The tyranny and folly of abstraction - an open letter to the Cadets de

[GUARDLING]

I never understood the point of the size of the stage. Everyone who used it could have fit on a couple of podiums.

Why block the view?

I really think he was actually viewing the height and width spectrum so he'd be ready when, in 2019, guard are elevated by wires dangling from the LOS roof, raised and lowered onto the field "stage". In his groundbreaking show in 2020, "Angels and Demons Part Deux - The Angels Fly!", his guard are swept above the field using the most complicated suspension system ever designed. For the first time in recorded history, he stood motionless during the entire finals performance as his angels danced above the demons and, on the final resolve and push, each guard angel came crashing down on it's respective demon, ending with victorious foot on the back and a finger pointing to the heavens. His amps recorded the highest decibels ever recorded in Lucas and two of the glass end-panel windows cracked. After receiving the highest score ever awarded, 107.2 out of 100, he retired the following day, saying "I've done all I can do. My place in heaven is assured."

In 2021 LOS first allowed DCI drum corps to install live rigging above the field during finals week. On his death bed, Hopkins' last words were, "Finally, Cirque..."

Hopkins is credited with initiating the Age of Enli-HEIGHTEN-ment and the eventual development of guard levitation.

there were alot of reasons I believe for the size of the staging. 1 , it made the pit look like a true orchestra pit. It gave the illusion of the pit lower than the corps. 2. it directed attention , podiums would have never done the same thing. 3. I dont think it obstructed much. the rest sounds like a great plan. In all the silliness, don't be surprised at the future full on entertainment with many aspects we dont see today . It's coming!

Edited November 21, 2014 by GUARDLING

[drangin]

Disagree. The narration saved that show from being a show with good music crippled by bad staging.

The staging was bad because of the BIG STAGE that blocked the view of half the field for the audience, as well as a good bit of the sound. And I agree that the yap-yap-yap is annoying.

"I wouldn't ever listen to Cadets 2014 without the narration. "

That's what happens when the music is treated as incidental to the narration: the music can't be developed, it has to stay 2nd banana to the yap-yap-yap.

Edited November 21, 2014 by drangin

[brichtimp]

The staging was bad because of the BIG STAGE that blocked the view of half the field for the audience, as well as a good bit of the sound. And I agree that the yap-yap-yap is annoying.

"I wouldn't ever listen to Cadets 2014 without the narration. "

That's what happens when the music is treated as incidental to the narration: the music can't be developed, it has to stay 2nd banana to the yap-yap-yap.

The stage was an obstruction for viewers sitting in lower rows, for sure. For those of us who purposely viewed from higher elevation (to get a better fix on the drill forms and to hear a more balanced ensemble sound), the stage was not an obstruction as much as an annoyance to effective staging of that beast of an ensemble behind the stage. In effect, the Cadets cheated themselves out of potential brass and percussion impact that was more easily achieved in the design choices displayed by the other top 3 corps. That said, the Cadets drill and field coverage were not hampered by a bunch of props on the field....so there was a trade-off.

[boxingfred]

WGI spells wedgie wanted to hit a Home Run his or hers first post on DCP. It was a Bunt Foul.

[corpsband]

WGI spells wedgie wanted to hit a Home Run his or hers first post on DCP. It was a Bunt Foul.

YAFSA !

(sorry not really but i hadn't typed it in a while!)

[perc2100]

I never understood the point of the size of the stage. Everyone who used it could have fit on a couple of podiums.

Why block the view?

That might be true, to an extent (I don't recall their show 100% and don't remember if they staged small musical ensemble on the stage). I think it was an interesting, fairly unique idea that worked in some ways and didn't in others. I at least give the designers credit for trying something different, even if it might've (arguably) fallen short. Like Crown and their trampolines (another admirable, interesting "failure"), you can't be innovative doing the same old stuff and I'd rather have corps do something different and have it not work out, than recycle the same ideas over and over again.

[HornTeacher]

I never understood the point of the size of the stage. Everyone who used it could have fit on a couple of podiums.

Why block the view?

