Zingali on Show Design

[lowend]

I was cleaning out a storage closet in my bandroom today and found a video titled "Creativity in Drill Design: Featuring George Zingali." I decided to pop it in for a few minutes during my planning period and, after adjusting to his accent (translating from my Southern to Bostonian (?)), I heard some interesting quotes in there.

The first is that a show designer should start with the music and listen to it so much that it becomes part of the designer, then you write from there.

The second is that a show MUST be accessible AND understandable to the audience -- you have to connect with them. If you don't do that, you've got nothing.

To those that marched under and knew this legend, do you think his views might be the same today, or would they have changed? I'm especially curious because in the video Zingali mentions Marc Sylvester as the best transition man there is (or, I guess "was" at that time).

On another note, it was great to finally be able to "meet" somebody whose day in drum corps was over long before I ever knew what it was. The lengths that he stated he went to in order to partake of live artforms is amazing...live music, dance, or theater multiple times per week.

Edited August 17, 2006 by lowend

[Medeabrass]

I didn't get to march for the man but I know many who did. I know for certain that he was the impetus behind Star bringing out the "expressive movement" stuff. Several members and staffers said this to me personally. I always felt his design reflected the themes, emotions, and spirit of what was happening in the music so it's interesting to hear him state that as his intention. I imagine he would think the concept of writing the music to fit the visual to be something like putting the cart before the horse but I also imagine he could find good in it too. Man, I wish I had started marching a few years earlier.

Any other interesting nuggets from the video you would like to share?

[CorpsMom13]

I feel both of the comments you mentioned as relevant today as they were when he made them. There needs to be some sort of connection between the show and the fans. There are pieces of music that just reach in and grab my heart - I'll always love a show using them, and using them well. There is a connection there between the music, the show design and drill and the effect it has on an audience.

CorpsMom13

[lowend]

Any other interesting nuggets from the video you would like to share?

I'll give it another watch and take notes this time. I had it on basically as background while doing the bain of band director existence: lesson plans!

I do remember him mentioning that starting to do theater opened up a new world of visual design for him. He specifically mentioned seeing one dance troupe form a stage coach with their bodies and then making the thing move across the stage. When he saw that, he exclaimed, "It's alive!"

[ssorrell]

The first is that a show designer should start with the music and listen to it so much that it becomes part of the designer, then you write from there.

The second is that a show MUST be accessible AND understandable to the audience -- you have to connect with them. If you don't do that, you've got nothing.

To those that marched under and knew this legend, do you think his views might be the same today, or would they have changed?

Zingali had some strange, or perhaps futuristic ideas all the way back in the early to mid 80s. Have you ever watched Erte Production, his winter guard that won (or tied) for a championship in 1985? That was one wierd and different winter guard. Their music, from composer Phillip Glass, was as off the wall as I've ever heard. George's ideas for that show and their performance of the show indicate that he had definitely internalized the music...it was definitely a part of him. However, I don't think that it was necessarily accessible nor understandable for the audience...BUT, their performance and portrayal of the music was so emotional that the audience became absorbed with it. You could watch that entire performance and never hear a fan clap or anyone cheer, but at the conclusion, the audience slowly realizes that they had just witnessed greatness...a masterful design performed to the highest degree by a team of young adults...at that moment, everyone in the audience is in awe. To this day, I still consider that winter guard program to be cutting edge, but more emotional than almost any other show I've ever seen in 30 years.

It's the same kind of reaction that was achieved by Star in 1993. Most began to watch the show not knowing what they were watching and listening to...but in the end, they knew they had seen something revolutionary and wonderful.

Who knows what kind of direction George might have taken by now if he hadn't left us many years ago? He had already gone into the unknown and taken some rather bold steps into esoterica, AND he was successful in doing so. Where could he have possibly gone? Man, I'd love to know. Just like the quote at the end of Erte Production's show, "...so many possibilities".

[IllianaLancerContra]

I was cleaning out a storage closet in my bandroom today and found a video titled "Creativity in Drill Design: Featuring George Zingali." I decided to pop it in for a few minutes during my planning period and, after adjusting to his accent (translating from my Southern to Bostonian (?)), I heard some interesting quotes in there.

The first is that a show designer should start with the music and listen to it so much that it becomes part of the designer, then you write from there.

The second is that a show MUST be accessible AND understandable to the audience -- you have to connect with them. If you don't do that, you've got nothing.

