This Technique Guide helps you to develop a foundation for excellent movement on the field and visual clarity for the performers in their execution of their work. The benefit of the following techniques give you, the instructional team, and students the ability to be intentional with their movements with a system of clear angles, positions, and placement instructions that can be used again and again as your develop the visual package of your show.

The Why

The most important statement any ensemble will ever make will be the presence we command of ourselves when we first take the field. All members of the audience and adjudication panels will make their first judgment based simply on how we look when we start the show. Before we play our first note, take our first step, or take our first breath in, we will be assessed and expectations will be established. Because of this, we expect all members of the ensemble to hold themselves to a high standard, and therefore carry themselves with a presence that exudes confidence and attitude. This is both an expectation and a state of mind.

Mentality

If you do not carry yourself as if you are the best marcher on the floor, you will not be and that mentality will effect the rest of your training and performance. We must take the field or floor with an amount of power and arrogance that commands the attention of the audience. There is an entire category on the judging sheets dedicated to the entertainment factor of a show. The design team and instructional staff will take care of the logistics, but it is your job to perform it.

Physicality

In this activity, there may be work that you are physically uncomfortable with. You must make sure that you are stretching and keeping up with a basic exercise program to be able to rise to the visual demands of your show. Not performing something full out because you don't like it is never an option. If you are going through the work and it hurts, speak to a staff member for guidance on how to perform the needed assignment correctly.

State of Mind

You as the performer should be striving to make you movement and visuals very natural in execution and to align them to the musical performance. You have full control of your good and bad reps. Bad reps mean that there's something not in alignment or something not completely clear for execution.

Good reps mean that those issues are learned.
Great reps mean that those issues are understood.
Consistent reps mean that those issues are resolved.

Visual Development Packet 2023