For more than 60 years, BD Performing Arts and Vanguard Music and Performing Artshave lived by the core values of enriching lives by providing opportunities for excellence in the performing arts. These steadfast values have guided both organizations well and we believe have continued to provide us a clear and future-focused vision as we have had to make key decisions that will impact the next 18 months in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We understand that expectations of those participating in a world class organization is the ‘grand experience’ that participants at both BDPA and VMAPA have been able to count on. Even though the experience will be different than usual in 2021, we are planning on keeping that promise. Our first priority in that commitment is to keep our members, staff, and community healthy and safe. And it is our intention to balance that safety with a truly world class experience.
In order to keep those promises, we must prioritize and focus our attention on four key areas of our organizations’ roadmaps: building a fiscally responsible future, providing opportunities in the spring and summer of 2021 to participate in our organizations, addressing gaps in education of the pageantry arts during the pandemic at a national level, and shaping the path to an unsurpassed 2022 drum corps season that meets and exceeds the expectations of our community.
We are emboldened by the talent we see amongst students in our current and prospective membership and are confident in the roadmap our organizations have built for the next 18 months. Yet with the current state of the pandemic, combined with the distance and limited performance opportunities that DCI has planned to date, BDPA and VMAPA have jointly decided not to travel to Indianapolis for the Showcase events August 12-14, 2021.
Although we will not be in Indianapolis, both organizations are still planning exciting talent development and education opportunities for the summer. Our intention is to use this time in a way that will help us bring the highest caliber programs to the field in Indianapolis in 2022 for DCI’s 50th anniversary season. And to that end, planning for 2022 has already begun. Look for further information on auditions coming soon!
“With 2021 not being a normal drum corps season, each participating corps has the burden and responsibility to set the best course of action for their organization to achieve the long-term success of fulfilling their mission,” said Drum Corps International CEO Dan Acheson. “We appreciate The Blue Devils’ and Santa Clara Vanguard’s commitment to this activity and support the plans they have made for their organizations this coming year. We all anxiously anticipate the return of the 2022 drum corps season with these two world class corps competing at the highest level during our 50th anniversary season.”
At BDPA and VMAPA, for 2021, we are focused on recovery. We believe it is fundamental for us to begin that work by developing and strengthening our future members and supporting music programs around the country to build a strong future together. We are committed to supporting performing arts education nationwide both virtually and with in-person events to positively impact as many students and programs as possible during this time, while exploring all accessible performance opportunities for our membership.
Both of our organizations are completely focused on the fundamental priority – a bright future of drum corps that is safe, strong and better than ever. Stay tuned for upcoming updates with more details on next year’s programs and auditions.
The Future Starts Now.