How to dance like a drum major
Sections — The Marching Virginians
drum Majors
The MVs have two Drum Majors each year. The drum majors are selected by the student leadership through an audition process that includes conducting a recording of a prepared piece, conducting a live band, calling marching commands, following marching commands, and a salute. Any current MV is welcome to audition for drum major, regardless of age or previous conducting experience, and current drum majors must re-audition for their position each year. The drum majors are both field commanders and field conductors, and it is their responsibility to maintain discipline and order on the field. They must have a thorough understanding of the music and drill for each show and be able to assist those who need help.
Feature Twirlers
In the past, the MVs had a single Feature Twirler, but in recent years, we have featured as many as three. Feature Twirlers are selected by the directors from audition videos which are sent in early in the summer. The twirler(s) must excel in creative and interpretive performance, and work independently to design their routine for each show. Even current twirlers must re-audition for their positions each year.
Piccolos
Marching 24 strong with some of the highest piercing notes in the Marching Virginians is the VT Pix section. The Marching Virginians march all piccolos. While you may audition on flute, everyone plays piccolo on the field. The VT Pix are a fun section that loves to dance at football games as they cheer on their fellow Hokies!
Clarinets
The MV 'Nets may not always be visible on the field, but it's impossible to miss them in the stands. Their 38 members are always playing, dancing, and cheering the Hokies to victory! Loud, proud, and fearless (leave them alone for too long and they'll end up napping), the 'nets have some of the coolest people you'll get to know throughout your college career of 4, 5,.
..or 10 years at Virginia Tech!
Saxophones
The MV Saxes are a close-knit family within the Marching Virginians. Made up of a mix of alto and tenor saxophones for a total of 40 members, the sax section is known for being laid-back and quoting Sharknado fortuitously. Like sports? Sigma Alpha Chi (ΣΑΧ) usually fields their own intramural flag football, basketball, and softball teams throughout the year!
Trumpets
From the opening call in Tech Triumph to the zesty sounds in Caravan, the MV Trumpets are the section that gives the Marching Virginians its melody! Trumpets spend most of their time near the front of the field during halftime shows and parades. They love performing for the best and most enthusiastic fans in the country. Each year the section is composed of 54 amazing individuals with great attitudes and tremendous work ethics who help put on amazing shows with a breathtaking sound.
Horns
The MV Horns are by far the most easy-going and fun-loving section of the band. At roughly 30 members, they are one of the smaller, and therefore tighter, sections within the MVs. While they're usually pretty laid-back, this section gets really lively for football games. When they aren't too busy yelling and cheering, they are dancing to the drum cadences in the stands. With traditions like camping, dinner, and a Christmas/end of fall semester celebration at Homeplace, the horns maintain strong bonds while sharing the joys of Hokie football.
trombones
The MV Bones are the favorite section of Frank Beamer, former coach of the Virginia Tech Hokie football team. With 41, the MV Bones provide the heart of the "middle voices" that color the Marching Virginians' distinctive sound. Large-bore trombones are provided by the school, so you won't find any "peashooters" or F-triggers here.
Throughout the year, the Bones cheer on the Hokies and celebrate Hokie football in exciting ways that only bones can.
bariTones
As Steve Wulf put it in his article in ESPN The Magazine, the MV Tones are "the free spirits of the band" - they do their own thing. You won't see the Tones performing at the front sideline with the rest of the band. No, their spot is on the back sideline. The tones are the smallest section in the band at around 18 members, and therefore, one of the closest sections – through they are split into two ranks, the division is rarely recognized! Forward-facing marching baritones are provided by the school for the marching season. The Tones are also known throughout the band as the best dancers.
Tubas
Because of their "class clown" type antics and leading role in the Hokie Pokie, the VTubas have earned a bit of a reputation for goofing off and stealing the spotlight.
However, if you dig a little deeper, you will find that this close-knit group of around 20 members is actually one of the hardest-working and reliable sections in the band*. If you think carrying a sousaphone while dancing in front of 65,000+ cheering fans could be fun, this just might be the section for you!
*They ask that you please keep this information to yourself, since they wouldn't want to ruin their hard-earned reputation!
Drumline
Rarely will you ever find time in between plays where the VT Drumline isn't jamming hardcore in the stands. The "Heartbeat of Lane Stadium" is a hardworking and close knit group that loves free Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches, long walks on the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, and most importantly, Fiestas! The student-run drumline consists of snares, tenors, bass drums, and cymbals. REEEMIXXXXX...
Flag Corps
The MV Flags truly love to perform and give visual life to the music the band plays.
Throughout the season they work hard and have fun learning and perfecting intricate routines for every show and event, and they're very passionate about the traditions they carry on through their signature routines for Tech Triumph, the Hokie Pokie, and the Pregame Show. When they're not on the field, the flags also like to work together to make a difference through community service projects. During the 2010-2011 season, they collected over 200 prom dresses and accessories for local high school girls who could not afford them through the Cinderella Project. This thirty-six member group is fun and outgoing, if not sometimes a little crazy! They strive to share Hokie Spirit with everyone through performance, friendship, and service.
