How to explain a Formation Show

I'm attending the KLWMBC Preliminaries on the 16th and 17th of December 2010. While in Kuala Lumpur, I will try and invite a few more friends who are new to this event to come and watch.

But first, how do you convince them to come? How do you describe a World Marching Band Competition to them? Is it a show? A musical performance? A sport?

Most people, and i dont think i'm very wrong, when they think of a marching band, they think of us marchers in colorful, loud costumes, big geeky spectacles, marching and swaying in a parade.


Or they may think of us wearing military styled uniforms, stiff, unyielding, blowing national anthems and military pieces.



More often than not, we cannot blame most people for thinking this way. It IS a fact that most marching bands are like that. It reinforces this idea into the public everytime they perform. But when you tell people that marching bands can perform shows that combine elements of formations and music, they just cannot understand how it works.

And so I've been struggling on how to explain to my friends regarding marching band shows. How these shows are a huge source of entertainment to me. To explain the pleasure i get from seeing the performers push their physical limits to perform incredible musical pieces. To feel the audience roar in appreciation of a show by giving a standing ovation.

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I decided to show a link to my friend in order to explain what a formation show is. The first question out of her mouth was "Erm....are they....creating....symbols or something?"

I didn't know how to answer. To me, exposed to so many years of formation shows, i never thought to question how these formation shapes just made sense to me. How an aggressive musical piece usually came with squares and blocks, a romantic and slow tune came with curves and lines.

So after giving it some thought, I chose to explain it this way to my friend,

"These formations, think of it as an abstract expression of the musical piece. If i asked you to sing a jazz song and to move your fingers, you would twirl it in circles and short movements. If i asked you to think of a romantic song, you would sway your arms in wide arcs. If its a fast and loud song, you would be jerking your arms rapidly and so forth."

This is what formations are I think. An expression of a musical piece. There is no one DEFINITE way to know what is good or bad. Its something you feel by listening, and visually appreciating.


In the end, though my friend did not still fully understood what formation competitions were about, she was entertained enough to compliment that the show was "superb and a HUGE departure than what she usually thought of marching bands", and she would definitely consider coming to watch the event.

And of course, I smiled.


KLWMBC 2010, here I come.



*to those wondering what vid i chose to share, obviously it was my own schools show, Nan Hwa 2010* ;)

p.s the location of the event will be at Stadium Bola Sepak Cheras, starting at 8:30-11pm