Show Meanings

[Channel3]

In Dante's Purgatorio, the character Virgil literally crowns and mitres Dante. So Carolina Crown's use of its trademark crown logo drill set in the finale is justified. The Crown logo makes sense in the context of the trilogy of Dante's Inferno.

But the yelling of "Bloo" is hard to justify in the thematic context of the Bluecoats show. It's out of character for the wave theory theme, and although it's a trademark, yelling one's own namesake, you must admit, is a bit collegiate and compromises the show's integrity, and rankles the tone.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Channel3

[Channel3]

OMG !!! Who fed the troll???Who was IT????? :not me: Who fed 3???

Famous "Trolls":

Copernicus

Tesla

George Carlin

Mother Theresa

Scarface

Walt Disney

[Channel3]

Yeah youre right , although it's hard to not look at a train wreck..lol..there's a few of them..lol

I find that people who scream "Troll!" are the ones that are desperate to squash the discussion.

[Channel3]

The only discussion was from Channel 3 trolling the thread constantly looking for victims of his trolling behavior. He still does and we ask every one to not feed the troll so he will look else where for victims.

We're discussing show content, themes, dramatic action, and how depth of concept affect DCI scores, especially at finals. Feel free to jump in with actual content any time.

[GUARDLING]

I find that people who scream "Troll!" are the ones that are desperate to squash the discussion.

I think your view of the activity or what the entitlements should be are crazy to put it mildly but if you want to talk concepts thats another thing. Even with that I think that you look way more into it than need be for an 11 min show. You would crap your pants if you knew how many times over the years a seed gets planted and the public runs with it. sometimes writing their own versions of what they think. Can be quite amusing.

Some of what you wrote is very thought out though I will give you that. As far as show concepts that is.

[Channel3]

Look, Mr. Blue Devils Fan. Get off your chair or platform or blue high horse a second.

First, the Cadets staff did know about the biography of Dmitri, and about the historical context, politics, etc. Every educated person does. And it's been discussed - and in no small part due to me - at length on these boards, mainly in the Cadets thread. Also, I did, in fact, email Hop about this in November, and posted on this board. I got clobbered and ridiculed by suggesting that the show design must be about the music - one (the voice of Dmitri, D S C H, and all) versus the many (the State, collective, faceless) etc. And that it was about state terror and all that. Not a single person on the Cadets staff - or on this forum - supported my point. People with influence said, without naming names, that the show should NOT be about history or politics, etc. That this is "just drum corps" and implied that the meaning of the show was just politics, even though, say, last year's show was dripping with politics. I guess if it's about 'Merica, it's OK. Whatever.

In my mind, the "10" theme was arbitrary and incoherent and led to a guard program, for example, that isn't interesting enough to attract the very best talent, and thus you have a weak link. And you have GE struggles. Etc.

In my opinion, every issue the Cadets have this year can be traced to the design decision that was made - for better or worse - last fall.

Too bad, I think. Wasted opportunity to have meaning and narration and real emotion in the show, instead of incoherence and abstraction.

The "10" decision cost them gold.

What if, say, they titled the show, and carefully avoided the rah-rah patriotic drek that has buried so many a Cadets show in recent years, "E Pluribus Unum" and carried the One vs Many theme through the entire show, solo vs tutti, freedom vs tyrrany, etc. SO many oppositions to inspire design ideas that actually connect with the music.

Alas, though, yet another year of squandered talent and an inept show design from the Cadets staff.

And alas, the Cadets have ceded their longtime role as innovators in DCI, and instead, have become the corps that thinks that marketing is show design, that gimmicks actually work, and that abstraction = aesthetics.

Meaning and narration are where it's at and what it's about. Period. That's where the emotion is. For most all music, that's what is at the beating heart of the composer and their art. And for most performers, including corps members, that's why they love music, dance, and spinning. Because it MEANS something to them.

Go ahead all of you and just try to disagree with me. You can't. Because I'm right, and I have been since last fall.

I hate to say I told you so. But I did. And was called a troll. And ignored by the 'expert' designers too.

So it goes.

The better design staffs right now are the Blue Devils', Crown's, SCV's, and Bluecoats.

The Cadets are, sadly, and almost every year, torpedoed by lack of coherent vision at the top. A tremendous waste of gold-medal talent to do shows that too often are confused by tarps, huge stages, cringe-worthy narration, design that castrates meaning from music, etc.

Cadets 2015: 10 reasons never to ignore the meaning of the music.

OMG. Thank God for you. Thank God for you. You are the wind beneath my wings. Seriously.

I am in complete agreement. What concerns me about this corps is that this is the second year in a row that they've done something completely cattywompus and almost dangerous in interpreting music. It's a sign of design dysfunction, perhaps top heavy (see Memoirs of a Geisha produced by Amy Pascal at Sony). Now Cadets are doing it with a piece of music whose historical context was the Russian holocaust. There needs to be some sober voice here. Someone to say hold on, this is getting dangerous for the activity. Worse, no one is questioning it, present company excluded. And the kids aren't strong enough in this activity to question designers and hold them accountable. The kids are beaten down to the point of willingness to perform freaking Shostakovich's tenth with a theme of counting to ten. (By the way I think the opening audio should be [Echo] One one one million dead. Two two two million dead. Three three three million dead. Also, I don't know why it is a woman's voice. Women were the silent victims of unspeakable torture in the Stalin regime. )

Last year's Lincoln Portrait was the complete opposite of how the piece was conceived and how it's typically staged. It's the very most minimalistic theatrical piece. A small orchestra and a voice. That's it. No T-shirt canons, no shrink wrapped bunting and no pastel colored flags with fifty percent opacity portraits of stock photo models. It was like taking a pure simple American artwork and giving it an LSD enema at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas.

