World Class Finals Review and Photogallery
Apr 12, 2008
The World Class Finals performances took UD Arena by storm. The power and skill of these groups is truly amazing. The audience watched in astonishment, and were worked into a frenzy. To recap the event, take a look at the retreat photogallery and read the Open Class Finals review.
By Philip Mayard
Scholastic World
Performing on one of the year’s most striking floor designs – an amalgamation of scribbled “secret” notes and drawings -- Flanagan High School (1st Place, 96.90) has long been known as one of our activity’s most daring units. Only a few seconds into the show, the crowd was already screaming in approval. A study in tension-and-release, this production runs the emotional gamut, with stunning movement technique, death-defying weapon feats, and one of the most breathtaking ensemble flag finales to hit the floor this season. Another well deserved screaming standing ovation for Flanagan brought the Scholastic World competition to a spine-tingling end.
Avon High School’s (2nd Place, 96.20) “Which is Which” (or is it “Witch is Witch”?) program continues the unit’s awe-inspiring legacy of the last few seasons, combining incredible technical efficiency and innovative new staging concepts with an all but impossible-to-count musical soundtrack. The hard-working girls of Avon drove it home with a varied mix of contemporary dance, intense characterizations and highly intricate weapon and flag work. Tonight’s finals performance was nothing short of electrifying, immediately bringing the audience to its feet.
Perennial finalist Center Grove High School (3rd Place, 94.00) may have only 16 performers this season, but their golden-hued program, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is certainly among its most appealing. Outfitted in gorgeous green and gold sequin unitards, and executing a dazzling array of understated and beautifully executed equipment and movement phrases, it’s easy to see why Center Grove has done so well this season.
Cheshire High School’s (4th Place, 91.60) “Reflections from Within” incorporates three wavy opaque props, a visual continuation of three mirrors. In this production, the mirror serves as a metaphorical reference to life, and the belief that one should not look back on life’s experiences with any regret. Outfitted in sparkling grey and black costumes, the guard’s forte is extremely well-honed equipment technique, tonight showing incredible form on rifle and several spotless flag features. Given their incredible finals performance this evening (earning a well deserved standing ovation), it’s no surprise that Cheshire has quickly and deservedly jumped up into the top ranks of the SW class.
A beautiful “tiled” mosaic floor in shades of browns and golds, with massive gold bell props on wood frames, set the visual stage for hometown favorites Miamisburg High School (5th Place, 90.40). “1812 Overture” provides the exciting musical setting for one of this guard’s most crowd-pleasing productions in many years. Equipment in various shades of metal, extremely difficult rifle maneuvers and the guard’s trademark squeaky clean all-flag ensemble were only a few highlights of this very entertaining show.
Shenendehowa High School (6th Place, 89.90) took a lot of people by surprise last season, and they’re back with a vengeance this year. Performing on a brown velvet floor in flowing brown and gold boustierre-style costumes, the guard’s incredible equipment skills and movement technique are better than ever. The guard’s heartwarming “If Only” production beautifully incorporates voiceovers from “The Wizard of Oz” and the unmistakable swooning of Harry Connick, Jr.’s “If I Only Had a Brain.”
“Listen” will go down as a Choctawhatchee High School (89.50) classic. The guard performs on a bright pink floor, emblazoned with the names of countless pop musical groups and artists of the last few decades. Exuding strong training in every area, the guard’s all-flag statements elicited cheers from the audience. A voice over states, “I believe in music the way the some people believe in fairy tales.” Indeed, these performers believe in themselves, for good reason.
Northview High School’s (8th Place, 87.50) “The Ripple Effect” is a silky, balletic new direction for this usually aggressive guard, exploring many creative, flowing, well executed equipment and body phrases. This is clearly one of Northview’s most musically effective units in many seasons. The guard performed loads of difficult equipment tosses and phrase-sharing combinations, including several caught in a back-bend position.
Audiences always look forward to the antics of Rancho Bernardo High School (9th Place, 86.30). Their charming “Smile” show may its most subtle but deceptively complex program to date, beginning with an extended movement statement which invokes memories of Charlie Chaplain, then moving into a dizzying array of complex equipment tosses, tricks and exchanges. The highlight of the show was a very lengthy, “handsy” all-flag ensemble in vibrant shades of red. A great job by this large (a full company of 30 members?) and always entertaining guard!