Managers
The MV Managers, or the behind-the-scenes team, are the logistics and support team for the Marching Virginians. A team of 14 students that looks to support all the needs of band as they take the field.
The managers look to help the 330 member band function like a well-oiled machine from practice to performance.
Marching Band Drum Major Band Mom Dancers School SVG
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How to dance to live drums
HOW TO DANCE TO LIVE DRUMS
(as opposed to the dead, which are so boring!)
There is nothing more fun than dancing to the music of live drummers. Although you can plan the script and choreograph with a recorded drum solo, nothing can replace the live energy of a drum that you enjoy shimmying to. In my experience, these performances are almost always improvisational. In other words, while a drum song has its own overall structure, much of it is up to the drummer's imagination. And your movements should quickly follow his imagination. To help you get the best out of this, here are some important tips.
Warm up - to keep your toes sharp, you need to warm up! The drummer relaxes his arms and stretches for them - you do the same, only with the body. The most important stretch I do before a performance is side bends, they stretch all the muscles of the torso and hips. There are many variations of this exercise, and I use them all: before I put on my costume, after I put it on, and when I'm waiting to go on stage.
There are several basic drum solo techniques, let's briefly outline them.
You must be proficient in several "sharp moves" . These are the ones whose completion stands out and creates a sense of "hit". Here are some great examples:
• Hip flicks
• Pelvis flicks
• Chest thrusts
Shimmy is the foundation of my drum solo work (both recorded and live). You should be familiar with their varieties, for example
• Vertical hip work 3/4
• Jello
Also very important isolation - they allow you to isolate different sounds of music with your body.
Insulations can be harsh, but are more often soft. Practice the following:
• Hip circles, figure eights, slides
• Chest circles, figure eights, slides
• Separate them from each other. Don't let your chest move as you isolate your hips. To succeed in this - stretch, stretch and stretch again!
Thanks to the overlay of , your body can perfectly reflect the rhythm of the drum. In this technique, you perform two movements at the same time. You can overlap the top of the body with the bottom, or you can perform two movements in the same area of the body. For example, slow "snake handles" at the top and a fast jello shimmy, or a 3/4 hip shimmy and soft maia. Here are some options:
• Slide shimmy
• Figure 8 shimmy
• Shoulder/wave chest shimmy
• Snake handle/choo choo shimmy (at fingertips)
You should definitely work on endurance - you don't want to languish in the finale of the show, especially with a live song! Repeat your routine movements at least four times each.
This is good not only for the cardiovascular system, but also for preparing for a performance!
Now let's pay attention to the peculiarities of dancing to a live drum. First and foremost, I believe that the dancer and the drummer perform as a duet. You are not alone on stage: do not ignore your partner.
Stand so that you can easily see the drummer. To communicate with him, use the channels "your eyes - his eyes" and "your eyes - the movements of his hands."
Figure out your number. How will you start?
• On stage or off stage?
• Slow or fast?
• On rhythm start or on cue?
What do you want to dance? Think about the theme of your number.
• Talk to the drummer about tempo and emotionality. This will help set the rhythm. Chiftitelli works great in a slow song, and beledi, in my opinion, does not work in a fast number.
• Do you want all your shimmy to run like a relay, or do you want to draw attention to isolations? The decision will also affect drumming - non-stop shimmy will require a lot of roll, and isolations will require the drummer to play a little less freely - so that you can dance to the "melody".
• Divide the song into sections: set where you want the tempo to slow down or up, and to introduce breaks.
Do you have something special? The drummer needs to know what it is to help your dance get a standing ovation. Here's what you might need:
• Props - sabers, canes, scarves, fans!
• Cymbals - make sure the drummer has a rhythm that you can play them to.
• Floor work/bridges/somersaults. Decide if you need a change in rhythm or tempo to perform these techniques (in principle, somersaults can be excluded ...).
How will you finish the dance? Remember, it is the ending that the departing viewer remembers. You will have to work hard on it, even if you made a mistake in the rest of your speech. Here are some things to think about:
• Is the ending slow and drawn out, or fast and abrupt?
• What rhythm will complete the dance?
• What will be the sign of the end (nod, hand movement, verbal signal)?
• What will be your final pose? Don't get out of it, even if the drummer gets stupid and continues to play - he will still stop quickly, and it will look better than if you tried to correct the situation by starting a new dance.
Work with the drummer. Remember, he is your partner in this dance. Ideally you should train with him before the show, but unfortunately this is often not possible. Sometimes you don't even know his name! Anyway, here are some tips to help you get in sync:
• Watch his hands for when he's getting ready to hit.
• Anticipate his music - if you miss the first ka-pow, prepare for the second (and often the third and fourth).
• Practice visual cues - nods, special moves. They will indicate when to slow down or increase the tempo, when to end the song, etc.
