The Ringmaster

FALL 2024

The Design Process

Marching band season prep starts the year prior, with the band director deciding the overall show concept. Towards the end of the school year heading into the summer months, the rest of the staff is involved in ironing out the details regarding props, uniforms, and music. A significant number of staff members are necessary for a successful fall season.

My role as the Color Guard Caption Head during fall season includes deciding the drill, choreographing, designing uniforms and flag silks, and helping with prop incorporation. The drill is one of the most significant parts of designing the marching show for the guard. Every performer has their spot on the field that continuously moves throughout the performance. Each dot needs to flow and be achievable for the performer. Custom uniforms may be designed or bought pre-made, including shoes, depending on the budget. As Caption Head, I get the privilege of deciding hair and makeup, as well as flag silks and uniforms. The flag silks used were designed with the help of imagery found online as the blueprint. The band director picks out the main props, but I have the luxury of adding smaller ones in and deciding how the guard will interact with them throughout the show.

Guard Uniform

The band director had already chosen a SyncedUp design for the guard uniforms, but the original design didn’t align with our preferred color palette or vision. I had several modifications in mind, including making the lower half entirely black—similar to the reference on the right—or switching from a unitard to a leotard. We also wanted to adjust the cape on the back to be shorter and more tailored, again drawing inspiration from the example on the right. Since the majority of the guard preferred a leotard over a unitard, we ultimately decided on a black leotard worn underneath the top half of the SyncedUp uniform. I added a bow for character; body tights were worn underneath and boot-like jazz shoes were purchased instead of traditional jazz shoes to add to the ringmaster effect.

Original Design

SyncedUp Design

Final Product (cape is present on backside)

Mvmt 1 Silk

The Ringmaster 2024

On average, high school marching band shows encompass four movements or four parts to the show for a total of about 8 minutes. This past fall, the show was circus-themed, with the color guard representing The Ringmaster. The four parts were 1. The Greatest Show on Earth! 2. Self Doubt 3. Featured Acts! and 4. The Main Event!

Movement 1 was all about welcoming the audience to the greatest show on earth! It resembled fun, energetic, cheery, and strong energies, which featured circus hula hoops as props. The guard staff and I chose a circus ticket as the main image. Since the color palette for this show included black, gold, and red, the outskirts of the ticket resemble the well-known striped pattern usually printed on circus tents. The colors in this case were more gold and red, with customized black lettering. By sending in the images I wanted to use and describing how the flag silk should be designed, SyncedUp Designs brought the flag to life and provided the finished product. The first two images are what the guard staff and I found initially. We wanted to combine the two and customize the lettering. After a brief email thread with SyncedUp, the final product is the third image on the bottom left.

Mvmt 2 Silk

Movement 2 embodied uncertainty and more tension in emotion. Doubt starts to creep into the Ringmaster. The conflict here was dealing with internal challenges over time. The music is less cheery here, and resembles slower, dark moments. Equipment used in this movement was sabre and swing flag. Sabre often coincides with softer movements, such as this one. A swing flag is an extra long and wide silk utilized with four-foot poles. The purpose of swing flags is to showcase large, elegant movements with the silk and body. Less spinning and fast motion is involved. This silk needed to make an impact. I wanted it to be different from the first silk and embody an almost mysterious ambiance. With the main prop in the show being a life-size stage with curtains, it seemed fitting for that scenery to be the primary image of this silk. However, it is dark and lacking color, but still bright enough for you to peak through and wonder what's happening on stage. There's an obvious shift from Movement 1 to Movement 2, and that's the point.

Movement 3 Most marching band shows have a movement where the percussion is featured; that is this movement. The mood here was chaotic, crazy, sporadic, and overwhelming. The ringmaster struggles to find clarity within themselves. The responsibilities become heavy, and the audience feels it. Less flag was used during this movement. The focus was on different props, character work, and rifle. We utilized a large top hat. It was stained black with a red bow, and glittered all around so that you could see it glisten from the top of the bleachers while the dance soloist made her way across the field with it. We also used enlarged juggling balls to embrace the circus act. These decisions were made because this movement was the shortest and acts as the transition into the last movement, which always ends on a high note, especially for a circus show. Fewer flag silks present here meant the focus will shift to another piece of equipment and onto the character of the ringmaster and the percussionists. The guard staff and I ran into some drill design challenges during this movement and moving into the fourth movement, as sometimes plans do not happen how they should. With extended communication and collaboration, we not only fixed the issues, but we also found better solutions.

Mvmt 4 Silk

Movement 4: What we've all been waiting for! This last movement was considered the main event and embodied a goofy, yet accomplished feeling. The Ringmaster has overcome the doubt and puts on a successful show! The music here is upbeat and triumphant. To represent the celebratory success of the show, the ending flag feature silk showcases balloons that match the overarching circus-themed color palette.

That's All Folks! Thanks for coming to the show!

The season ended on the highest of notes, with 1st place - WBA Regional 2A Champions! The Ringmaster really did find their true potential. The show was a success all around! Despite challenges and other conflicts, the students put on an outstanding performance and left their hearts out on the field.

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