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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 19:53:12 GMT -6
MIRAGE!!!!!!!! That was sensational!!!! How do you follow up Vox Atrium's impossible-to-match tour de force energy?! By switching gears entirely, of course! That held my attention (and the crowd's!) just as well as Vox Artium, but through passion & emotion & beautifully-written arcs & high points in the show! Wow!!!! MORE LENA HALL IN WINTER GUARD, PLEASE!! Her singing is just so saturated with emotion and begging to be put on the floor. What an EXCELLENT treatment of that song!! I was so impressed, Mirage! Everyone after Vox Artium is a first read for me tonight : ) I am prepared to be blown away!
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Post by rickyrosay on Apr 13, 2024 19:53:47 GMT -6
There is no better feeling space than Guard Finals. The energy just leaves you smiling from ear to ear! So true. I've never been to the guard championships, but the more I find myself preferring this side of the activity, the more I feel like I need to experience this live. Go if you can! At least once. It’s like a must in this world. You absolutely will not regret it!
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 20:02:02 GMT -6
Origins, STUNNING! Incredible commitment from every member to the trapped, laborious, jarring vibe. The show took its time and absolutely delivered when it needed to. Pure suspense from start to finish! I was riveted!!
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 20:02:22 GMT -6
Origins, I am exhausted just WATCHING that show! That show is jam packed with action and excitement and had me captivated and on the edge of my seat the entire time. Love, love, love the raw power and energy!
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 20:13:13 GMT -6
Am I crazy, or is this wayyyyyyy better than Juxtaposition has ever been? Admittedly, I don't really keep tabs on IW, but in the years I've been following the activity, I've always thought of Juxtaposition as consistently a borderline Finalist, sometimes in, sometimes out. What changed?!?! It's not just a case of a great show - I mean, it WAS a great show!! - but it's quite clear that they were really able to draw in a ton of insanely talented members at the top of the activity this season. New staff? Either way, it's great to see! What a fabulous performance!
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 20:18:38 GMT -6
Am I crazy, or is this wayyyyyyy better than Juxtaposition has ever been? Admittedly, I don't really keep tabs on IW, but in the years I've been following the activity, I've always thought of Juxtaposition as consistently a borderline Finalist, sometimes in, sometimes out. What changed?!?! It's not just a case of a great show - I mean, it WAS a great show!! - but it's quite clear that they were really able to draw in a ton of insanely talented members at the top of the activity this season. New staff? Either way, it's great to see! What a fabulous performance! Possibly some Pride talent while they’re inactive? I was wondering the same thing
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Post by thewho on Apr 13, 2024 20:33:58 GMT -6
The way Etude uses the rocking benches to represent longing and the uncertainty of loneliness to conclude with someone walking into another's life while on solid ground is emotionally rendering.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 20:35:02 GMT -6
Etude, so so beautiful!!!! What an elegant, sophisticated, graceful, classically perfect show. They always do ballads so well, and were a breath of fresh air at the end of tonight's line up. Loved the slight edginess/roughness added via the passionate cover of All By Myself, using that version added just the right touch of balance to an otherwise smooth, glossy design that could have bordered on overwrought. I was totally on board the whole performance! Also, along with Juxtaposition - is this the highest Etude has ever climbed before? I know they often reach single digits, but 4th feels like a stretch beyond where they often land. If so, well-earned!!!! That was an exquisite performance.
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 20:42:33 GMT -6
Paramount just threw down the gauntlet… the rest of this field has their work cut out for them!
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 20:43:50 GMT -6
Ok, I probably shouldn't have went in blind to Paramount. There was so much meat & depth there, I imagine I will need to rewatch it a few times. It's dense. I really, really enjoyed what I saw, and was riveted the entire time - but it was a lot to take in on a first viewing.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 20:52:56 GMT -6
What a classic throwback Bernstein show, Sac!!!! Absolutely fabulous. Impossible not to love every bit of that. To my eyes, Paramount had a bit of a tighter run? But now that we're at the top of the activity, I really have no capacity to make any statements about x vs. y. I'm just enjoying these incredible performances!! I am loving the top of IW this year.
