Dance Company vs Color Guard

[Jeff Ream]

7 hours ago, Jurassic Lancer said:

And Michigan’s drum major is a BAC alum!

And Michigan still sucks 😂

[Tim K]

When I was in high school, dance teams were added to the band programs. The joke used to be they weren’t talented enough to be a cheerleader and kept dropping the flags and rifles so that’s why they were part of the dance team. Schools that competed had the dance team at half time performances, never at competitions. I’m sure we all believed it was because they weren’t very good, typical high school mentality, and they were probably better than we thought, but my guess is that at the time they used sheets that the local circuits used (CYO, Eastern MA, and Mayflower) which would have allowed some dance from a color guard but would require color guard members have a flag, rifle, or saber. It would only have been 2 points of the score but the penalties for not following a rule could sink a performance.

Today, color guards will remain, regardless of the name, as long as the desired scores are achieved.

[KVG_DC]

Huh. Poms (dance team equivalent) was the elite at my school in the 80s. Girls would all try out for poms and those who didn't make it would try for cheerleading, if you didn't make that, guard.   There were some who went straight to guard because they liked the equipment work though.  But yeah poms/dance were considered the top of the glamour order.  They'd traditionally do the basketball school song routine and it was only after some major flap with the cheerleaders, it was taught to the cheerleaders and they were to join.  But basketball halftime was poms/dance only.  And cheerleaders would sulk about it because they'd get a big roar and then everyone would go for the bathroom and concessions while the cheerleaders took the floor.

 

[TRacer]

I read the title of this thread and before I opened it I thought, “In other words, hornline vs. color guard.” 

Edited December 3, 2023 by TRacer

[IllianaLancerContra]

Is the dance company a stepping-stone to community theater?

oops- wrong discussion 

[lowend]

On 12/1/2023 at 2:54 PM, Jeff Ream said:

a slow fade wouldn't work. the instructor is too known and too respected and it would have been noticed. Whitney basically brought the guard program back from the dead. this is a program people watch like a hawk

Thanks for the clarification.  I don't spend a lot of time watching Texas/UIL/BOA bands because that style would get me run out of town, so I definitely didn't know.

[lowend]

On 12/1/2023 at 3:32 PM, keystone3ply said:

Wow; found this forum via google. I'm sure there's more info but that first plan seems like a 'bone head' decision by the band director. 

https://www.txbands.com/forums/topic/15470-discontinuing-color-guard/

You can always add, but you can never cut; so, be careful what you add.

[gak27]

On 12/2/2023 at 12:02 AM, Jeff Ream said:

And Michigan still sucks 😂

♾️❤️

[gak27]

On 12/1/2023 at 8:41 AM, Terri Schehr said:

I think it was 86 that the Cadets had a very small color guard.  That was a strange show imho. 

I've always REALLY liked their '86 show.  The whole middle part with the "ribbon boxes" that moved around / highlighted / wove through the rest of the corps was fantastic.

[MikeN]

In Texas, just about everyone already has a dance / drill team.  Most bands also have a color guard.  For decades now, band directors think they've reinvented the wheel by having the drill team replace the guard, but they have usually made the dancers learn flag work.  

Like most fads in TX bands, this too shall likely pass.  There are 3,240 high schools in Texas - it takes decades for the whole ship to change course.

Mike