To those that marched under and knew this legend, do you think his views might be the same today, or would they have changed? I'm especially curious because in the video Zingali mentions Marc Sylvester as the best transition man there is (or, I guess "was" at that time).

On another note, it was great to finally be able to "meet" somebody whose day in drum corps was over long before I ever knew what it was. The lengths that he stated he went to in order to partake of live artforms is amazing...live music, dance, or theater multiple times per week.

How hard would it be to digitize this I wonder? Also wonder what the copyright status is. Sounds like something every drill designer should see.

Edited August 17, 2006 by IllianaLancerContra

[SACMellos2010]

As someone that marched for George I would say he would look at each Drum Corp specifically and not make a blanket statement of whether he liked it or did not. I will say, which has already been said, he would not be all that happy with many of the corps that seem to decide on a visual theme and make the music match it. George was always wonderful at becoming the music and letting the drill and movement support it as well as tell the story to be told. I think that is why he had so much free flowing drill and not so many straight lines and boxes all over the place. He also had the unique quality that even as forms are important the transitions are the most important part of making drill good or great. As Sylvester was the king of teaching the transitions, George was the king of creating them as part of his product. I personally do not think anyone has been able to do it the same since he left us, in my opinion.

[A27Lancer]

I was there at the beginning in 1977 when George had a hand in 27th's drill writing. The majority of the drill was written by Ralph Pace, but the parts of it was George, Steven Covitz and Bob Stuart's collaboration. 1978 was more or less George's.

To look at George's evolution as a designer, the beginning was NOT really drum corps at all, but winter guard. Quasar was George's beginning. The double silks, the red, yellow and black silks with the "tails" began with Quasar.

In the winter and spring of 1979, I was fortunate enough to be at Mae Zingali's dining room table a few times while George was designing 27th's drill. He had all sorts of toys around him like Spirograph, wire, power cords, etc. He would bend and shape and try to re-capture the forms on graph paper - (no computer drill back then). Those of you who remember George can imagine his energy and excitement as he said, "We'll rotate the whole ^%$%@^

thing!!!!!" This was the transition in "Folk Song Suite".

George's move to the Cadets was when he really became a superstar. I cried the first time I saw the "Z" pull - this was pure Zingali, and one of the greatest drill moves ever created. The rest is history.

What would he think of today's drills?? One can only imagine a 55 year old George Zingali, now the Yoda-like wise man nodding his head and paying compliments to each design. Inside, however, he'd be saying to himself, "I can do that one better if I can.....".

Jet packs would not be out of the question. Neither would grass-adapted roller blades, fireworks, or a UFO landing on the field.

I would sum up that his greatest satisfaction audience-wise was hearing them say, "Oh my God, I don't believe I just saw that!!"

[davhen]

I had the sincere pleasure of attending George's clinic and the DCI winter meetings in 1982, This was the session where he detailed his new approach,calling it the "non-literal" approach to drill. Most of the discussion centered around assymetry, and interpretation.

After the clinic was offer, I hung around with a couple other folks, and George was nice enough to answer some of our questions. The last question I asked him was "what will you think of next?", or something to that effect. He smiled really big and said he was trying to figure out a way to write drill in 3 dimensions. I looked at him very puzzled, and he elaborated. "You know, maybe have helium balloons on our hats that can be raised and lowered to create another level of visual, or maybe ramps and platforms that we could march up and down" Needless to say, I was speechless, other than to thank him for taking time to talk with us.

[justanopinion]

As someone that marched for George I would say he would look at each Drum Corp specifically and not make a blanket statement of whether he liked it or did not. I will say, which has already been said, he would not be all that happy with many of the corps that seem to decide on a visual theme and make the music match it. George was always wonderful at becoming the music and letting the drill and movement support it as well as tell the story to be told. I think that is why he had so much free flowing drill and not so many straight lines and boxes all over the place. He also had the unique quality that even as forms are important the transitions are the most important part of making drill good or great. As Sylvester was the king of teaching the transitions, George was the king of creating them as part of his product. I personally do not think anyone has been able to do it the same since he left us, in my opinion.

How fortunate to have marched for George!

I would caution you, however, in stating what George would or would not have liked about today's corps. George was, if anything, unpredictable, and no one can say for sure what he would have thought or said.

Who knows.....his answers might even surprise you! B)