If Cadets want to continue in this vein, here are some suggestions for next year.

Music: Gorecki Symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" (Holocaust remembrance)

Show Title and Theme: Gorecki You're So Fine. You're so Fine You Blow My Mind Gorecki

Music: Shia LaBeouf Live

Show Title: Remembering Our Sacrifice at Normandy

Music: The Soundtrack from Sophie's Choice

Show Title: Belly Button Piercings Hurt at First But they Heal

Edited August 4, 2015 by Channel3

[GUARDLING]

OMG. Thank God for you. Thank God for you. You are the wind beneath my wings. Seriously.

I am in complete agreement. What concerns me about this corps is that this is the second year in a row that they've done something completely cattywompus and almost dangerous in interpreting music. It's a sign of design dysfunction, perhaps top heavy (see Memoirs of a Geisha produced by Amy Pascal at Sony). Now Cadets are doing it with a piece of music whose historical context was the Russian holocaust. There needs to be some sober voice here. Someone to say hold on, this is getting dangerous for the activity. Worse, no one is questioning it, present company excluded. And the kids aren't strong enough in this activity to question designers and hold them accountable. The kids are beaten down to the point of willingness to perform freaking Shostakovich's tenth with a theme of counting to ten. (By the way I think the opening audio should be [Echo] One one one million dead. Two two two million dead. Three three three million dead. Also, I don't know why it is a woman's voice. Women were the silent victims of unspeeakable torture in the Stalin regime. )

Last year's Lincoln Portrait was the complete opposite of how the piece was conceived and how it's typically staged. It's the very most minimalistic theatrical piece. A small orchestra and a voice. That's it. No T-shirt canons, no shrink wrapped bunting and no pastel colored flags with fifty percent opacity portraits of stock photo models. It was like taking a pure simple American artwork and giving it an LSD enema at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas.

If Cadets want to continue in this vein, here are some suggestions for next year.

Music: Gorecki Symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" (Holocaust remembrance)

Show Title and Theme: Gorecki You're So Fine. You're so Fine You Blow My Mind Gorecki

Music: Shia LaBeouf Live

Show Title: Remembering Our Sacrifice at Normandy

Music: The Soundtrack from Sophie's Choice

Show Title: Belly Button Piercings Hurt at First But they Heal

Let me ask you. IF in fact you want a conversation. You do suggest alot, tell me why should anyone even consider what you might have to say, let alone any corps. You do seem like a very frustrated wanna bee designer that noone gave a chance to maybe. Designers usually in the activity , especially at a high level are usually proven themselves one way or another. Please, because it might help your cause, tell us why they or we should even consider what you have to say. You dont look for discussion or say " My opinion " you seem very sure of yourself which is great , now tell us why.

You dont have to give specifics or a resume in detail because no corps should be spoken for on the internet

Edited August 4, 2015 by GUARDLING

[Channel3]

you're tedious and reductive

One of the major corps in this year's competition made a massive, offensive error in music interpretation for their marching music production this year. It's huge. That's the point of discussion. Feel free to add to the content of the discussion at any time.

[BRASSO]

. What concerns me about this corps is that this is the second year in a row that they've done something completely cattywompus and almost dangerous in interpreting music.

I liked it so much better when the Cadets did a Christmas Show with elves, and whatnot and played us some Jingle Bells. That show, theme, music definitely seemed devoid of cattywompus, and nothing looked too dangerous in the interpretation of the theme to me either. ( unless they chose to put 3 Wisemen, Joe & Mary out there in a creche, then the local ACLU reps would've broken out in hives with that, since it would've been on school property ) But GH kept it simple.. not too deep, overly ethereal, controversial etc. But Shosh's 10th ?... holy mackeral. Never knew the Cadets loaded it up this year with an oversaturation of cattywompus in its almost dangerous interpretation to the sensitivities and sensibilities of 20 million dead Russians from 80 years ago.. I think they'd be more than upset if they were alive today to see what this Corps did this year out on the football fields with their marching music and visuals.

Edited August 4, 2015 by BRASSO

[BRASSO]

the yelling of "Bloo" is hard to justify in the thematic context of the Bluecoats show. It's out of character for the wave theory theme, and although it's a trademark, yelling one's own namesake, you must admit, is a bit collegiate and compromises the show's integrity, and rankles the tone.

Just when I thought I was getting used to the fans yelling out something to the field, along comes the Corps yelling things from the field back to me in the stands. It rankles my ankles. And when that happens, believe me, I'm in no mood to motor my ankles to then get up and do The Wave. So I'm on your wave length here, Channel3

Edited August 4, 2015 by BRASSO