raphael18 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 This is a request for an honest discussion on how the Cavaliers came to dominate DCI. I recognize that they have been a very competetive corps for a long time, but their rise and current prominance is really startling. I know the Cadets and BD had runs as well, but 5 championships in 7 years is astounding. So, my questions are: How did the Cavaliers rise to the top, and how have they maintained it since 2000? What do they do differently that other corps are not, or refuse to, right now? [i'm looking for something a little more tangible than - "They march real good."] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMBob Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I think a big part of it is probably the fact that they do the best job (in my opinion) of totally integrating every aspect of the program into whatever theme they are doing. I know various other corps have done great jobs of pulling this off, but the Cavaliers seem to do it year in and year out. The drill, any body movement, the music...everything...seems to fit. This combines with the fact that every individual caption of their program is strong, maybe not always the best or to everyone's liking, but strong. They are not my favorite corps, but their programs are put together extremely well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FH4life Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I'll give a shot: - development of "concept" shows. not just putting some music toghether - ORIGINAL shows (meaning completely original programs) - new approach to ensemble music (especially in the brass) - drill design, meaning a lot of sets and direction changes. other top corps still have an "old" way to design shows. in two words: design team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAMystreaux Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I think they do the best job in writing their shows to the current judging sheets, and I do not mean this in a negative way. I think in many ways, this is a postive, and in others possibly not so much. Also, you can't get where they have been without a talented staff and young people willing to work hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodigal bari Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I believe it is their approach of complete show integration...that is, the side-by-side design/arranging of both movement, music, and visual; and the ability to write programs that need a minimal amount of redesign during the competitive season. They have also managed to maintain a good portion of staff from year-to-year which has eliminated the adjustment period any time you change approaches. I do not know if anyone has noticed this....but there IS an element of their drill design that has intrigued me. The consistency of drill design in this era (i.e.; the approach of movement and flow from show to show) helps to teach and clean their shows faster than anyone else. THE FOLLOWING IS A COMPLIMENT: They have a lot of moves that could have come out of the old Casavant manuals; only updated and juiced with speed. They are effective...and very exposed. And each year I would guess that the design builds from the previous year..and with this comes a consistency of instrument placement and movement building that I have yet to see out of anyone else. I do think there have been times that visual has been put up at the sacrifice of music...but in any integrated design process there will be some sacrifices. Just the fact that arranger and drill designer (and I cannot remember their names to save my life!!! ) have been together long enough so that one knows what the other wants. Put on top of this the fact that this organization is very well run with great retention of membership and strong recruitment and you have a juggernaut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghatron Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I think everyone has nailed it. Complete and total integration of their concept from show to show. They have a very good staff and very hardworking, talented members. It has been a great formula thus far. We shall see in the upcoming years if their dominance will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTAmello Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 in two words: design team. I completely agree. The design staff not only works together great, but they've stayed together. Consistency of staff leads to consistency in results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_ReMO Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Two words: David Bertman. (If he reads this, maybe he'll increase my band grant, haha.) But, seriously, I agree with the design team comments. There champion shows are seamless design from beginning to end. The whole package, ya know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR_ducky Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I agree with the opinions here about the way the Cavies desing their shows, but I also believe its all cyclical as to who dominates DCI Cadets won 4 titles in 5 years in the 80s BD won 5 in 7 years in the 70s and then won 4 in 6 years in the 90s I think a corps (like the Cavies) pushes the activity a bit forward and in doing so wins alot of titles. The other top corps will catch up and level the field again, then a new corps (or maybe the Cavies again) will push the next step. I think being broader makes more sense. Cadets were the innovators in the 80s and had a run of titles. BD in the 90s pushed things a bit further than most corps and so on. Cavies are definitely the cream of the crop right now as far as design goes, but I would be very surprised if one or more corps do not make the leap to the level of the Cavies design very soon. The thing to remember is that even when most of these corps were on their title winning streaks they rarely won finals by a wide margin. Cadets won 2 of their titles in the 80s by .1, BD had 2 ties in their 90s run. Even Cavies have had close calls like last years .35 margin. Being the innovator gets you that little extra over the other corps. It will be very interesting to see how things go the next few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I think I'll add one more. They use the dot system, which works incredibly well to basically perfect the type of visual program they use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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