What Would It Take?

[-EVortex]

Remember most NE corps travel for their weekend shows on Fri night or Sat morning.

I'd bet most South corps have to leave on Fri morning to make it to a NE show. And that means they get back South late Sunday or Early AM Monday. The NE corps aren't prepared for that. Time committment by members (another day off from work or two), more money, and definitely more stress on the body. I don't think they'll want to do that. Need a big carrot like a super South show you're talking about.

BUT from hearsay I've heard most NE want to travel and break even every weekend. So you'll have to shell out big bucks to get them there, like I'm sure that Winston-Salem show did. No way that the southern corps got paid even half as much as the NE corps did for that show. I don't know that, I'm just betting.

Another Super-South show like Winston would be great.

[Just Another Sop]

Hmmm,

Seems to me that corps from other areas plan their trips in advance to be able to travel. The cost is planned for ahead as tour fees the members pay. Yes it requires a little work from the staff or board, and financial commitment from the members of the corps, but it happens every where....except it seems for one area. Many of those corps seem to want someone else to pay for the experience that other out-of-the-area corps pay themselves.

[TchMuzk]

I keep reading things like "Heat Wave was able to do it!"

Not a knock on them at all, but where are they now? I don't know the inner workings of their demise, but could it have had anything to do with the expense and time commitments of traveling 24hrs each way four or five times in a ten week period?

[Dale Bari]

Thanks for the sideways slam. Yes, I do know. I vote on a budget.

[snip]

Literally, I'm looking for dialogue. Show some ideas. What sort of incentives will get NE corps down into the regional shows? Be specific.

(oh, and many kudos and thanks to Empire for stretching out in Ohio. How COOL is that!)

Now, that sounds a lot more reasonable - and rational.

Thanks for the quality reply, Jerald.

Making this corps thing work does require imagination and flexibility. Making it work on a national scale requires even more. I realize that some things won't change without someone doing a lot of poking and prodding to force others to wake up and develop a solution. Yelling and name-calling, with an unhealthy dose of snake-oil solutions, is not the way to go.

Unfortunately, I am probably not the one to come up with the solutions. When I was a member, I marched my dot, played my notes, and let the powers-that-be handle the bigger details.

Again, thanks, CVQ!

[CVQuesty]

I'd bet most South corps have to leave on Fri morning to make it to a NE show.

Thursday evening, actually...

[MJH]

Remember most NE corps travel for their weekend shows on Fri night or Sat morning.

I'd bet most South corps have to leave on Fri morning to make it to a NE show. And that means they get back South late Sunday or Early AM Monday. The NE corps aren't prepared for that. Time committment by members (another day off from work or two), more money, and definitely more stress on the body. I don't think they'll want to do that. Need a big carrot like a super South show you're talking about.

Another Super-South show like Winston would be great.

So why couldn't they prepare for that? If they did, it would level the playing field for Renegades, MBI, CV and the others to at least some degree. As stated in other posts, these corps give up things to get to go outside their region to compete. I mean, how would Bucs or Cabs score if they had to rely on volunteers or out-of-line staff to instruct/tech sections of their corps?

I've suggested before, something like the NFL's salary cap system, where each corps is restricted to a certain budget, could solve some issues. I know some corps would hesitate to open their books for review, but we're all non-profits here so they have to be open, anyway.

So here's my wacky suggestion...

1) All performance fees for DCA sanctioned shows go into a general fund. At finals, that fund is distributed to all corps participating in prelims. Distribution is based on the number of corps members per corps X number of miles traveled per corps / total number of members in participating corps.

2) Dues for corps members are averaged and made the same across DCA. One rate for all open class corps, a lower rate for class A corps.

3) That money sets the maximum ammount that can be spent on staff, designers, instructors, and techs.

4) Additional dues can be charged and fund raising activities taken on, but those monies must be earmarked for travel expenses, equipment, rehearsal space and other non-staff related costs.

This is just a shell of a frame of the begining of an idea. I know there are a lot of holes in my idea, but hey, we're throwing out some ideas, right? Make a better suggestion. Tell me why I'm wrong. Let's discuss!

[lobrass7]

Another Super-South show like Winston would be great.

You mean like the one in 2005 that a bunch of corps pulled out of at the last minute?

[LegalEagle50]

You mean like the one in 2005 that a bunch of corps pulled out of at the last minute?

just who pulled out at the last minute from that show?

i recall Bush having bus troubles getting there on Friday but they performed.

i don't recall a single corps pulling out at the last minute.

[lobrass7]

just who pulled out at the last minute from that show?

i recall Bush having bus troubles getting there on Friday but they performed.

i don't recall a single corps pulling out at the last minute.

Sorry, I misspoke. This show almost didn't happen because of corps who pulled out after the show had been agreed to. It was not last-minute, but certainly late enough that the show was in jeopardy. Ask Lee if you want any details.

I'm NOT pointing fingers, just highlighting how difficult it is to get consensus on a big show outside of the northeast. The corps who did perform at the show that night were superb - there just should have been a couple more.

IMHO, with everything they had to go through, Bush showed a lot of class that weekend.

[MikeD]

So why couldn't they prepare for that? If they did, it would level the playing field for Renegades, MBI, CV and the others to at least some degree. As stated in other posts, these corps give up things to get to go outside their region to compete. I mean, how would Bucs or Cabs score if they had to rely on volunteers or out-of-line staff to instruct/tech sections of their corps?

I've suggested before, something like the NFL's salary cap system, where each corps is restricted to a certain budget, could solve some issues. I know some corps would hesitate to open their books for review, but we're all non-profits here so they have to be open, anyway.

So here's my wacky suggestion...

1) All performance fees for DCA sanctioned shows go into a general fund. At finals, that fund is distributed to all corps participating in prelims. Distribution is based on the number of corps members per corps X number of miles traveled per corps / total number of members in participating corps.

2) Dues for corps members are averaged and made the same across DCA. One rate for all open class corps, a lower rate for class A corps.

3) That money sets the maximum ammount that can be spent on staff, designers, instructors, and techs.

4) Additional dues can be charged and fund raising activities taken on, but those monies must be earmarked for travel expenses, equipment, rehearsal space and other non-staff related costs.

This is just a shell of a frame of the begining of an idea. I know there are a lot of holes in my idea, but hey, we're throwing out some ideas, right? Make a better suggestion. Tell me why I'm wrong. Let's discuss!

From reading the multitude of threads over time about the attempt to nationalize DCA to a greater degree, it always seems to come down to expecting the Northeast "legacy" corps to knowingly reduce themselves or make their lives more diffcult in order to improve things for the "other" corps.

As an outsider...just one who goes to a DCA show or so most years as an audience member...

Why ever would a corps knowingly vote in something that is detrimental to their own well-being, so that someone else gets an advantage?

That's whay the gist of posts from those outisde the Northeast seems to expect, and personally, I don't see it happening.

Mike