I have honestly no idea who is going to finals this year. It is going to hard, because all of the competitions are really tough this year. I hope everyone does well, cause New Dimension is going to do our best as well.
I don't think anyone was trying to put down LC, which is what you seem to think happened. Lawrence Central is a strong Group and i for one am excited to see your show! But as you said, You got 1 RU behind CG by a few points, and FC Beat CG this season taking vocals and choreography by i believe about 10 points. Not sure, just from what i've seen, i'd have to agree with the above predictions:
I can't help but believe that this will be an eye opening experience for the West Jones groups that are coming based on what is being talked on here as to the strength of the groups at this comp. West Jones mixed group Imagination just moved up to the large mixed category in the south, so this should be a huge step up for them. Good luck to all the groups competing!
wow interesting? LC got 1st runner up at warren right behind center grove our firsst time out jus for a lil info. lost by 3.2 points crazy huh?
I don't think anyone was trying to put down LC, which is what you seem to think happened. Lawrence Central is a strong Group and i for one am excited to see your show! But as you said, You got 1 RU behind CG by a few points, and FC Beat CG this season taking vocals and choreography by i believe about 10 points. Not sure, just from what i've seen, i'd have to agree with the above predictions:
North Central's competition is unique in that, naming it MIC (which is the conference in Indiana made up of ten of the states largest public schools around the Indianapolis area), the competition pulls almost entirely from a very small region. Contrary to what one might think, this makes North Central's invitational even MORE competitive each year than many other midwest competitions.
Out of all the quality groups attending this competition, I believe finalists will be Lawrence Central "Central Sound," Franklin Central "FC Singers," Carmel "Ambassadors," Plainfield "Belles et Beaux," Ben Davis "Premiers," and Pike "Encores." I also wouldn't be too terribly surprised to see Castle or Lawrence North sneak into finals. I was pleased to see that there will be six groups included in the finals competition.
Awards Predictions:
GC: Carmel
1st RU: Lawrence Central
2nd RU: Franklin Central
3rd RU: Plainfield
4th RU: Ben Davis
5th RU: Pike / Castle / Lawrence North
There are several things everyone going to this competition should be SURE to see -
North Central "Counterpoints" opener - WOW. Just . . . WOW.
Ben Davis - male soloist Brian Benson
Lawrence Central - a capella section in their ballad . . . excellent musicianship.
QUOTE(PSyoudontfoolme @ Feb 26 2008, 01:10 AM) 422543
Performance time has NOTHING to do with how well you do. I was in a girls group and a mixed group so I've definitely hit both ends of the spectrum. And depending on the individual, sometimes people in groups with later performance time build up nerves and freeze up onstage. With Carmel being the caliber of group that they are and a performance time of 8:50, I HIGHLY doubt the time slot will affect them at all.
In regards to predictions, Lawrence North shocked me a couple years ago at LC because I had heard nothing about them and simply wrote them off and they were phenomenal. I would go:
GC: Carmel
1RU: FC
2RU: BD/LC
3RU: LC/BD
4RU: Brownsburg/Plainfield/LN
(they normally have 6 finalists but the official schedule says 5)
The final three spots in finals are totally open. I haven't seen Ben Davis or Lawrence Central's shows but they are (generally) good groups....(they have both had a few bad shows in the past 6 or so years, but who hasnt?). I like Brownsburg's show (saw it at BD) and I expect with some cleaning they can possibly make finals. Again, haven't seen Plainfield's but their choreo is generally clean and cute so they are a possibility as well.
Normally I would have Zionsville in finals, but their show was way below normal Zionsville caliber...I live in Zionsville currently, so I was rooting for them. But their performance at Ben Davis left me...shocked at how incredibly awkward and the teeniest bit offensive it was (mostly 'Everything Old Is New Again').
wow interesting? LC got 1st runner up at warren right behind center grove our firsst time out jus for a lil info. lost by 3.2 points crazy huh?
I disagree with the statement that I am naive to think performance time has nothing to do with it. I was a comp where we were the first group of the day...8am...and we were against some really good groups and we swept it. I personally almost performed better in the morning because there is less pressure, you haven't watched the groups you are competing against.
Like I said, there are multiple factors to consider. How awake a group is depends on the individual performer, and if they wanted it bad enough it wouldn't be a factor; but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a full band, tech crew, and singer/dancers that would perform with the same energy level at 7:30am as they would at 3:30pm.
The biggest issue is what the previous posters mention, the scoring inflation as the day goes on. In the morning those groups set the standard, and the judges are likely to conserve their points until later in the afternoon going by those standards. It's probably not intentional, but it happens and it's unfortunately a necessary evil.
Also, the bigger issue that's not being brought up is audience numbers. In the morning and early afternoon, no matter what contest you're at, there just isn't a big audience. It has a negative impact on the singer/dancers then it domino effects to the judges. If you've ever gone to a contest and got all hyped up to perform, then got out on stage and saw the only people in the audience were parents of the group, there's simple no energy to feed off of. Compare that to performing later in the day or in finals when spectators are packed and the atmosphere is thunderous and energetic, and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm sure many Single-Gender, small schools, and middle school groups can relate.
I guess it is subjective, but there's probably a reason that all of the directors want late afternoon spots.
back to the person who said there should be 6 places for night finals....
i heard that they may be doing that but it had not been verified yet. i hope they do since there are so many schools there. cant wait to see everybody perform. good luck!
Earlier someone asked about judges...one of the choreography judges is Josh Prince...right now he is choreographing the new broadway show Shrek the Musical which happens to star none other than Sutton Foster...is it just me or does any one else think this is completely awesome?!?!!?
I have to agree that there is definitely score inflation as a day goes on. However, someone has to perform earlier than someone else or the day never gets moving. To be an unknown and make finals from the early slot is a difficult thing. To have a big name and make it from the morning, is not as big a feat as long as everyone is awake!
Performance time doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how well you execute your show (although who can really be at their best singing before noon?), but it very well may affect how you will be scored. If the bulk of choirs are yet to perform, judges will often be conservative in scoring earlier in the day. Thankfully, most competitions have finals -- a second chance for judges to see the best choirs go head-to-head for better comparison.
QUOTE(PSyoudontfoolme @ Feb 27 2008, 01:17 PM) 423051
I disagree with the statement that I am naive to think performance time has nothing to do with it. I was a comp where we were the first group of the day...8am...and we were against some really good groups and we swept it. I personally almost performed better in the morning because there is less pressure, you haven't watched the groups you are competing against.
As for the statement that a big break in the day affects energy levels...I disagree with that too. That's like saying that if you performed your show for parents or something on Friday night, then performed on Saturday...your Saturday show would suck because you haven't performed your show since the night before. That just doesn't make sense to me. Especially seeing that you are from Teays...I knew (and still know) some Teays Valley kids and I have seen their shows multiple years and performance times have never affected their energy levels.
Of course, these are just my opinions and those are yours. But I felt like I needed to respond. Please don't think I'm attacking either one of you.
Well I think it does. If you perform early in the day you really have to push aside the fact you are tired and really try to motivate yourself. It can be rough and does affect you. Maybe some people don't think it does but many people that it does.
lainfield/Ben davis
Fc beat CG by 25 or 27 points at northrop this year, not going to lie they are pretty good. Who knows what the outcome will be..