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 20:53:21 GMT -6
My second “I’ve been waiting for this all day” guard in finals. I hope Fusion has the run of a lifetime. The others in the top 4 have all had incredible runs so far.
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 21:04:42 GMT -6
I don't think I've ever witnessed a more entertaining IW finals. And for the first time in a long time, it seems like a real battle to the finish by four groups with incredibly distinct approaches to the activity. This has easily been my favorite finals ever.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 21:05:28 GMT -6
My second “I’ve been waiting for this all day” guard in finals. I hope Fusion has the run of a lifetime. The others in the top 4 have all had incredible runs so far. I'm no expert when we get to this level, but to me, it seemed like they sho did it. I'm actually rewinding back to Etude while we wait on awards - all four of those guards were so so so so SO incredible and I feel like I have so much to rewatch & catch! Talk about 4 groups bringing their A games, Jeezus. A mind-blowing cap on the class.
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 21:12:54 GMT -6
If I had to guess, this is going to come down purely to performance, and for me it seems like Paramount had the cleanest show of anyone in the top 3. I know I have my preference for how this shakes out, but my gut tells me Paramount is taking this one by a razor thin margin. Blessed Sac unfortunately seems to have caught the "drops in finals" curse again.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 21:22:03 GMT -6
I don't think I've ever witnessed a more entertaining IW finals. And for the first time in a long time, it seems like a real battle to the finish by four groups with incredibly distinct approaches to the activity. This has easily been my favorite finals ever. I couldn't agree more!! I've watched IW Finals every year since I first went to Dayton as a baby music ed major - maybe 2009 or 2010? Whatever year Pride did their Summer of Love show, which is still seared into my brain. I love following the scholastic groups, that's my domain anyway, and then catching up with IW each year at Finals. In all those years, so many shows stick out clearly, but I rarely remember being entertained this much top to bottom (maybe a few of Zydeco's last years, whatever those were - they placed low in Finals 2 or 3 times and I remember each year that the groups around them were great. And Zydeco's last few shows were bangers as well.). There were a number of years where so many groups tried to match Michael Lentz's overwrought headiness with Onyx, a few years here & there where boring ballads reigned supreme, I even remember a season where it seemed to be nondescript tribal shows, one after the other. I think so many of the groups all down the rankings in IW Finals now have their own identities, or are at least trying to create them, as opposed to chasing the identities of the top 5, and that's made a huge difference. Designers seem less-willing to simply checkmark a "this is what the judges like" box for groups outside of the top few. I feel like a number of groups post-Covid have said you know what? Let's just do something fun! and that's provided more of a balance to the beautiful ballads & cerebral arthouse pieces than there was 10 years ago. I love all of those show types! But the balance between them all seems to have been struck better this year than in previous years. Anyway, all that is to say - yes, agreed, such an entertaining IW Finals from top to bottom!
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Post by N.E. Brigand on Apr 13, 2024 21:27:17 GMT -6
I don't follow guard, I've not seen any of these shows, and I only have read this week's threads, so pardon my ignorance: is the "Fusion" guard from New Jersey connected to Fusion Core, the all-age drum and bugle corps? (Founded in 2006, first place in DCA's Class A in 2010 and 2022, best overall finish in DCA's top category (then called Open Class) in 2014, 2018, and 2021.)
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 21:31:20 GMT -6
I don't follow guard, I've not seen any of these shows, and I only have read this week's threads, so pardon my ignorance: is the "Fusion" guard from New Jersey connected to Fusion Core, the all-age drum and bugle corps? (Founded in 2006, first place in DCA's Class A in 2010 and 2022, best overall finish in DCA's top category (then called Open Class) in 2014, 2018, and 2021.) I don't believe so. Fusion has been around since the early 90s as a combination of two guards, and Fusion Core launched in 2006.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 21:37:42 GMT -6
"The Woodlands' fourth year as a SW Finalist" - oh yea, I perpetually forget that I watched them in SW Prelims in 2019 and thought, you know what? These guys are gonna slip into Finals. And they did that year! And now.....