I really think he was actually viewing the height and width spectrum so he'd be ready when, in 2019, guard are elevated by wires dangling from the LOS roof, raised and lowered onto the field "stage". In his groundbreaking show in 2020, "Angels and Demons Part Deux - The Angels Fly!", his guard are swept above the field using the most complicated suspension system ever designed. For the first time in recorded history, he stood motionless during the entire finals performance as his angels danced above the demons and, on the final resolve and push, each guard angel came crashing down on it's respective demon, ending with victorious foot on the back and a finger pointing to the heavens. His amps recorded the highest decibels ever recorded in Lucas and two of the glass end-panel windows cracked. After receiving the highest score ever awarded, 107.2 out of 100, he retired the following day, saying "I've done all I can do. My place in heaven is assured."

In 2021 LOS first allowed DCI drum corps to install live rigging above the field during finals week. On his death bed, Hopkins' last words were, "Finally, Cirque..."

Hopkins is credited with initiating the Age of Enli-HEIGHTEN-ment and the eventual development of guard levitation.

This was truly of historical importance, for it led to the reestablishment in 2030 of the Magic of Orlando, under new ownership of David Copperfield, Penn Jillette, and Raymond Teller. The were able to levitate the entire Corps, thus rendering all wires and rigging of any kind totally obsolete. Of even greater importance was the ownership's ability to conjure the body and spirit of the deceased George Hopkins, who repeatedly intoned the phrase "Oh the Humanity!!!" (and thus fulfilling Hopkins' secret desire to be a Drum Corps narrator himself) during the Corps' finale of the music from "Hindenburg: The Musical." I was so impressed that a Drum Corps could come back from a 25-year hiatus to win the Drum Corps Intergalactic Championship in it's first year of return. Truly, truly remarkable.

Not to be outdone, The Troopers enlisted the Magic ownership to assist with the following year's production of "Ghost Riders In The Sky," which featured Jim Jones seated upon Pegasus.

Edited November 21, 2014 by HornTeacher

[xandandl]

The debatable immensity of the stage (compared to the whole size of the field and the vertical space in LOS as well) and its decoration was probably meant to over-dramatize the sense of being at the White House, the sense of the grandeur of the Office, and the larger than life character/egos of those who have held that position.

The ole Cesario standard was always "Exaggerate, exaggerate, exaggerate" in order to communicate with the (judging) box in such a sized arena where spatial relationships are important and must be relative to the hole in all dimensions: up, down, across, side to side, back to front.

Unfortunately, many of the viewers/posters saw the performance in smaller venues, sat in the cheap seats perhaps with a bias toward watching the percussionists' hands, or just had old knees like mine and find the climb up and down stairs arduous. From that perspective, the stage probably seemed large. Not so from the viewing in the judge's box, the view which tends to count in competition.

Edited November 21, 2014 by xandandl

[fsubone]

Wait til you get older, then it's bathroom and 'OMG I gotta walk around before I get too stiff to get up' breaks.

Well, I have to take stand up and walk around breaks already at 24. DCI is bad for the joints. And tiny high school stands are not good for tall people.

[brichtimp]

The debatable immensity of the stage (compared to the whole size of the field and the vertical space in LOS as well) and its decoration was probably meant to over-dramatize the sense of being at the White House, the sense of the grandeur of the Office, and the larger than life character/egos of those who have held that position.

The ole Cesario standard was always "Exaggerate, exaggerate, exaggerate" in order to communicate with the (judging) box in such a sized arena where spatial relationships are important and must be relative to the hole in all dimensions: up, down, across, side to side, back to front.

Unfortunately, many of the viewers/posters saw the performance in smaller venues, sat in the cheap seats perhaps with a bias toward watching the percussionists' hands, or just had old knees like mine and find the climb up and down stairs arduous. From that perspective, the stage probably seemed large. Not so from the viewing in the judge's box, the view which tends to count in competition.

Interesting take on the stage situation....I speculate that a few of the on-field judges (particularly percussion) had a much less favorable view of the stage and how it hampered their ability to get back and forth from pit to battery...in reality, among the top 5 corps, the Cadets battery was featured least, especially in proximity to the front of the field...they were killing it 40-50 yards away....a shame considering the musical licks being delivered on the back side.