BlackSwan

FanninMusicalProductions

BlackSwanisastudyincontrastingbeauty:classicalvs.contemporary,timeless&elegantvs.mysterious&intriguing…thelightvs.thedark.BymarryingTchaikovsky’sSwanLakewithSia’spophit‘Chandelier,’thisprogramsetsupamesmerizingdichotomywhichisreflectedineverythingtheaudienceseesandhearsonthefield.Atoncethoroughlysophisticatedandmodernwhileatthesametimeretaininganelegantsimplicity,BlackSwanwillintrigueanddelightyourstudents,youraudience,andjudgesinanysetting.

SetDesign

ThefieldscapeofBlackSwanimmediatelydrawstheviewerin,usingsimplebutevocativepropswhichallowustocompletelychangethemoodasthemusicevolves.Above,theopeninglookoftheprogram,below,thetransformedappearanceduringthethirdmovement.

…andthefinallook,representingthecomingtogetherofthelightanddarkwhichresolvestheprogram.

Themainpropsarethelargeupright‘swans’whichframethefield.Byturningthemontheiraxis,weswitchfromthelight,tothedark,andbackagainwithease.Onthedarkside,simpleLEDlightsallowtheeyetoglowredforastrikingeffectatapivotalmomentintheprogram.Theexactnumberofthesepropscanbecustomizedtomeettheneedsofyouruniqueensemble.

Additionally,optionalfrontscreensonthefrontsidelinedisguiseguardequipmentexchangeswhilealsoconnectingtothethemethroughimageryandcolorpalette.

FlagandCostumeDesign

TheguarddesignforBlackSwanmostclearlyrepresentsthedichotomyinherentintheprogram:onehalfofthecolorguardiscostumedastheclassicwhiteswans,theotherthemoremodernblackswans.Inthefirsttwomovements,theyusecontrastingequipmentwhicharemirrorimagesofoneanother.Intheballad,theycometogethertospunsimple,oversizedblackswingflags,andinthecloserasingleflagsilkwhichrepresentsthecomingtogetherofthecontrastingsides.

CostumingandflagsavailablethroughBandShoppe.

Movement1Effects

Astheshowbegins,ourfirstfocusiscenterstagewherethewhiteswansdancearoundasoloist.Thepartisoriginallywrittenforflutebutcouldbecustomizedtomeetyourensemble’sstrengths.Withtheswanpropsturnedtotheirwhiteside,themoodisclassic,butcontainingahintofedgeandmenace.

Asthemusicanddrillbegintodevelop,theevolvingmoodisreflectedbytheentranceoftheblackswans,emergingfrombehindthepropsandmakingtheirwaytowardscenterstage.

Asthemusicalensemblelayersin,buildingtowardsthefirstarrivalpointoftheshow,theguardintroducesourfirstsilk.Usingthesameimageryasthesetdesign,butmirrorimagesofeachother,theyservetoimmediatelycommunicatethethemeofcontrastandunity.CostumingandflagsavailablethroughBandShoppe.

Finally,themusicalandvisualelementscometogethertocreateourfirstemotionalarrivalpoint,amajesticstatementofthemainthemefromSwanLake.Thewhiteandblackswans,separatedbythemusicalensemble,makeaunifiedstatementwhilemaintainingthecontrast.

Movement2Effects

Movement2isamoreplayful,technicalpartoftheprogramwhichallowsyourstudentsmusicianshiptoshine.Thevisualprogramreflectsthisbyusingtwodifferentpiecesofequipmentinthecolorguard.Ifusingweapons,theblackswansshouldbeplayedbythoseguardmembers.Ifweaponsarenotbeingused,thentheblackswanscouldalsocontinuetousetheiropenersilk.

Asthewoodwindstakethefocus,thewhiteswansspinwiththem,andwhenthefocusshiftstothebrass,theblackswansvisuallyaccentuatethatchange.

Then,asthemusicalideasbecomelesssegmentedandcometogether,sodoesthedrillbecomemoreunisonandtheguardcometogetherinpairswhoseworkcomplementsoneanother.Theflagsandweaponstradevisualideasbackandforth,beforetheblackswans‘win’theirduel…amoodchangemadeclearinthemusic,andvisuallymadeobviousbytheturningofthepropstotheirblacksidetofinishthemovement.

Movement3Effects

Astheprogramtransitionsmoods,anewsoloisttakescenterstagesurroundedbydancingblackswans,aninvertedreferencetothewayinwhichtheprogrambegan.OriginallywrittenforFrenchhorn,andsketchedhereasamellophone,thepartcanberescoredasneededforyourgroup.

Fromhere,theballadquicklybuildsintoapowerful,majesticmusicalimpact,madeallthemorepowerfulbytheuseofoversizedswingflagstofillthefieldwithsilk,andthelightingoftheLEDeyesontheswanprops.

Afterthemusicalrelease,themainensembleretreatsfromthestagewhiletheblackandwhiteswanscometogether.Astheoptionalsounddesignlaysdowntheclassic1,2,3ofawaltz—butinadecidedlymodern,almosttechnoway—theydancetogetherandframeamusicalduet.Thetwoprevioussoloistsplaytogethernow,symbolizingyetagainthereconciliationofcomplementaryopposites.

Movement4

Thefinalmovementbeginswithafocusonpercussion,andamoreupliftingtonebefittingthethemeofjoyouscomingtogether.Halftheswanpropsreturntotheirwhiteside,settingupadichotomy.Thetwoguardelementsperformasone,usingaflagsilkperfectlyreflectingthesameconcept.CostumingandflagsavailablethroughBandShoppe.

Asthemusicalintensitydrivestowardthefinal,excitingstatementsoftheshow,theblackandwhiteswanpropsarepushedtogethercenterstage,mimickingtheflaggraphicsandaddingonemoretouchstonefortheconceptualmotifofthemovement.Allelementsofthedesign—music,drill,choreography,costuming,andsetdesign—cometogethertomaximizevisualandmusicaleffect.

Andasthelast,powerfulmusicalmomentsarrive,thecontrastingconceptsofbeauty—darkandlight—havecometogetherandbeenrevealedastwosidesofthesameunderlyingunity.

Fin.

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