Dance Company vs Color Guard

[oldbandguy]

I read a letter sent to the parents and members of the color guard of the
Round Rock High School program in Texas.  This is one of the (several) very
strong competitive marching bands in the state.

The director was letting the color guard students and parents know that AFTER the upcoming indoor winter guard season they will be changing the color guard to a "dance company" that will perform with the marching band...NO COLOR GUARD.  No flags, rifle, or sabers.

The letter stated they were making the change is was determined "after reviewing
what our marching band competitors are doing and considering the direction the
activity at the high school level is going."

If this becomes the norm in Texas it will eventually become the norm in other states.

We have all seen how important dance/choreography has become in DCI.  Will we
soon be seeing the elimination of "color guards" in the activity?  If the high schools
don't provide the training/instruction it will certainly have an impact on drum corps.

[TOC]

interesting.

[DWW11]

And that is when i will stop following drum corps. As a fan, i listen to, and love, the music, but i watch the colorguard almost exclusively. I absolutely believe dance and movement in the MM helps to tie it all together but watching a colorguard doing equipment work is my drug of choice. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by DWW11

[Terri Schehr]

17 minutes ago, DWW11 said:

And that is when i will stop following drum corps. As a fan, i listen to, and love, the music, but i watch the colorguard almost exclusively. I absolutely believe dance and movement in the MM helps to tie it all together but watching a colorguard doing equipment work is my drug of choice. 

It kind of reminds me of how the Marching Illini have the Illinettes.  They’re a dance team.  

[RiverCityAndTroopersFan]

I love as a marching band guy doing dance stuff. But guard is special and shouldn’t be replaced by dance. Guard is very much a marching based activity that I don’t think dance could mesh as well with the band/corps

[greg_orangecounty]

I thought it already happened a long time ago.

[gbass598]

FWIW, Vandegrift used flags in part of their show and if you hadn't told me I would have never known the difference.

They also got the highest regional score ever in BOA so this just seems like natural evolution of the activity like grounding the front ensemble and Star '93.

[IllianaLancerContra]

1 hour ago, Terri Schehr said:

It kind of reminds me of how the Marching Illini have the Illinettes.  They’re a dance team.  

At Purdue we has the Golddusters.  Director back at time (early 1980s)they started said that by just dancing they couldn’t drop their batons.  That said, there were several who also marched Drum Corps color guard.  

[IllianaLancerContra]

55 minutes ago, RiverCityAndTroopersFan said:

I love as a marching band guy doing dance stuff. But guard is special and shouldn’t be replaced by dance. Guard is very much a marching based activity that I don’t think dance could mesh as well with the band/corps

Actually, Guard literally started as a unit to Guard the Colors (American Flag).  Up until late 1970s Drum Corps were required to march a Colors section, usually posted in front corner of side 2 (unless doing a Color Presentation but that is a different discussion).  If a judge (or anyone else) got too close to the Flag, the rifle was to warn them away; if they didn’t back off a rifle butt to the jaw was considered appropriate.  IDK how many times that actually happened, but that was what you were supposed to do.   

Expanded flag and rifle sections grew out of the Colors section from the late 1950s on.   Also, VFW/AL/CYO drill teams played a role in expanding the guard.  

Edited December 1, 2023 by IllianaLancerContra

[denverjohn]

I remember the year Cadets guard went to "comas" as a replacement to simulated rifles claiming that the rifles were too "militaristic".