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Mandarins 2018


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Finally caught a video on YT and I will also join in on the hype train. All this praise from everyone is unquestionably well-earned....what a show. And not only a show, but JESUS they have a deeply talented corps this year.

The name of the game this year for Mandarins is content, content, content, and boy do they have it in every department --- a brass book that rarely even pauses in its demand from the performers, aggressive drill & tons of layered choreography, a top notch guard book, a relentless percussion book full of meat that truly never lets up, and even a concept that's deep and will take some commitment and time to flesh out. No one from the design team wanted to leave a shred of doubt in anyone's minds that they're fielding a Finals-quality show this year.

And, as of now, all of the ensembles seem to be rising to the occasion and performing these meaty books very well. There's a ton there, just a question of how well can they clean? It's undoubtedly more than any Mandarins member has ever tried to tackle, and more than their staff members are ever asked to clean, literally pulling the staff & members into uncharted territory, so that will be the big x factor at the season's end. However, they're clearly demonstrating on all fronts that the drive is there. If this show can get clean, and I think everyone believes it will, it will not be a question of "if" for Saturday night, but "how high". 

Well done, Mandarins. This is going to be a completely unbridled ride of a season for the corps. I can't wait to see this show develop!! They've really arrived.

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6 hours ago, BRASSO said:

 I must admit I know very little about the internal organizational structure there at the Mandarins. But I do know that in order to become a strong Corps on the field, a Corps must have a strong organization with people of know how and experience behind the scenes. This is wonderful watching this Corps emerge this season like this !

 The Mandarins as we know are from Sacramento, California. For long timers here, they know that Sacramento, Calif has produced 2 TOP 12 DCI  Corps in the past at various stages..The Freelancers and the Commodores. So I was wondering, do the Mandarins from Sacramento have volunteers. BOD members, financial backers, etc that were once afiliated with these 2 Corps ? Or is this pretty much a Corps that has little to no connections at all in staff/ alums/ donors. etc to these 2 former terrific Corps from Sacramento ?

 

The Mandarins are one of the most financially stable drum corps in the activity.  They have a very strong alumni base and have deep ties to Sacramento (including local funders).  The Mandarins are one of the best fed corps while touring (seriously - their menus are rather impressive!).  Their scores on the field are finally rising to the level of strength off the field!  

 

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Mandarins have really stepped up off the field too. They have diversified their programs by offering supplemental music and leadership education to the area youths throughout Northern CA. It's exciting to see those partnerships with schools grow and more kids getting the exposure to music education. Huge kudos to Jim Tabuchi for taking the Mandarins to the next level in making sure that the group is fiscally responsible in managing growth. It's no small feat when costs rise annually.  

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58 minutes ago, caliswift said:

Aren't all their admin staff volunteer too (including the director)? I don't think that's very common among the top corps these days.

To my knowledge, Jim Tabuchi is the only volunteer director in world class. Possibly in the activity. 

 

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Unless there was a recent change, Bob Jacobs not only is not paid with Jersey Surf but also donates quite a bit.

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After reading bits and pieces in show threads and seeing a vid "pop up" online, I watched.

OH.

OH MY.

I am SO glad that they are coming to Massillon!  This show will be GREATLY appreciated by that crowd.  And the corps will be welcomed quite enthusiastically.

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As you can see from my signature, i reallyyyy love this show. So so impressed with this corps

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