Last year’s Scholastic Open champions, Carmel High School (10th Place, 85.90) glided into Scholastic World class with their program “On Cloud Nine,” incorporating piles of white and silvery pillows on a cloudy blue floor. The luminous performers beautifully interpret the strains of an operatic “Ode to Joy.” Beyond wonderful equipment and body technique, the guard is one of the audience favorites with its highly effective use of silver mylar balloons which magically “hover” over the floor, and sprays of silver confetti at the show’s conclusion.
Warren Central High School’s (11th Place, 85.40) Aaron Copland musical soundtrack is a superb choice for this always-solid unit from Indianapolis, which this year appears to have taken a much more subtle approach to its programming. The guard performs on a blue floor with a white “light” emitting from center stage. Although this show is not as “in your face” as past seasons, these kids have incredible equipment skills – particularly on rifle – which shine through on even the most quiet moments. A bright yellow all-flag ensemble announce the conclusion of this crowd favorite.
Modesto California’s Beyer High School (12th Place, 84.20) “Bartok” program has the guard performing on an abstract piano set in shades of aqua, a keyboard across the front of the floor. Opening with a frantically paced all-flag feature, the guard then shows strong training on sabre (including a one-handed double-time phrase). Bartok is always rhythmically challenging, and this guard was especially effective at picking up the very difficult musical cues inherent in his music.
Arcadia High School (13th Place, 82.70) performs on a bleak-looking set, with a wood grain floor and barren trees. A spooky voiceovers states, “These eyes do not see what you and I see…” The performers’ hair hangs in their face through the set-up, and as the music builds, the guard snaps their hair back to reveal ghostly face make-up. The guard opens with all-rifle, then all-flag, all performed to a very aggressive, pounding soundtrack. This aggressive production is a stark contrast to the past few years of balladic beauty.
Music and voiceovers from the movie “The Sixth Sense” provide a perfect otherworldly thematic setting for Stoneman Douglas High School (14th Place, 81.60). These girls always enter the arena with a commanding presence… heartbeats and a spooky soundtrack set the stage for a very exciting silent rifle feature. Stoneman once again doesn’t disappoint with a thrilling combination of rock-solid equipment tosses and tricks, gymnastic body movements, uber-clean flag work and intense performance skills. Also noted – a creative opaque flag design which looks like a child’s hands pushing through a curtain.
Seminole High School’s (15th Place, 81.00) set resembles the sun streaming through a window at a train station. Incorporating peach colored suitcases and benches, the guard exhibited wonderful technique off the line with a huge sabre toss -- caught one handed – across the back of the floor. Some very cool phrase sharing have these beautiful ladies juggling all three pieces of equipment. The show builds to a very effective all-flag backhand toss, then an ensemble “360.”
Independent World
Fantasia’s (1st Place, 99.50) dramatic 2008 “The White Table of Youth” show seemed to chronicle the process of growth and maturity. An unadorned black floor, elegant white costumes, a single white table at front stage right, a lone rocking chair at back stage left. These are the only props in yet another incredibly difficult and innovative Fantasia production – which surprisingly doesn’t include flag. Clearly a production which requires multiple viewings in order to fully appreciate, some of the major highlights include an amazing ensemble rifle catch/body lift, several frightening rifle solos (one caught between the performers legs) and a death-defying double somersault.
Pride of Cincinnati’s (2nd Place, 98.1) “Bridge Over Troubled Water” had the audience on pins and needles, as a soloist walked nearly the entire length of the performance floor on the backs of her fellow performers, in a beautifully conceived silent movement statement. A huge swath of blue fabric -- dragged, flown, and draped into every possible shape and texture -- played a huge part in both the staging and individual choreography of this brilliant production.
Every season Northeast Independent (3rd Place, 96.60) seems to get stronger and more confident, pushing ever closer to the top of the WGI activity. Performing on a floor tarp resembling an oil-smeared map, the boys have a vaguely military/punk look, while the girls are costumed in sparkly blues and purples. This year the unit is absolutely spectacular. An electrifying orange all-flag ensemble was one of the weekend’s most effective.
Santa Clara Vanguard (4th Place, 95.00) took an extremely unique and intriguing artistic approach this season with their innovative “On a Breath” production. The guard’s stark white floor with large black dots and connecting red lines offered individual stages to each of the performers and their counterparts. This guard moves beautifully and is truly magnificent on weapon. The clever double-ending surprised the audience; the words of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” taking a whole new meaning with the follow-up phrase, “…until I find someone new.”
