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Drill Creativity


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I hope we can all be civil here. I am simply asking for insights and opinions. There's a current thread about company fronts and I noticed that most posters have listed corps shows from the mid 70's to early 90's. Also, having read DCP for about a year and a half, many share their love of shows from that same time period. I was not involved in drum corps during this time, which is why I ask the question.

In general, would you say that drills from mid 70's to early 90's were generally speaking, more creative than the drills of the mid 90's to 2005? If so, what is lacking and do you have any suggestions for improvement?

After reading DCP for a year and a half and always reading about the great shows of the 70's, 80's, and early 90's, I am beginning to think something may be lacking in drills from the last 10 years or so. I don't know. I'm just asking for opinions - calmly stated opinions :) Thanks!

Edited by GuitarMan
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I just think that corps opted for more simplistic design back then, so had impact moments like company fronts to appeal to the lovers of the "sheer power" aspect of drum corps. Corps nowadays try and be more subtle about impact points and dealing with audience's emotions, whether that be good or bad, so they find other ways to choreograph it.

I wouldn't say by any means that drill was more creative or impressive back then, but I guess the question is relative.

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I just think that corps opted for more simplistic design back then, so had impact moments like company fronts to appeal to the lovers of the "sheer power" aspect of drum corps. Corps nowadays try and be more subtle about impact points and dealing with audience's emotions, whether that be good or bad, so they find other ways to choreograph it.

I wouldn't say by any means that drill was more creative or impressive back then, but I guess the question is relative.

w/Stp: Good answer.

Oh . . . sans stupid (wouldn't want to appear uncivil) :)

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You really can't compare drills from 20 or 30 years ago to today. They were revolutionary in their own time, but if presented today would not score well at all.

Today's drill is creative for today, and tomorrow's drill will be creative for tomorrow, but you can't compare eras.

Oh, and I totally agree with the comment about the company fronts.

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The field of Visual Design had more obvious barriers to break in the 1970's & 1980's. It is understandable to view those designs as more creative than contemporary drills. Busting out of elevator drill or the symmetry box were HUGE (but obvious) innovations. And certainly more blatant than innovations we see today, such as total program flow and integration, visual phrases/concepts that last minutes, not seconds, etc.

So is that to say the days of massive revolutions in visual design are over? Who's to know? Afterall, there are limits to what the human body can achieve, but you better believe that the top corps, like top athletes, will continue to push those limits further and further, if only a fraction of an inch at a time.

So, what we will see is not unabating revolutions of visual design, but subtle and continuous evolutions. The two are distinctly different. A revolution you know is happening when it takes place. An evolution you only notice years into its development. The activity witnessed a revolution in the early 1980's. Since then, we've witnessed its evolution, with maybe a minor revolution here or there (Star '93-effect...).

My $.03

M

Edited by OMello1
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I think you must compare the drill back then to the drill before it... Then it was amazingly creative... It was so original back then... But you look at it now, and people are doing the same things over and over, they aren't trying new things... but back then, everything wasn't done yet, so everything had to be original and creative...

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