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DCI/BOA shows Influenced by “Esoteric” source material - Let’s Analyze?


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For as much as I love the marching arts, film is perhaps my greatest love.

 

Lately, I have been exploring the filmography of the legendary Ingmar Bergman. One of his most famous works is “Through a Glass, Darkly.” The title sounded familiar, so I was unsure if I had seen it already or not; a few days after viewing, as I was digging through DCI videos on YouTube, I was reminded of the Blue Devils’ 2010 show, “Through a Glass, Darkly.” I was shocked - did the Blue Devils really produce a show based off an avant-garde auteur’s 1961 film? I guess it wouldn’t have been THAT much of a surprise.

 

The film deals with the characters struggling with the concept of a silent god, and opens with a verse from 1 Corinthians 13:12:

 

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

 

As I continued to dig deeper, it became clearer that BD’s concept for 2010 was probably based moreso on the Corinthians verse than Bergman’s respective visual meditation on faith. Regardless, this ushered in a heightened level of understanding I had not previously achieved with BD 2010.

 

For those unfamiliar, BD used mirror props for this particular show. Throughout the program, there are multiple instances were performing members interact with the mirrors, often literally standing “face-to-face” with the mirror — but only to have their reflections staring back at them. Now, I wasn’t quite around the DCI scene at this point, so I inevitably missed the in-depth discussions that likely occurred regarding the show themes, but this is where my brain gears starting moving.

 

What I’m trying to say is: after watching a Swedish film —which pointed me to scripture — and then subsequently wasting time on YouTube, I have realized that BD may have been making a statement regarding the agony of (in this earthly form of life) never being able to “face” the true meaning and understanding of our purpose in the universe, in the eyes of our creator (whoever you believe that to be). My taste and appreciation for BD has only grown as the years have gone by, but opening up little understandings like this really attests to the GE Prowess of the Blue Devils. However, if I have missed the mark on this one, or if there are other interpretations out there.. lay them out!

 

Another show this reminded me of was The Woodlands 2016, “On the Waterfront.” The show shares the same name as a 1954 Elia Kazan film starring Marlo Brandon. As for this marching show, I have no clue if there is a direct link to the film. Could anyone in the know comment on this?

 

Anyways, I finally wanted to see if anyone could think of other shows (DCI/BOA/WGI) whose themes perhaps seemed relatively simple, but actually had incredibly layered backgrounds to them. Crossover references into other art mediums, and so forth.

 

I had a lot of fun writing this... Hope it’s not too confusing. Time for bed!

 

P.S. did this on my phone... forgive me for any formatting issues

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The Flower Mound High School Marching band.

Almost all their shows have such source material, Surreal, Pop!, Fractured Moments, Leonardo's Dream, but the one that was the most esoteric in my opinion is the show Harmonic Tapestries

The show was based on the environmental artwork of Christo and Jenne-Claude. Part one is called The Gates, based on a piece of the same title. Part two was called Fabric Islands, based on a piece called Surrounded Islands, in which they lined the coast of a couple islands in neon pink fabric. Part three was called The Umbrellas, based on a piece that was originally Jeanne-Claude's idea. The show designer, while writing drill and picking music, wanted this part to be dedicated to her memory, as she died a few years prior. Part four was a conglomeration of those three parts.

Side note: the artist saw the show somehow and sent the band a letter with signed post cards of the pieces we depicted prior to their performance at Grand Nationals.

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In 2016, Cedar Ridge's show "Stellar" was based on the work of the minimalist painter Frank Stella. Since it was called Stellar, people just thought it was about space, and since Frank Stella isn't exactly a household name, a lot of the references to his art in the drill and props didn't resonate with the audience as well. I loved marching that show, it was so fun. I think it counts as pretty esoteric.

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In 2016, Cedar Ridge's show "Stellar" was based on the work of the minimalist painter Frank Stella. Since it was called Stellar, people just thought it was about space, and since Frank Stella isn't exactly a household name, a lot of the references to his art in the drill and props didn't resonate with the audience as well. I loved marching that show, it was so fun. I think it counts as pretty esoteric.

 

Time to go rewatch it!

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