Also congrats to Blessed Sac on that massively impressive history!
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 21:38:28 GMT -6
Some stats on finalists:
IW Average Appearances - 8.7 SW Average Apperances - 14.3 IW Most Apperances - 43 (Blessed Sacrament, consecutive) SW Most Appearances - 36 (Center Grove) IW First Appearances - 2 (Vox Artium and Icon Winter Guard SW First Appearances - None
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Post by thewho on Apr 13, 2024 21:40:08 GMT -6
It's been a long day for me, so I can't really get anything out at the moment beyond saying World Champs was so, so fun. All the SW and IW groups blew the roof off the arena! Being there for the best of the best... I finally get winter guard.
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Post by N.E. Brigand on Apr 13, 2024 21:48:02 GMT -6
I don't follow guard ... so pardon my ignorance: is the "Fusion" guard from New Jersey connected to Fusion Core, the all-age drum and bugle corps? I don't believe so. Fusion has been around since the early 90s as a combination of two guards, and Fusion Core launched in 2006. Thanks! Maybe "Fusion" is a New Jersey thing, as "Alliance" seems to be a Georgia thing (to my knowledge there's no connection between the Alliance Theatre and the former Alliance drum and bugle corps, but the former is and the latter was based in Atlanta).
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 21:54:44 GMT -6
Wow, great job Northview!! They did have a rock solid performance!!
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 21:55:50 GMT -6
EL DORADO!!!!
Edit: and a MASSIVE score bump up from Fishers to boot!
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 21:56:37 GMT -6
El Dorado with a MASSIVE 3 point increase in finals and finishing just 0.05 behind Carmel. I'm officially on El Dorado watch for next year.
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Post by cybrunette on Apr 13, 2024 22:01:12 GMT -6
Final Scores
Scholastic World
1. Avon HS, IN 99.350 2. Arcadia HS, CA 96.700 3. The Woodlands HS, TX 94.850 4. Tarpon Springs HS, FL 93.400 5. Carmel HS, IN 91.750 6. El Dorado HS, CA 91.700 7. Fishers HS, IN 89.250 8. Kiski Area HS, PA 87.550 9. Warren Central HS, IN 86.500 10. Northview HS, IN 86.400 11. Bellbrook HS, OH 85.250 12. Miamisburg HS, OH 84.900 13. Flanagan HS, FL 83.400 14. Stoneman Douglas HS, FL 82.700 15. Center Grove HS, IN 81.250
Independent World
1. Fusion Winter Guard, NJ 95.400 2. Etude, SC 93.600 3. Blessed Sacrament, MA 93.500 4. Paramount, GA 93.400 5. Fantasia, CA 91.700 6. ORIGINS, TX 89.300 7. Juxtaposition, OH 88.700 8. Mirage, TX 87.850 9. Vox Artium, CA 87.400 10. Onyx, OH 84.900 11. UCF Pegasus World, FL 84.700 12. Malachi, CO 83.350 13. Tampa Independent, FL 83.050 14. Icon Winter Guard Los, CA 80.950
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 22:01:25 GMT -6
Paramount off the podium was also NOT on my WGI bingo card this year.
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Post by Jake W. on Apr 13, 2024 22:03:09 GMT -6
Ok, heading over to the middle of Page 4 of this thread to cross-reference srv1084's list of highest scores and see where Avon lands this year... Also, the Etude captains at the front are about to pass out!
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Post by idleclasher on Apr 13, 2024 22:03:39 GMT -6
etude
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Post by srv1084 on Apr 13, 2024 22:06:04 GMT -6
FUSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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