Blue Coats DCI Champions '16: Paradigm Shift?

[MikeRapp]

I'm not sure I see history the same way as the original poster.

For one thing, Garfield Cadets show in 1983 was excellent, but George Zingali's drill that year built upon what he did in 1982 and what he did with 27th in 1979-1980. Some would even argue that SCV's drill in 1980, a 7th place finish had an impact on Cadets' design.

The development of the pit came from a rule change regarding allowing some percussion instruments to be stationary rather than carried on and off the field.

Regarding Bluecoats, did we really see all that sudden a change? I saw 2016 as something Bluecoats have been doing since 2013. The musical book of 2013 was similar to the arrangements of previous years but the use of the bleachers on the field and the constant movement led to "Tilt" in 2014 and "kinetic Noise" in 2015. While 2016 had a different look with the uniforms, I saw the show as more similar than different to recent years. Even with regards to the uniform, it may have been more necessity than adopting a so called "WGI" style uniform. There is no way the uniforms of 2015 could slide down the ramps. The head gear would have fallen off and the coats would have been a hazard. The uniform design (yes every musician Eorevthe same thing and every guard member eorevthe same thing so they were uniforms, not costumes) may not have been intended to be innovative as to make the show clean.

I think things change gradually, with small (and sometimes unintentional) changes leading to bigger ones. You can always go back and say that a corps introduced something earlier, but there are moments in which, looking back, things changed in general. And like it or not, gold medals signify the solidification of change.

Blue Devils really changed the activity when they started WINNING with their performance and concept direction. Did everyone follow their lead? Of course not, but there is no denying that most corps incorporated many of the ideas they codified when they started winning medals by doing it.

We would like to believe that history and tradition will dictate change, but it never is that way, anywhere. Success dictates change.

Will more corps go with the Bluecoats style of uniform? Absolutely, and especially at the high school level. Those uniforms are more comfortable, cheaper, and make show design easier to create and execute. That's a three part win in my book. Throw in the increased emphasis on guard performance, and it's really a no brainer.

Will the so called traditional corps do it? Probably not immediately, but eventually, I suspect they will incorporate some of the ideas more quickly than we might now predict. Will Cadets ever take the field in uniforms that look like Down Side Up? Probably not. But I would not be surprised if Crusaders walk out with a totally new uniform concept. It's the quickest path to buzz, and I suspect it will be a recruiting magnet.

As far as ramps are concerned, you cannot really do something that specific twice. But I absolutely believe there is a trend toward show concepts that depend on one prop concept, and in fact we have seen that many times, including Crusaders and even Scouts this year.

Edited September 6, 2016 by MikeRapp

[xandandl]

Blue Devils and their use of props changed the ways teams do things. Since they did the show with the chairs more teams have used props and re-staged the way they do.

If anything, I think blue Devils changed the way the activity approaches guard staging and performance. They were really the first group to say both the guard and the marching members are equals in show design. Props had a lot to do with that, but they were used as a part of the overall idea

BD borrowed the Chair idea from Les Chatelaines, an all girl corps from Quebec who had used them almost a decade before.

[xandandl]

I think things change gradually, with small (and sometimes unintentional) changes leading to bigger ones. You can always go back and say that a corps introduced something earlier, but there are moments in which, looking back, things changed in general. And like it or not, gold medals signify the solidification of change.

Blue Devils really changed the activity when they started WINNING with their performance and concept direction. Did everyone follow their lead? Of course not, but there is no denying that most corps incorporated many of the ideas they codified when they started winning medals by doing it.

We would like to believe that history and tradition will dictate change, but it never is that way, anywhere. Success dictates change.

Will more corps go with the Bluecoats style of uniform? Absolutely, and especially at the high school level. Those uniforms are more comfortable, cheaper, and make show design easier to create and execute. That's a three part win in my book. Throw in the increased emphasis on guard performance, and it's really a no brainer.

Will the so called traditional corps do it? Probably not immediately, but eventually, I suspect they will incorporate some of the ideas more quickly than we might now predict. Will Cadets ever take the field in uniforms that look like Down Side Up? Probably not. But I would not be surprised if Crusaders walk out with a totally new uniform concept. It's the quickest path to buzz, and I suspect it will be a recruiting magnet.

As far as ramps are concerned, you cannot really do something that specific twice. But I absolutely believe there is a trend toward show concepts that depend on one prop concept, and in fact we have seen that many times, including Crusaders and even Scouts this year.

Little of what Bluecoats did in '16 was actually new to the activity or to their corps. In other threads, I've already tracked the genealogy of many of their visual moves. It is the staging and integration of the musical elements in an energetic, fan-friendly and judge appealing way that brings their special contribution to 2016. Some say they mimic BD and Crown while using the gymnastics of the recent Bluecoats offerings which also have genealogy in other corps' shows. The combo of momentum.musical verve, and brightness of the '16 Coats is much of what makes their show "unique" to some and pleasant to almost all but rigid homers for other corps..

