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The direction of show design: will all follow Bloo?


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Are you saying we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto?

Haha! I was just thinking before you posted this of Cipher's line to Neo in the Matrix. "Buckle up Dorothy, because Kansas ... It's going bye-bye."

Edited by Jurassic Lancer
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While the uniforms were stunners, what I noticed almost as much was the ensemble and even soloist approach to the music...and the fact that a lot of the music was clapping.

And what I also find amusing is, isn't this a much much bigger version of Stomp!...which came from DCI?

I guarantee you, no matter what you may think of it, ticket sales went through the roof this morning, Coats will set a record for merch sales, and band directors all across America are trying to figure out how they can raise funds to change the direction of their band.

Not all that long ago we worried that drum corps was fading into history. Now, we worry if it is moving too fast into the future! I say, bring it on!

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I have been saying for a while that true costuming will eventually replace traditional uniforms in DCI (note the word "eventually"...it will be a gradual process), and I thought watching the Coats last year that they specifically needed to go that route if they decided to remain cutting edge with their show designs. Their traditional coats and helmets were jarring against the contemporary look and sounds they were presenting. Their choices this year are great, IMO.

Traditional isn't always bad. Heck...Oh! Calcutta! came out in 1972 (I believe) -- and as far as I know, the costuming for that show has stayed pretty much the same in the intervening 46 years. :silly:

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Honest opinion (hold on to your hats kids), I will always advocate for ensembles to push innovation, while attempting to keep the styles that made them who they are.

To quote a friend of mine who i've taught with, "they just out BD'd BD."

Its cool. Its truly innovative. The only thing its missing (to mush together three quotes of others I've taught with) "is tarps, hats, and LEDs on everything" Will some try to copy it? Of course they will. Is it too far from a marching art...? Time will tell. We'll see what it looks like in August.

While I think they've got great ideas, and will likely be rewarded for taking such a big leap with this, there's a part of me that thinks they gave up the corps' identity at the cost of one season & a trophy.

Again, just an opinion. I always have a great love of BD, SCV, Madison, PR, because they program shows that innovate using their own styles, (to me at least) instead of innovating their own style.

I would like to see a cost analysis of all the corps after this season of $$$ vs Final Placement. (much like MLB does with their salary vs stats) I don't think that will ever happen though.

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We all wondered the same thing about the early 2000's Cavaliers:

Will everyone play original music?

We all asked the same questions after 2005 Cadets:

Will everyone do drum speak?

We all asked the same questions after 2008 BD:

Will everyone move towards abstraction?

Same as it ever was.

The answer is: not unless upstairs rewards it. They did, so expect more of WGI to come. To be honest, I thought the slides and "half pipes" were under-utilized.

If it were me, I'd be going for broke with the gimmick: go even bigger and end the show by putting a massive slide together with a company front "sliding" (downside up) down.

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We all wondered the same thing about the early 2000's Cavaliers:

Will everyone play original music?

We all asked the same questions after 2005 Cadets:

Will everyone do drum speak?

We all asked the same questions after 2008 BD:

Will everyone move towards abstraction?

Same as it ever was.

The answer is: not unless upstairs rewards it. They did, so expect more of WGI to come. To be honest, I thought the slides and "half pipes" were under-utilized.

If it were me, I'd be going for broke with the gimmick: go even bigger and end the show by putting a massive slide together with a company front "sliding" (downside up) down.

I also thought they could do more with the props, but I assume you don't play all your best tricks at the first show. They generated some great effect from them already. If they have 2 or 3 more cool uses to introduce later in the summer, I think they're going to do just fine.

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I'm an old dinosaur Fart who saw DCI for the first time in 78 and I stI'll remember the amazement I felt watching groups like Troopers, Spirit, Scouts and Bridgemen. I felt that these groups were like superheroes compared to the HS shows I'd seen because of the amazing playing and incredible wowness of the designs. The excitement and the rush of witnessing performers achieving at such a high level with such creativity hooked me on the activity for life. To me, the Bluecoats show last night was among the closest experiences I've had to reconnecting with that sense of amazement and wonder I felt at my first show. That makes it a DCI show in the most fundamental sense - this sometimes jaded old fart was wowed again. Screaming trumpets, sublime drumming licks and grooves, dramatic surprises, and such are, in some ways, even more old-school than many of the storytelling, narrative shows with sometimes abstract chopped arrangements that have become a somewhat tiresome norm (to me) lately. Don't focus so much on the garb issue and think about some of the many ways that this show revives some of the greatest traditions of the activity. Drums, brass and guard performing their ##### off in the most athletic way! Other groups may or may not copy the visual style but I'm always open to groups finding new ways to awe!

Edited by 3PoC
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Hats? Don't care.

Slides? Don't care.

Spandex shirts? Don't care.

"Athletic" outfits? You're right -- it makes sense. Therefore, don't care.

Which brings us to electronics. I'm not against electronics. I like my television. I like having lights. I like my stereo. I like my electric furnace, and not having to trudge through the snow on a -20 degree night to grab frozen pieces of wood to burn in the fireplace, and not having to wear 3 layers of clothing to bed simply to keep from shivering. AND yes, I do believe in progress. That being said...I'm beginning to see an onslaught of PEE's...the marching version of the athletic world's PED's. I just feel that Performance Enhancing Electronics is lending an artificial nature to what is supposed to be a "live" activity.

Last night, there were electronics that overpowered the corps, and those corps suffered because of it. There were other corps that had electronic fails that also hurt their corps. I think it is interesting that in the case of Bluecoats, they have dialed back on their use of electronics, at least insomuch as they aren't the primary thing you notice during the show, not so much up front and center. I'm my opinion, they integrate them very effectively in a way that compliments the show beautifully.

Edited by Jurassic Lancer
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We all wondered the same thing about the early 2000's Cavaliers:

Will everyone play original music?

We all asked the same questions after 2005 Cadets:

Will everyone do drum speak?

We all asked the same questions after 2008 BD:

Will everyone move towards abstraction?

Same as it ever was.

The answer is: not unless upstairs rewards it. They did, so expect more of WGI to come. To be honest, I thought the slides and "half pipes" were under-utilized.

If it were me, I'd be going for broke with the gimmick: go even bigger and end the show by putting a massive slide together with a company front "sliding" (downside up) down.

To be fair, the props were used extensively, but their usage wasn't entirely caught in the theater production, and I am assuming you saw the show in the theater, if I am wrong, forgive me. You must see the show live. So much is going on simultaneously that it simply can't be caught by the cameras. Edited by Jurassic Lancer
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