Which show moves you emotionally?

[bdlykdad]

The Blue Devil's show is without narrative structure of any kind. The show almost antagonizes the audience and dares them to "figure it out". The performers face away from the audience throughout most of it, literally alienating them. The charge the horns do as they run down the corridor is away from the audience, not toward. It's a collection of playful, supercilious, abstract expressions and in-jokes between designers. It's exclusionary and self-indulgent, but meticulously performed. The show design apparently encompasses the evolution from invertebrate animals to humans who play jazz at the end, as the guard appears to be emulating the characters of animals, elephant tusks, and galloping horses at one point, but it's completely unclear what the progression is, or what the visual statement is they're trying to make. The various clusters of performers gather and disperse, ad nauseum, and the lack of through line is frustrating to watch, and alienating to experience. The ending park and blow, when the corps has evolved into human life form, looks desperate and out of place after ten and a half minutes of unflinching abstract posturing and crisp, modern circus like technique. It no make-o sense-o. Other big issues are why isn't there any improvisation in this jazz show, how does the animal choreography fit into the overall arc, why is the crowd so contemplative and silent during the show, and what in God's name do the white posts represent, and what have the same white posts represented in each of the last two seasons' differently themed shows?

The Carolina Crown show is clearly about humans finding meaning in their lives in the high tech age of space exploration. Crystal clear. The voice arrangement of the pulsing numeric chatter is both ridiculously absurd and haunting. For a corps to capture that emotional duality is unheard of. The material is fresh, funny and profound. The wide open chords are haunting and rich like the depths of space. The guard captures both the comedic robot-like jitter, and the balletic "How much do you love me?" passage so well, it's hard to believe they're the same performers. There's something for every level of sophistication in this show-- shaking knees, an e=mc2 spelled out, and an infinity symbol, and a spinning 3-d pyramid at the end. But it also asks the big questions about measuring love, "How much do you love me" and measuring the significance of life and love in vast cold space. Profound, breathtaking and moving to the core. When that drum major bows and clasps her hands together at the end of this moving show, she is thanking us for allowing her to share her message-- an utterly absurd opposition that I last experienced in the very first season of Cirque du Soleil when the performers bowed, and thanked the audience when it was they who had blown our minds. Such warmth in their universally human message. Same for Carolina Crown. Emotionally, it's almost too much to handle.

It sounds like Crown's show reaches you more than BD, which is fine. But honestly, when I watched Crown's show .... I didn't think what you thought. It was NOT crystal clear to me. But it sounds like you believe Crown's show is so much "easier to get". Different corps reach different people. BOTH are amazing. As a BD alum, I will admit that I stand and clap faster for Crown than I do for BD. But I don't try to read too much into that. In the end, although my heart bleeds blue, I'll be fine with any of the top four winning this year.

[dcibrando]

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Edited August 7, 2013 by dcibrando

[skywhopper]

You expected the tenderness and wonder of Crown's show to be matched by a show based on "Rite of Spring"...?

I guess I just don't think the comparison is particularly fair... It isn't really taking each show -- to say nothing of their source music -- on its own terms.

And at the end of the day, what's the endpoint of this line of thinking? If our expectation is "emotions" = "feeling good," and a corps is dealing with source material clearly meant to make us feel the opposite of good -- which is still a feeling -- are we saying a corps shouldn't use that music? Or that they shouldn't use it unless they resolve it emotionally? Sounds lame, to me.

Personally, I love Rite of Spring and get a huge thrill from listening to it. I felt the same way about the Rewrite of Spring that BD used for additional source material for their show. BD's version somehow loses most of the emotion from both versions in their translation for me, anyway.

Despite myself, though, I do love the dubstep bassline under the percussion feature when the brass are pushing the poles into the middle. That's my favorite part of the show.

[skywhopper]

I see what you mean, but I don't think "high tech age of space exploration" is accurate... I don't think their show is that specific.

I think Carolina's show ultimately just fleshes out a bunch of puns on the theme of "relativity." That's where the formula comes in, and the wormholes, and the love story. In fact, I think I'd even like the show more if they called it "Theory of Relativity." That would have made a lot more sense, to me.

That's what E = mc² is! All the relativity stuff flows from that one equation, but I'm guessing they thought "E=mc²" had a snappier sound to it.

[Brutus]

It sounds like Crown's show reaches you more than BD, which is fine. But honestly, when I watched Crown's show .... I didn't think what you thought. It was NOT crystal clear to me. But it sounds like you believe Crown's show is so much "easier to get". Different corps reach different people. BOTH are amazing. As a BD alum, I will admit that I stand and clap faster for Crown than I do for BD. But I don't try to read too much into that. In the end, although my heart bleeds blue, I'll be fine with any of the top four winning this year.

So you had no idea why Crown featured the love theme and how it related to their space theme? You thought it was two separate unrelated themes? "My love for you has no bounds." "Infinity?" And you didn't give it another thought? Bueller? Bueller?

[cavie95]

Crown and SCV have won my emotional vote this year. Blue Devils completely lost me.

Edit post theater show:

Add Troopers and Madison to the emotional list. Excellent.

Edited August 9, 2013 by cavie95

[rayfallon]

Crown and SCV have won my emotional vote this year. Blue Devils completely lost me.