Edited September 6, 2016 by xandandl

[Liahona]

Little of what Bluecoats did in '16 was actually new to the activity or to their corps. In other threads, I've already tracked the genealogy of many of their visual moves. It is the staging and integration of the musical elements in an energetic, fan-friendly and judge appealing way that brings their special contribution to 2016. Some say they mimic BD and Crown while using the gymnastics of the recent Bluecoats offerings which also have genealogy in other corps' shows. The combo of momentum.musical verve, and brightness of the '16 Coats is much of what makes their show "unique" to some and pleasant to almost all but rigid homers for other corps..

I didn't see the show as innovative per se...just a joy to watch and very exciting to listen...and I've never really liked electronics....I cannot deny though that the Bluecoats used electronics so masterfully...other corps need to seriously go to Bluecoats use of electronics school...they do it right IMO...

I did sit next to a Bluecoats hater in Chester, PA this past season...he kept incessently telling me that he didn't get what all the excitement was about....I told him bluntly with no uncertain terms that he was crazy...of course that didn't go over too well as you can imagine...he switched places with his wife after that...LOL

Edited September 6, 2016 by Liahona

[xandandl]

I didn't see the show as innovative per se...just a joy to watch and very exciting to listen...and I've never really liked electronics....I cannot deny though that the Bluecoats used electronics so masterfully...other corps need to seriously go to Bluecoats use of electronics school...they do it right IMO...

I did sit next to a Bluecoats hater in Chester, PA this past season...he kept incessently telling me that he didn't get what all the excitement was about....I told him bluntly with no uncertain terms that he was crazy...of course that didn't go over too well as you can imagine...he switched places with his wife after that...LOL

i agree with you completely about their balance with electronics, their unusual staging for the front ensemble, and the masterful yet so simple process they used for sound checks and balancing.

I'd like to sign the Cadets up as one of the first of that new class at Bluecoats electronics school. The add Cadets made in that field is in the right direction for them and our ears. :-)

[MikeRapp]

I didn't see the show as innovative per se...just a joy to watch and very exciting to listen...and I've never really liked electronics....I cannot deny though that the Bluecoats used electronics so masterfully...other corps need to seriously go to Bluecoats use of electronics school...they do it right IMO...

I did sit next to a Bluecoats hater in Chester, PA this past season...he kept incessently telling me that he didn't get what all the excitement was about....I told him bluntly with no uncertain terms that he was crazy...of course that didn't go over too well as you can imagine...he switched places with his wife after that...LOL

You can go back and pick out elements of their 2016 show that other shows used, but few if any of those won Gold medals. And none, not one, used uniforms the way they did.

I really hate to say it, but when people purposefully sit on their hands and say they don't get something that 15,000 other fans are cheering for...that to me is the surest sign of codified change. It was not all that long ago that fans literally booed Blue Devils at finals for so aggressively implementing dance and props into their concepts. Today, it's silly to even consider a potential medalist show not including both, prominently.

[ibexpercussion]

Let's not forget the overall concept change, and visual choreography introduced by Star in 1993.

[xandandl]

Let's not forget the overall concept change, and visual choreography introduced by Star in 1993.

Remember JVdkf was the drill writer for that show as he is now with Bluecoats.

[MikeRapp]

i agree with you completely about their balance with electronics, their unusual staging for the front ensemble, and the masterful yet so simple process they used for sound checks and balancing.

I'd like to sign the Cadets up as one of the first of that new class at Bluecoats electronics school. The add Cadets made in that field is in the right direction for them and our ears. :-)

I'm personally not on the electronics bandwagon to the degree that Bluecoats are using it. I am all for ear monitors and micing soloists, but micing the entire corps with added speakers all over the field just flies in the face of what "band" is at its core. (It is cool, though, that I won't deny. And their sound check...flat out cooler than cool!)

I tend to be "for" change because I trust creatives in general. Everything that became standard at one point was revolutionary. What concerns me most about electronics is the simple fact that very few bands/corps can afford to stage electronics at that level because they cannot afford to hire someone who worked on Cirque du Soleil. The only thing worse than artificial sound is poorly designed artificial sound. Just because you can write drill or arrange brass doesn't mean you have a clue how to produce a live amplified show. Just feel like we may be heading down a path where (ironically) George's original vision of haves versus have nots is here, and unwittingly executed by a corps that now employs several ex-Cadets.

Edited September 6, 2016 by MikeRapp

[Eleran]

I really liked the costume - and no headgear -

removing the helmet really opens up the performer and allows them to connect with the audience -

And yet I seem to recall that the general consensus on DCP was not favorable towards "no headgear" when Jersey Surf did it in 2015