American market is probably very close to or at saturation. How many kids who have the desire to march, and the money & time, don't march because they cannot find a corps to march with? I would suspect not many. Yes, there might be some who only want to march with one particular corps and hold out for that corps, but I suspect the current demand for drum corps probably matches the number of people currently interested in marching, and with the means and time to do so, fairly closely. This is evidenced by the fact that even some top 12 caliber corps often have spots open at the beginning of tour. If there are fewer corps today, finances (both due to the huge expense of running a corps -- think fuel prices alone compared to the 1980s and 90s -- and the opportunity costs to members who not only have to pay dues, but forgo a summer job) are probably the major reason why, and not lack of organization or promotion on DCI's part. I'm not saying DCI is perfect, but every issue facing the drum corps activity in N. American cannot be placed solely at their door step. DCI can advocate for the restructuring of summer tour to economize on mileage, but it has no way of controlling external costs like the price of fuel. So, what did American-based tobacco companies do when smoking rates in the U.S. started to decline after anti-smoking public health initiatives started to take root? They went overseas to aggressively market their products, particular in Asia (and more specifically, SE Asia), and with great success. HBO's "Vice" just did a segment about tobacco's huge market push in Indonesia. Seeking out new revenue streams for DCI is not inherently a bad idea imo. Sure, the argument can be made that DCI needs these individual drum corps more than these corps need DCI, but a strong, financially secure DCI structure is beneficial to the health of the entire activity. China has over four times the population of the U.S., and as leisure time there and their economy continue to expand, there are huge opportunities for activities such as the marching arts to grow. If ever there was a time to gain a foothold in that or other emerging Asian markets, now is the time. Edited May 31, 2013 by ordsw24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Great. We can all look forward to a bunch of Chinese drum corps performing near exact copies of American drum corps shows. But cheaper. And governed by the PRC. Hmm, maybe Hop has finally met an opponent worth his stature. :tongue:/> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 This is absolutely ridiculous. Your activity is on life support in its home country, yet you run off the China to expand internationally? You haven't even been able to expand your activity here! Why would anyone think you are capable of growing it in China? How about you focus on the problems at hand here? Maybe we can send the entire DCI staff to China & leave them there & get a new DCI board here that has a clue. China is the future place for world growth in just about everything else. Movies, food, et cetera... Why not North American Style drum corps as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 China is the future place for world growth in just about everything else. Movies, food, et cetera... Why not North American Style drum corps as well? I can see it now. China has a D&BC that says they'll take the penalty and marches over 250 members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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