By Jenny Lyons
What are the elements of a winter guard show that make us, as an audience, remember? We gravitate towards the shows that shock and awe, the ones that show us something we have never seen before, the ones that push the limits of what we thought possible within the arena. We hang on to the memories of those that make us feel something, the ones that tell a story with which we connect, and the ones that make us look at the world a little differently. These elements together place a winter guard show in the coveted top echelons of the activity, and designers are constantly striving to achieve this perfect storm of a show for the benefit of their performers, spectators, and the winter guard activity alike.
Undoubtedly, Michael has been “one of the most creative minds in all of WGI” for the past twenty years. “His innovative designs, unique ability to tell a story that connects with audiences on an array of emotional levels, and the fact that his style of equipment work is completely original, has cemented his legacy as one of the leading innovators and change makers of the modern color guard era,” Kevin Ford of Tarpon Springs says so eloquently of Shapiro’s brilliance.
Hailing from Florida, Shapiro’s World Class marching career began with the Alliance of Miami in 1987, where he performed until 1992. He spent six years with the Alliance of Miami, spending his summers with Spirit of Atlanta and Madison Scouts, respectively. At his first WGI finals in ‘87, Michael recalls watching Blessed Sacrament performing that night, saying, “Until that moment, I don’t think I had any idea of the scope of what I had gotten myself into.” After this moment of realization, Shapiro would go on to alter the very scope of the activity over which he was so in awe of back in that winter of 1987.
Shapiro is known within the winter guard community for his masterful musicality and unique conceptualization. His creative voice is bright and distinct, recognizable to anyone familiar with his work. His style, beyond being memorable, has become influential in its own right. Of his choreography, Townsend says, “Michael moved equipment like no one ever had before, and many, many current choreographers have been greatly inspired by his work.” This is apparent in the fact that many of Shapiro’s students have gone on to become top-notch designers and teachers themselves.
From his work as a designer, choreographer, and teacher to his international outreach and rich involvement with WGI, Michael Shapiro was a clear and deserving choice for this year’s Hall of Fame. Shapiro has been described as repeatedly showing the audience that the impossible, is, in fact, possible; an apt description that fails to be surprising when one hears his sentiments on the activity: “I love the creative challenges of using old things in new ways, and creating different emotional environments in such huge, sterile spaces.” Shapiro also revels in watching his students rise to the occasion. “These aspects of color guard never get old to me,” Shapiro says. With his passion for excellence, new challenges, and the pursuit of the next great moment of color guard, it is clear to see why Michael Shapiro continues to shape the landscape of the winter guard world. Of WGI, he says, “I think there are so many amazing designers in the activity, who have such loud voices and clear visions, that there is nowhere that the activity can’t go.” With loud voices and clear visions such as Michael Shapiro’s, the future of this activity looks as bright as it is compelling.
Michael will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on April 5, 2017 during this year’s WGI Color Guard World Championships festivities in Dayton, Ohio, along with fellow recipients Peggy Twiggs and Jonathan Vanderkolff.