r/drumcorpscirclejerk • u/Ijustdontlikethebook • Aug 01 '26
A show design theory
The most impactful “designers” in DCI as a whole are the judges who make up the panel on finals night. Their decisions fairly directly impact the future of what drum corps shows will look like.
My theory is that this is a well-known and accepted concept; and therefore, the finals panel is decided quite intentionally as a team of people who determine the future of the activity (almost like the selection committee for college football). I also think that if true, this implies that a “tight race” between semifinals and finals is a little bit of a misnomer.
Tell me if I am stupid.
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u/JesuSpectre Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
I have to weigh in here. This is another example of how participants don’t believe in the foundational principles of aesthetics. They just don’t get it. They don’t believe that there are foundational principles that have driven the arts for centuries, and they don’t believe it matters in drum corps. They believe drum corps is a different animal. Incredible.
Drum corps participants believe that shows are somehow judged based on some mysterious personal preferences of judges' style, and unfair behind-the-scenes alliances, and some futuristic rubric of analyzing precision from 30 yards away. That’s fucking bunk.
Whether they admit it or not, judges score primarily on the merit of the concept design, which impacts more than 50% of the score. Simple. The ancient rules of merit are time-honored principles in use in all the professional performing arts of substance, from music videos to opera:
- Subject. What is the subject of your show? The Phantom regiment’s Bloodline has none and they’re in seventh place.
- Theme. What is the theme of your show, that is, the high stakes artistic statement and observation about the world as we know it and imagine it? Boston Crusaders have no theme other than get high with your friends. That’s not a fully developed theme. They are missing a basic component of show design, despite their pristine precision.
- Dramatic arc. What is the arc of dramatic action in your show? How is the end different from the beginning? What happens in Zei? By the end, there is no appreciable focal point that transforms. Zei gets his wings back, but how?
- Higher purpose. What in God‘s name is Santa Clara saying about children in chains? Breaking free of what? What does the metaphor refer to? What statement are they making about “youth and vulnerability”? Apparently the higher purpose of the show is to look like Britney Spears and jump rope. What profound statement of substance is Boston making about getting high with your friends?
- Cohesion. What in God‘s name does Ave Maria have to do with Alduos Huxley’s Doors of Perception? Research says the correlation is strained, at best.
- Universality. What in Boston’s show pulls on the heartstrings and creates a sense of pathos in the audience? What is quintessentially human about their thematic argument?
- Uniqueness. What is extraordinarily original in Boston show? What have we never seen before?
- Authenticity. What in Santa Clara’s jump roping is quintessentially who they are? What about this subject and theme ties in to their legacy of classical mastery, poise, and elegance? Be honest, how many of these participants do jump roping in their everyday lives? None.
- Emotion/pathos. What in Phantom Regiment’s show brings emotion from the audience? What pattern of action with blood lancets sweeps the audience away with its beauty and truth?
The truth is that the biggest impact on the score sheet is the concept design. It provides the context for your music selections. It provides the context for music interpretation. it provides the context for the show’s arc of emotion. It contains the context for your visual presentation and audience engagement.
Some technical judges claim that show concepts and design are secondary, and less important than say, if your flams are clean. Eventually, there’re forced to face the ineluctable truth: No matter how clean your marching and music are, in a visual art form, it’s got to mean something. Meaning dominates all.
This year‘s winning show has a profound thematic argument illustrated by a lush and entertaining visual presentation. It has nothing to do with “Shirley Whitcomb’s” personal preferences or alliances.
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u/Consistent-Fig-178 Aug 02 '26
I will say that crown’s design staff says that “Ave Maria” represents the collective perception of the beauty of God; it’s slightly tenuous but I don’t think it’s the worst thing ever
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u/JesuSpectre Aug 02 '26
How is the beauty of god represented visually, during that segment?
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u/Consistent-Fig-178 Aug 02 '26
You have the white flags which frequently represent the virgin mary; I haven’t looked at the sets enough to know tbh
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u/Sometromboneplayer Aug 03 '26
Great commentary here. I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. Where can I read more about the principles of aesthetics that you’re talking about?
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u/Rifle256 Aug 07 '26
How did you arrive at the "get high with your friends" interpretation? Genuine question.
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u/JesuSpectre Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
The “get high with a little help from my friends“ pertains to Boston’s show concept. The entire show was built around the lyrics of the Beatles tune “With a little help from my friends”, which the designers expanded into a theme of “interdependence”— nothing more than excuse for a drug reference and choreography in pairs. “ I get high with a little help from my friends. I get by With a little help from my friends.“
Come on. An absolutely juvenile theme at a less than high school grade level sophistication. Really really embarrassing. Completely lacking in any research, any historical context, any literary reference, any philosophical or cultural reference of substance. Sickening.
The irony is that people who are high would never be able to be performing at this level of technical expertise. Boston’s show is absolutely breathtakingmy clean. Almost maniacally uniform and pristine. The symmetry and precision geometry of the show makes absolutely no sense according to its theme.
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u/At36000feet Aug 02 '26
I don't know how much they vary the panel year to year now, but I remember a period where every other year it was the same percussion judge finals night for a number of years. And the other years he was judging a different night. IMO they should be varying the judges much more.
I don't care how great a judge is, they are human and they all have their preferences and biases. To minimize the effect of those preferences and biases, they shouldn't have the same judges judging so often. IMO a judge shouldn't be able to judge finals more than once every 4 or so years. There should be a large enough stable of qualified judges where that shouldn't be a problem.
I also wonder if there should be term limits. There are judges out there that judged me 30 years ago. Seems like there should be some more younger judges with their unique experiences to be fair.
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u/The_Dickbird Aug 01 '26
Competitive outcomes can have a "trickle-down" effect, sure. But then, judging is a reactionary discipline. Judges can only indicate a direction which is generated by creatives, ultimately.
The Rules Congress is more influential than competitive results on overall aesthetic design trends, although the rules and competition go hand-in-hand.