Blessed Sacrament’s (5th Place, 93.70) “Hypnosis” program mesmerized the Dayton arena. With a soundtrack ranging from thumping drum beats to hard rock music and an intricate violin solo, the show featured a seamless form and equipment book which took the audience on a mind-bending journey. As always, Sac’s weapon technique is among the best in our activity – particularly notable this evening was a seemingly endless sabre feature culminating in a slam-dunk “five.”
Southern California’s Corona (6th Place, 91.50) once again performs an absolutely astounding array of equipment feats. This year’s production, set to a gorgeous rendition of the hymn “It is Well with My Soul,” has the guys outfitted in striking orange and the girls in electric yellow. With perhaps its most musically effective programming to date, highlights of this year’s show include a frightening partner sabre toss/ flip combination, unbelievably complex flag work (with rolls and flips off every part of the body) and rifle choreography which takes new styles of catches and multi-planar/angles to a level rarely seen in our activity.
Having placed second in Independent Open in their first year of competition, Zydeco Colorguard (7th Place, 91.00) stormed into the IW class with a dramatic tribute to United Airlines #93, the ill-fated flight which crash-landed in rural Pennsylvania during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The set resembles an abstract landing strip, while the stirring music of Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” provides a somber musical soundtrack for this extremely intense and talented unit. Particularly strong at this performance was a difficult and tightly executed flag book.
Onyx (8th Place, 89.80) has taken a huge and bold artistic step this year, brilliantly performing a highly dramatic circus-inspired show, a production far more complex and risky than any of its past efforts. Daring exchange passages, athletic partner lifts and dense partner-sharing phrases were among the many thrilling highlights of this well-received show.
From gun control and immigration, to homelessness and foreign oil, controversial political topics took center stage in The Knights’ (9th Place, 89.10) very timely “It’s Your Right” production. Wearing black business suits, the musical soundtrack fused “Dear Mr. President” (by Pink and the Indigo Girls) with audio clips of President Bush and other recent political figures. As the program came to its conclusion, the performers stripped off their jackets (some, while tossing rifles) to reveal t-shirts with words declaring their ethic ancestry. The guard’s incredibly emotional performance earned the first of several well deserved standing ovations in this class.
Engulfing the performance arena with a floor emblazoned with an iridescent photographic close-up of a butterfly wing, Phantom Regiment’s (10th Place, 88.00) “It Takes Time” program explores the life cycle of a butterfly. Emerging from black cocoons at the back of the set, show incorporates a dazzling variety of blue, purple and pink flags (with the sudden appearance of golden yellow), curved rifles and several sets of eye-catching butterfly wings.
“Swimming in the Moonlight,” Black Watch’s (11th Place, 85.70) 2008 production, finds the guard performing on a swirly black and blue floor, to the emotional strains of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” While the guard is outfitted in sparkly textures of black (and very contemporary-looking theatrical make-up), a single soloist – “the swan”-- wears a contrasting costume in white. As always, weapon technique is this guard’s strong suit, while abstract gold and white “swan flags” brought this exciting production to an end.
Having conquered the Independent Open class in their first year of existence in 2007, Houston’s Code Black (12th Place, 84.80)moved into the Independent World class this season with “The Affair,” a rousing production set on vibrant, ornately designed red and orange floor. As each coordinating flag color appeared, the performers appeared to get angrier and angrier, the show reaching a visual crescendo with a flag feature storming the front line.
From “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” to “Are You Lonely Tonight,” Sacred Heart’s (13th Place, 84.20) “With Love, Elvis” show charmed the audience with toe-tapping music and solid equipment skill. Outfitted in mauve velvet bodysuits (with appropriately flared legs), and performing on a geometric floor in shades of peach, striped purple flags offered an eye-popping finale to this very appealing show. A microphone near the front of the floor also provided a soloist the opportunity to “sing and spin,” much to the crowd’s delight.
Always sexy, always entertaining, Miami’s Braddock Independent (14th Place, 84.00) says they are “Just Being Us” this season. Outfitted in automobile mechanic costumes and effectively incorporating tire props, the show has a thumping soundtrack, providing ample opportunities not only for fun and eclectic equipment work but also lots of “booty shaking,” which this audience gratefully acknowledged!
Ooh, la, la! Performing on a lovely bronze-hued photographic image of Paris, and outfitted in elegant white and cream-colored costumes, Farenheit’s (15th Place, 81.50) French-themed program got the Independent World class off to a tasteful start. Their romantic production includes a variety of intriguing equipment-sharing phrases, solid weapon tosses and understated flag choreography in a multitude of planes.
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