I've said this too many times so I'll be short: Crossmen's show moved me emotionally.

I loved SCV and Cadets, but had no emotional reaction.

Madison's "You'll Never Walk Alone" moved me - the rest of the show puzzled me.

The giant blue ball made me emotional, but not in a good way.

[Kilgore42]

Troopers

Spirit of Atlanta until the ending

Madison's closer

SCV

[Brutus]

You expected the tenderness and wonder of Crown's show to be matched by a show based on "Rite of Spring"...?

I guess I just don't think the comparison is particularly fair... It isn't really taking each show -- to say nothing of their source music -- on its own terms.

So, if someone chooses music from TV commercials from the 1980's as their show theme, the show music should be judged on its own terms? No, of course not. Any show designer who chose that music should be sent to Siberia. Selection of the music should be a big part of the equation, and choosing a wacked out piece of anti-establishment Russian classical music, adapted for the jazz genre, and truncated fora 12 minute marching medium with bugles, and whose composer describes his music as "only understandable by children" has its consequences.

And at the end of the day, what's the endpoint of this line of thinking? If our expectation is "emotions" = "feeling good," and a corps is dealing with source material clearly meant to make us feel the opposite of good -- which is still a feeling -- are we saying a corps shouldn't use that music? Or that they shouldn't use it unless they resolve it emotionally? Sounds lame, to me.

You think emotions mean "feeling good?" How odd. How binary. Emotions run the gamut from ecstasy to depression, fury to silliness. Was Phantom's Juliet show meant to make you feel good? No, it was way more complex than that. What the show did was put you in the mind of the impassioned girl who fell in love so deeply that she took her own life when she lost him. Clear as a bell. Specific as hell.

Drum corps is a condensed medium of 12 minutes, and has the same requirements as all performance media-- it must be universal and unique. For it to be universal, it must be relatable to the core of human experience, not a random palate of playful expressions-- a broken xylophone falling down the stairs can do that.

[santacarolinascouts]

The Blue Devil's show is without narrative structure of any kind. The show almost antagonizes the audience and dares them to "figure it out". The performers face away from the audience throughout most of it, literally alienating them. The charge the horns do as they run down the corridor is away from the audience, not toward. It's a collection of playful, supercilious, abstract expressions and in-jokes between designers. It's exclusionary and self-indulgent, but meticulously performed. The show design apparently encompasses the evolution from invertebrate animals to humans who play jazz at the end, as the guard appears to be emulating the characters of animals, elephant tusks, and galloping horses at one point, but it's completely unclear what the progression is, or what the visual statement is they're trying to make. The various clusters of performers gather and disperse, ad nauseum, and the lack of through line is frustrating to watch, and alienating to experience. The ending park and blow, when the corps has evolved into human life form, looks desperate and out of place after ten and a half minutes of unflinching abstract posturing and crisp, modern circus like technique. It no make-o sense-o. Other big issues are why isn't there any improvisation in this jazz show, how does the animal choreography fit into the overall arc, why is the crowd so contemplative and silent during the show, and what in God's name do the white posts represent, and what have the same white posts represented in each of the last two seasons' differently themed shows?

The Carolina Crown show is clearly about humans finding meaning in their lives in the high tech age of space exploration. Crystal clear. The voice arrangement of the pulsing numeric chatter is both ridiculously absurd and haunting. For a corps to capture that emotional duality is unheard of. The material is fresh, funny and profound. The wide open chords are haunting and rich like the depths of space. The guard captures both the comedic robot-like jitter, and the balletic "How much do you love me?" passage so well, it's hard to believe they're the same performers. There's something for every level of sophistication in this show-- shaking knees, an e=mc2 spelled out, and an infinity symbol, and a spinning 3-d pyramid at the end. But it also asks the big questions about measuring love, "How much do you love me" and measuring the significance of life and love in vast cold space. Profound, breathtaking and moving to the core. When that drum major bows and clasps her hands together at the end of this moving show, she is thanking us for allowing her to share her message-- an utterly absurd opposition that I last experienced in the very first season of Cirque du Soleil when the performers bowed, and thanked the audience when it was they who had blown our minds. Such warmth in their universally human message. Same for Carolina Crown. Emotionally, it's almost too much to handle.

Almost perfect post, albeit SLIGHTLY critical of BD :P

I think the bigger theme in Crown's show is the argument between the head and the heart, reason and emotion, and trying to represent THAT duality. The way they encapsulate that dichotomy is brilliant and on another level from some other designs this year.

I will say that watching the growth of the Troopers from last year to this year alone has been very moving, but dang, they brought it at prelims.

Madison's show is designed to be a tear-jerker, but also incredible. Spirit's show is great, like always, and it's emotional in a quirky way. And I'd say SCV, Cadets and Phantom to round it off. The book drill in Phantom's show? Fantastic and it gave me goosebumps :D

Crown's show was just the package to me, however. I was giddy, I was enthralled, I was moved by how quickly the corps has grown (they're SUCH a young corps and may become a new champion). It was everything I wanted. Redemption after last year (hopefully) and even if they don't win they've proven that they deserve a place in DCI, without a shadow of a doubt.

I love them, but every day I'm learning.

All my life, I've only been pretending.

Without me, their world will go on turning.

A world that's full of happiness that I have never known.

Edited August 10, 2013 by santacarolinascouts