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What would happen if a corps said, f it i am going old school


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My point is that a staff designs a show to win based on the rules in place.  In 2017, Blue Devils did it best.  Same with their 1976 Corps.  To put it differently, if the 2017 BD staff was told to write a show using 1976 rules, the show they would design would look a lot like the 1976 BD show.  

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3 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

My point is that a staff designs a show to win based on the rules in place.  In 2017, Blue Devils did it best.  Same with their 1976 Corps.  To put it differently, if the 2017 BD staff was told to write a show using 1976 rules, the show they would design would look a lot like the 1976 BD show.  

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But 'the way you structured the post' you stated that it would also be designed to win (in 2017).

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23 hours ago, oldcadetsop said:

btw mr 93, we watched ur 93 show tonite, always blows my mind. have a few friends that marched that year. one of my fav Cadets shows.

 

FHNSAB

Appreciate that!  We usually get passed over for talk of Star '93.  We worked really hard and were proud to be a part of the long Holy Name/Garfield tradition!

FHNSAB

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1 hour ago, cadet93 said:

Appreciate that!  We usually get passed over for talk of Star '93.

Add me to the list of admirers. Your 93 show was bananas. I recently watched a rehearsal video from that year that is floating around the web -- I still marvel that you guys were able to march that drill all season with no fatalities!

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1992 Santa Clara *sorta* fit this description back in the day, especially early in the season. Off-the-line, one flag all show for the guard (if I'm remembering correctly), lots of old-school touches and elements, just modernized a bit. Great corps, I don't think it earned the competitive result they were hoping for.

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5 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

If BD 2017 designed a show to win using, say, 1976 rules, that show would look a lot like the 1976 Blue Devils

 True. I agree. Corps naturally develop shows that are designed to maximize the most points that can be had under the competition's agreed to, judging system.

 Also, another twist..... I believe that Carolina Crown would have won more than 1 DCI Title by now ( same number as the Anaheim Kingsmen, by the way ) if the earlier decades judging systems were utilized.

 For example, in earlier decades, Brass line competency were highly rewarded in scores/ final placements... then Percussion... and much lower then... excellence in Guard. But thats all changed under the new judging system. Guard is far more rewarded on the sheets than ever before. Guards and Guard performers tend to sell the theme more than any other Corps sections now. SCV would have medaled WAY more the last decade under the older judging sheets with such excellence in Percussion too. One can win DCI today if you finish ( say ) 6th in Percussion. But if you finish lower than 3rd or 4th in Guard today, you have absolutely no shot at all of winning a DCI Title under the current judging sheets. Carolina Crown is well known for excellence in brass lines. For over a decade now too. But , as I said, such brass line excellence has given them just 1 DCI Title. BD used to be known for great brass lines. They still have excellence there, but BD knows that its GUARD that mostly drives the scores now among the Corps sections., and as such, BD has made certain they have one of the best performing Guards that'll take the competition field each and every season now. BD  understands the current judging system better than anyone... and to their credit too.

Edited by BRASSO
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Madison 2010. if clean, it could possibly have a stab at a finals spot.

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Not sure we'd ever see a complete old school show from top to bottom, but I do think we will see many old school elements in modern shows. In fact, I think we've already seen some over the years.  

To me, the three best things about old school are:

  1. logical music arranging that the audience can follow 
  2. visual programs that flow logically and do not evolve so quickly that one can't follow or keep up
  3. powerful G bugles

Ok, so no. 3 is likely to not come back. But Numbers 1 and 2 have seen the light of day with some corps. Let's start with the Blue Devils. One of the reasons I have really enjoyed their productions from 2014 onward, and especially 2015 and 2017, is that the music has been arranged to "pull you in." It's logical, has great build and development, and it's primarily been very tuneful. They also took some very simple -- yet hard to pull off -- visual ideas and made them work. The intro to the 2017 show is classic old school with modern elements in body movement, guard (rifles), and how the percussion enter the field. In the last 3 years or so BD has brought back the park n bark and modified it to make it work. Fans from my day used to love the "concert number" portion of a show. Even a short park and blow was considered a cool event in the show.  If done right, with the correct staging and music arrangement, it such a park and bark can be a huge boost to Music GE.  I also like how musically BD has taken part of their ballad music and brought it back at the end of the show to be part of their closer. It ties their shows together nicely. This was something many corps did back in the day. 

Also, let's be honest about what the Cadets did in 2015. They went old school in a way with drill and music (at least by Cadets standards). That show was like a 90s Cadets production with the exception of the ballad (visually). They had absolute killer drill and killer music arranging. They had great brass and drums. Despite the fact that they couldn't get the guard integrated, they went dark (not a good idea with that show), and the theme did nothing for the show, they still TOOK FOURTH PLACE. I'd argue they belonged in 3rd. But we have to stop acting like 4th is some bad thing. That show still did well because it featured amazing drill and music and they certainly had the talent in brass and drums that year. 

If anything, when it comes to today's shows (2010 to present) I feel things have slowed down some. We do not see whiplash drill as often. Being clean is really important with today's sheets. Music arranging is getting better after a period where chop n bop, splice and dice, copy n paste, and effects-style writing were used as gimmicks or filler while corps ran around with their heads cut off like chickens (90s, early 2000s). Obviously staging, body movement, dance, and guard integration are big today.  But to me it's how transitions are handled that embodies one of the biggest differences between today and yesteryear. 

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 Tradition works to some small degree in scores/ placements still. We just have to be prepared to witness it, even if in small doses.

 For example,  BD 2017 won DCI last season with a show that featured traditional features, ie an off the line opener, with straight line marching coming off that line. They featured a street beat in Percussion.  They featured traditional flag and rifle line work in the opener. They featured no singing in any of the show. No narration ( by Corps members ) in any of the show. They did not use artificial volume enhancers for their brass line playing in any of the show. BD eschewed the hatless look last season that is currently De Riguer in some " modern look " quarters. Their shakos and plumes were very traditional in look and style. BD 2017 show and look was actually a blend of the traditional and the Avant- garde.  Corps that went all out on the Avant- garde style in 2017 all finished behind the Blue Devils. And some Corps that went totally Avant-garde last season ( without naming names here ) clearly either fell back in scores or placements last season, or got no placement traction at all with it from previous show designs, uniforms, shakos, they once utilized.

Edited by BRASSO
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