Dance Company vs Color Guard

[Terri Schehr]

7 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

From my inner-Dino POV, I'm not always in favor of doing things "the way we've always done it" (.02 to @JimF-LowBari for borrowing that) , but there are some traditions that need to be upheld. Today's society seems to ignore that quite frequently. History has meaning. 

I think someone on here suggested a name change to Band Corps international.  I’m not sure if they were being serious or sarcastic. 

[IllianaLancerContra]

26 minutes ago, Phantom56 said:

The color guard part of drum corps show should change with times. For example, why are they still called guard? Who are they guarding? Rifles, Sabres, really? All military terms from the beginnings of drum corps. Even Winter Guard International should change their name. How does that name reflect today's activity, and what they are doing,  as some kind of art performance? 

WGI morphing to Basketball Court Dance Flag/Stuff Winter Music Performance International?   BCDFSWMPI. 

[IllianaLancerContra]

27 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

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

Yes, they had 12 guard so they could march 88 brass. 

[Jeff Ream]

13 hours ago, oldbandguy said:

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.

well it will depend on what other states or circuits do. BOA and UIL do not have color guard sheets. many other local circuits do, and some even count it as part of the total score, as DCI and DCA do.

 

also, it was decided last night after a meeting open to the public that the guard remains and a dance team will be added.

 

it's all because of Vandergrift HS, who has a dance team that uses swing flags in the ballad and won BOA. is it really a trend, or just something one school does masterfully? let's says Vandy doesn't win so much in a year or two......does it stay this way?

 

oh and Vandys director and staff are or have all been tied to SCV recently and Crown

Edited December 1, 2023 by Jeff Ream

[Jeff Ream]

11 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

I think someone on here suggested a name change to Band Corps international.  I’m not sure if they were being serious or sarcastic. 

bugles originally didn't have valves. so we've been loose with the name and tradition from the get go. and everything has been changing since day 2, so that people get super hung up on certain things when the activity has FAR bigger issues to worry about seems silly anymore.

 

the drum corps you marched wasn't the drum corps of even 10 years before. so was it still drum corps? it's the never ending debate

[keystone3ply]

13 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

I think someone on here suggested a name change to Band Corps international.  I’m not sure if they were being serious or sarcastic. 

Reminds me of Bancorp Bank & their commercial jingle. Ear worm! 😂 

[IllianaLancerContra]

16 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

bugles originally didn't have valves. so we've been loose with the name and tradition from the get go. and everything has been changing since day 2, so that people get super hung up on certain things when the activity has FAR bigger issues to worry about seems silly anymore.

 

the drum corps you marched wasn't the drum corps of even 10 years before. so was it still drum corps? it's the never ending debate

Real buglers don’t need no stinkin’ valves.  

[Jeff Ream]

2 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Real buglers don’t need no stinkin’ valves.  

well you duck and hide since you just insulted decades of brass players in what was called drum and bugle corps LOL

[KVG_DC]

I remember an article covering a big ISSMA competition in the local paper in the 80s one year that opened with a descriptive line of, "These school groups of tooters, wavers, and beaters..."  

We were HOWLING with laugher about it for weeks to close the season obviously.  The band director would always retort, "well, she's not WRONG..."  when telling us to break into sectionals with those terms.   "wood tooters over there, brass tooters there, beaters back behind the stands, wavers to the aux field!"   

[mingusmonk]

3 hours ago, keystone3ply said:

I think this is just a change in the "labeling" or marketing of the ensemble. I'm sure the "Dance Company" will still utilize all weapons (equipment) at their disposal. (We have dance line members that also perform & compete with our winter guard.) Just my thoughts & opinion. 🤔  

ex: historical titles such as flag corps = color guard, etc...

In this specific case the OP mentioned, they were going to terminate the usage of implements. With the possible exception of swing flags.

 

 

The good news is that an agreement was made during a heated community meeting last night to retain color guard and add a dance group.