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Between Sidelines and Stands


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The reason is probably because the field itself is the only thing consistent from stadium to stadium. Some places you can't even get in the stands without going down to like the 30 yard lines, or you can't get in at all, or there's a fence, or the track and field dirt pits, etc etc. But I've also thought it would be really cool for some effects to have performers in the audience. Maybe if they're hidden there the whole time?

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I wish they could do something. For example, the renovation of Allentown added a SIGNIFICANT distance between the sideline and the audience from what it used to be, and the past few years sitting in the upper section, there were NO hornlines that "blew my face off" like they used to. I think it's gotta be 30 or more feet more than it used to be BITD..

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I wish they could do something. For example, the renovation of Allentown added a SIGNIFICANT distance between the sideline and the audience from what it used to be, and the past few years sitting in the upper section, there were NO hornlines that "blew my face off" like they used to. I think it's gotta be 30 or more feet more than it used to be BITD..

Right. It'd be nice to reclaim some of that space. I was at the Rome, NY show this year in row F (i.e. not too far away from the corps) and it still seemed a long way off. Also, the combination of pit and the portable walls increases the sense of separation.

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I've been struck by the fact that DCI opened up the front sideline so that marching members could cross it, but then corps immediately closed off that possibility by building a wall of pit instruments. Lots of practical constraints, but why build your own? Why does the pit have to be front and center?

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I've been struck by the fact that DCI opened up the front sideline so that marching members could cross it, but then corps immediately closed off that possibility by building a wall of pit instruments. Lots of practical constraints, but why build your own? Why does the pit have to be front and center?

It doesn't always, and I really wish more corps would move it around. I know some corps open up the middle for walk thru's to the drum major, which is cool and brings them more into the show itself. In high school our pit were on movable platforms and we put them in the middle of the field, which is a neat concept too.

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Some venues have tracks and some have fences. To be really effective, corps would have to be able to plan to do such a thing at every show...not just those with areas that can be explored, IMHO. Otherwise, it would involve more than just adjusting for each venue. And heaven forbid if the stadium crew misinterpret when is wanted in terms of measurements and corps end up straddling chain link fences. :tongue:/>

Or a wall, like the Denton stadium, where the drum majors conduct in the stands.

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It doesn't always, and I really wish more corps would move it around. I know some corps open up the middle for walk thru's to the drum major, which is cool and brings them more into the show itself. In high school our pit were on movable platforms and we put them in the middle of the field, which is a neat concept too.

Hmm, maybe BD or Cadets can put a huge platform on the field, big enough for maybe most of the corps to fit. Then move that around. Do drill on the platform while the platform is moving and spinning. Some people get on while it's moving toward them, and others get off on the other end. Wheel it right up to the stands (staying on topic tongue.gif ).

...it's coming...

Edited by Pete Freedman
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It doesn't always, and I really wish more corps would move it around. I know some corps open up the middle for walk thru's to the drum major, which is cool and brings them more into the show itself. In high school our pit were on movable platforms and we put them in the middle of the field, which is a neat concept too.

That could be pretty awesome. Given amplification and the trend with movable props, why not roll some pit members around the field during the show? I guess the flip side of the amplification thing is that it wouldn't sound any different as the players moved around (unless they had speakers on the platforms with them...). Still, if it opened up the front sideline it could be pretty cool.

If you have Fan Network, be sure to check out Pioneer's show this year. They moved the pit, including speakers, onto the field and the brass actually uses the pit area to march in during features. Pretty slick.

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If you have Fan Network, be sure to check out Pioneer's show this year. They moved the pit, including speakers, onto the field and the brass actually uses the pit area to march in during features. Pretty slick.

That has been done multiple times before by other corps, and I agree that it is a wonderful tool to have the ability to use.

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