By: MJ Johnson
Congratulations to all of our 2024 Independent A class finalists! Review their productions below in order of Finals placement.
1st - Georgia State University Winterguard (95.705)
Georgia State University wows us with an amazing performance about circles and the cyclical nature of life Circle One. This performance gives us several canons and rounds that blend smoothly together and become one as performers move across the floor. Leaving us with one flag circling after a beautiful flag feature. Georgia State leaves us with an effortlessly easy feeling.
2nd - Noir Independent (93.710)
Noir Independent welcomes us home with their production, Welcome Home. They pose the question, “Where do you come from?” With “Welcome Home” in several languages across the floor and gold flags and costumes, the performers give us amazing dance and equipment moments. Finishing with a stunning flag feature, they remind us that “Home” isn’t just the place you sleep; It’s the place you stand.
3rd - Les Eclipses (92.960)
Les Eclipses brings us Three. The show begins with 3 triangle tops layered over each other. As upbeat classical music plays, the performers bring focus to the gray triangle with cute, rifle, sabre, and flag trios. As the music takes on a more somber tone, the focus shifts to the white triangle. The performers move around the triangles and the blank floor space in interesting and innovative ways. As the intensity rises in the music and we move the focus to the purple triangle, we finish with an intense rifle and flag moment around the triangle.
4th - Gates Chili Independent Winter Guard (91.340)
Gates Chili Independent Winter Guard presents, Black Out! They start the show on a floor filled with color, glowing neon globes, with soft piano music in the soundtrack. As they move around the floor with their lights, we see flashes of colored flags before the color is extinguished. The vibe of the performance gets darker and more intense as the members begin pulling their floor at the corners, covering color with black. After an intense flag moment in a line across the floor, the floor continues to be folded in on itself, drowning the colors in black. It’s a complete black out as the performers and the final light disappear into the folds of the black floor.
5th - Crossroads (89.340)
Sorry by Crossroads gives us insight into the perspective of a mother and wife who made mistakes with her family and is trying to apologize for the way they have hurt them. These performers move around a turquoise floor with gold detailing spiraling across the space. There is also a kitchen table and chairs that make their way across the floor, used by performers for various impactful moments.
6th - Gold Winterguard (88.870)
Gold Winterguard gives a striking performance to the horror story, 40/41. They tell the story of a little girl who brutally killed her family with an ax. Covered in blood splattered clothes, these performers begin with an intense rifle feature with their equipment taped like axes. This story of a very unhappy family is accompanied by actual piercing screams from the performers, leaving the audience with chills up their spines.
7th - Huron Valley Winter Guard (88.325)
Huron Valley Winter Guard invites us to Club Midnight! This production sets up a nightclub with round tables and neon lights. The performers push these tables around to a cool smooth jazz tune as they watch the singer on stage. The performers effortlessly catch their equipment which lends to the relaxed feeling of the show. We are left with a stunning flag feature as the singer finishes her song.
8th - National Avenue from Missouri State University (87.955)
National Avenue from Missouri State University offers us a new Perspective. The show starts with the performers in two lines down the floor in a diagonal, a soft soundtrack plays as they spin sabre and dance to the piano. The lines on their costumes create interesting shapes with the pattern on the floor, allowing the audience to see the different perspectives of the performance. This group excels with clean lines and experiments with different equipment lines moving in, out, and around each other to create a very cool experience to watch.
9th - Zephyrus Independent Winter Guard (86.040)
It’s a Beautiful Day with Zephyrus Independent Winter Guard! These performers invite us to enjoy the day with them on the farm with them. Using movable fences to change and adjust the space available on the floor, Zephyrus members moved around easily like the grass blowing with the breeze. They started the show with the morning sunrise and ending with a vibrant purple sunset colored flag feature, the audience could enjoy and appreciate an easy beautiful day on the farm with these performers.
10th - Pegasus A (85.260)
In Careless With This Love, Pegasus A looks stunning in their gradient pink and maroon costumes. The program begins with a lovely dance moment to Marathon (In Roses) by Gem Club. These performers circle around the grayed out rose that takes up their floor. This somber soundtrack matches well with the longing and lonely feeling of this production. After showing us a yearning for a lost love, they leave us on a hopeful note after a gorgeous flag feature of deep purple silks signifying the love they were careless with.
11th - Caledonia Independent (85.225)
Caledonia Independent shows us a relaxing time at the koi pond with Now and Zen. Dress like different patterned koi fish, these performers moved around the floor like it’s the pond they call home. This performance felt like a breath of fresh air as we were invited to meditate with Caledonia. The fish scale flags move in a way that makes it look like fish swimming in the pond. These koi fish finish their flag feature with a calm air and invite us to relax with them again soon.
12th - St. Anns (83.855)
St. Anns shows us a Linear Perspective, which is anything but linear. The floor is covered with an optical illusion pattern that draws the eye in. The performers of St. Anns use their equipment to play with the audience perspective, especially with their opening all rifle feature. This intense performance leaves you with eyes opened to new perspectives.
13TH - Maharlika (83.755)
Growth From The Rubble by Maharlika gives us a beautiful performance about how even after disaster, something can still grow. The performers wore sleek costumes with tree branches growing up their forms, as they themselves are growing from their own rubble. This performance is filled with precise movement and sharp catches from the members as Maharlika leaves us with the hope that we too can continue to grow amidst adversity.
14th - Opus Independent (82.435)
Opus Independent draws us in with the sounds of crashing waves that gradually build into the vocalizations of sirens calling to the audience with Sirenum. These sirens are calling us into the water; to crash our ships into their rocks on the back corner of the floor. As the music builds in intensity, the performers begin dancing with the broken boards of the ships they have sunk. They are having the time of their lives drowning us and after an intense flag feature, they return to their peaceful rocks to await their next victims.
15th - Eagle Mountain Independent (81.535)
Eagle Mountain Independent presents Ecsher. This performance is about Maurits Cornelis Escher, a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were inspired by mathematics. Ecsher’s iconic art is a fascinating example of how the arts and math are intertwined. Eagle Mountain members stand out in deep blue costumes that contrast well with the grayscale patterned floor. The performance finally descends into chaos as Ecsher loves creating Chaos in his art.
