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Blue Knights 2017


TrueBK

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Symbolism could be an important component of the show.  The opening pose by the two guard members on the DM platforms kind of resembles the Hanged Man...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hanged_Man_(Tarot_card)

Or maybe an upside-down version of the Vriksasana or yoga tree pose (some mythology attached to that).

The Blue Knights seem to be throwing in a lot of poses and hand gestures (maybe from things like mudras or other hand gestures seen in iconography of saints, etc).  Almost seems like you'd have to watch the show 150 times to see what every member is cramming into the thing.  I liked that it was visually busy when I saw the preview show (the eyes on the uniforms pretty much demand it) -- that element seemed a little scaled back at DATR, although it's possible the show was just cleaner, plus I was sitting further back on that viewing.

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On 7/24/2017 at 5:45 AM, Mycroft said:

the judges probably have a hard time scoring the guard because the guard and the rest of the corps are so tightly integrated. 

Again, I'm not a guard guy. But watching the show last week, this same thought occurred to me. There has been some criticism that BK's guard looks too much like the rest of the corps. And then, watching the musicians, the thought struck me that, no, it is the musicians who look so much like the guard.

Evidence for this conclusion is all the dance that the musicians are doing -- also a subject of some criticism aimed at BK. It's not that the guard looks a lot like the rest of the corps, but that the rest of the corps looks like a color guard -- a guard that happens to play instruments.

All of which fits under a show theme -- "i" -- that is, I guess, playing around with ideas of identity and perception.

So if there is madness here, there also may be method. What I don't know is whether the scoring sheets can can accommodate such a method. 

Edited by 2muchcoffeeman
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5 minutes ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

Again, I'm not a guard guy. But watching the show last week, this same thought occurred to me. There has been some criticism that BK's guard looks too much like the rest of the corps. And then, watching the musicians, the thought struck me that, no, it is the musicians who look so much like the guard.

Evidence for this conclusion is all the dance that the musicians are doing -- also a subject of some criticism aimed at BK. It's not that the guard looks a lot like the rest of the corps, but that the rest of the corps looks like a color guard -- a guard that happens to play instruments.

All of which fits under a show theme -- "i" -- that is, I guess, playing around with ideas of identity and perception.

So if there is madness here, there also may be method. What I don't know is whether the sheets can accommodate such an idea. 

If this is the case, how come the Bluecoats were so successful last year with a show that had the corps and guard dress very similar to each other?

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Just now, Cadevilina Crown said:

If this is the case, how come the Bluecoats were so successful last year with a show that had the corps and guard dress very similar to each other?

Indeed, Bluecoats are a strong piece of evidence of minimizing the visual distinction between the guard and musicians. So, the method can work. Two questions suggest themselves:

1. Are DCI sheets & judges equipped to handle this blurring distinction?

2. What's causing BK's lackluster guard scores? In other words, how does BK17 differ from Bloo16 in this regard?

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1 minute ago, 2muchcoffeeman said:

Indeed, Bluecoats are a strong piece of evidence of minimizing the visual distinction between the guard and musicians. So, the method can work. Two questions suggest themselves:

1. Are DCI sheets & judges equipped to handle this blurring distinction?

2. What's causing BK's lackluster guard scores? In other words, how does BK17 differ from Bloo16 in this regard?

As someone who isn't a judge, this is where I wish the judges were more open on what's causing certain captions to struggle (or do well) in relation to everyone else. I could say that BK's guard is dirty and that they use too much unusual and hard-to-maneuver equipment, but the color guard judges who have seen them recently may say something else completely. I just can't know for sure.

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Upon listening to their show again, I had a small realization. The Blue Knights use dynamics better than just about anyone. Their louds are face melting, and their quiets are soft as a feather (they also use silence effectively). And they achieve these levels of quiet while the entire ensemble is playing! And even facing the front. It seems that other corps will either face backfield or use a smaller ensemble for the quietest passages, and while BK certainly does this as well, they absolutely have mastered whole ensemble dynamic contrast. As a brass player, I know how hard it is to play softly with a full sound, so color me impressed. 

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2 hours ago, shofmon88 said:

Upon listening to their show again, I had a small realization. The Blue Knights use dynamics better than just about anyone. Their louds are face melting, and their quiets are soft as a feather (they also use silence effectively). And they achieve these levels of quiet while the entire ensemble is playing! And even facing the front. It seems that other corps will either face backfield or use a smaller ensemble for the quietest passages, and while BK certainly does this as well, they absolutely have mastered whole ensemble dynamic contrast. As a brass player, I know how hard it is to play softly with a full sound, so color me impressed. 

Absolutely.   I'm still not sure how I feel about the arrangement of Hide and Seek but man, the level of contrast especially live was amazing during it.   

That show grew on me a ton live last week.  Love the changes and adjustments they're making.  

Edited by DrumManTx
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They've had fantastic rehearsal days since the SA show and quite a few changes being worked out..... tonight is a debut of it in Miss. from my understanding

 

 

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3 minutes ago, wesleyrp said:

They've had fantastic rehearsal days since the SA show and quite a few changes being worked out..... tonight is a debut of it in Miss. from my understanding

 

 

Ooh.  What is.  "It"?

:117_eyes:

This show is a few good changes away from me loving it so color me excited.  

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