• Talk to the drummer - joke, use facial expressions, wink - so the audience can see the duet.
• Watch your hands!!!
Your dance must be planned. But what then is an improvisation of ? A professional is always ready to perform, even if he lets the music tell him how to move.
• Avoid big moves - when you're dancing to a recording, you're the solo star and can go wherever you want; live drum is a little more unpredictable thing.
You can't ignore the drummer, and you can't be foolish while dancing (for example, when you start spinning around the stage to the drum roll, and the drummer suddenly goes into staccato).
• Try to hear all the drum sounds (DOOMs and TEKs), but don't limit yourself to following only them in the dance. Alternate precise "beating" of the rhythm with soft movements that do not get out of the picture.
• Rock out, get ready to experiment and have fun!
• Use pauses - it's beneficial for you - "stop" dancing to choose a different position.
• BE THE MUSIC YOURSELF! This is the most important thing. The body reflects the music it hears. When the drummer softens and slows down the rhythm, dance softer and slower. When the rhythm is strong and hard, be energetic and courageous.
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Live in rhythm!
| Darbuka - main percussion instrument Middle East, which is the focus of our school . See also articles on the history of darbuka and belly dance in Egypt. Part 1. Excerpt from DVD book Hossam Ramzi This article is an excerpt from my DVD book titled "Rhythms of the Nile/Drumming for Bellydancers" which came out last year. I wanted the article to appear in print as well, because I judge by the flood of emails that have been hitting me from drummers and dancers all over the world. From the time I started playing for bellydancers - and it happened so long ago that I can't remember - I realized that there are basic rules of the game - "A GOOD DANCER'S DRUMMER" *, in accordance with which it will be presented my stuff. To become a professional drummer for belly dancers, you need to understand what Egyptian/Middle Eastern dance is. My main rule is: "The real art of Oriental dance is to make the music visible." What does this mean? And the fact that each musical sound must be translated by the dancer into the language of movement in three dimensions. For example, if a whole orchestra plays (all musicians together) a long phrase - whether in the intro, end or middle of the composition - then the dancer must make large, voluminous movements, moving around the stage, covering as much of the available space as possible than in fragments, when one instrument performs a solo. I am NOT going to tell the dancer WHAT moves to do, and I won't tell the drummer what rhythms, embellishments or accents he or she should play at those places. Both must understand that it is a big sound produced by the whole orchestra or a small one produced by the soloist, and present it accordingly. This rule sheds light on an important concept of translation of music . I often ask myself: How does a dancer translate music? And I feel that many drummers, dancers and musicians would like to know about it too. Let's Think... When, in the company of unfamiliar people, a person, talking about himself, says: “I dance flamenco” or “I perform kathak \ Odissi style”, in response, at least surprised and delighted: “wow!”, Which means something like “this is Yes!". Tell me that you are doing a belly dance, what will be the answer? That's right, at best - an ironic smile and an "understanding" (in the sense that "we have seen, we know what we are talking about") nod of the head. Do you understand why? To dance flamenco, you need to know the history and theory of this dance, know the special terms, you can't do without it. You must delve into the science of rhythms, which are very complex, learn about the experience of famous flamenco dancers who lived before you and who live today. I'm not talking about the history of the costume. The same is true for Kathak or Odissi. These ancient types of Indian dance art (as a rule!) are studied by dancers from childhood - sign language, correct body position. Deep penetration into a subject ALWAYS causes respect and is considered difficult. What's wrong with belly dancing? Do you dance bellydance? And ... everything is clear. We taught the audience that you can twirl your hips without any knowledge of Middle Eastern dance. You can know nothing about styles, confuse names, never hear the names of your old masters and completely not delve into the culture. It never commands respect. We ourselves made it so.
Today the state of affairs is such that EVERYONE must understand that it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to educate the audience, to convey to people the knowledge that bellydance is not a cheap form of striptease. This is what led me to discover a formula that is simple yet powerful in its artistic effectiveness. The unique formula for translating music : E = E IN ITS SIZE AND DIRECTION. What is the first E ? This is the musical sound you hear. Be it an orchestra or a soloist. What is the second E? This is a movement performed by a dancer in response to a musical sound. This movement should be equal in length and size to this musical sound. Movement also changes direction every time the music undergoes even the slightest change in its sound. To achieve correct performance, the dancer must understand HOW the pieces of music are constructed. Therefore, below is a brief description of the structure of Arabic music and how this understanding should be translated by the dancer into the language of dance. If you are a drummer and understand these principles, you will be able to predict what to expect from a dancer and therefore be able to predict what sounds you are best at making while he/she is dancing. There are 4 layers in any musical composition:
Let's start from the first point: Rhythm: Dancers and drummers should know a little about this. If not, read part 1 of my DVD book. Rhythm is musical sounds characterized by regular and accented beats, produced in cycles. The accent can be not only a stronger sound, but also a STOP. Note that variations and sets of doom and tech are not yet rhythm. Even regular beats are not rhythm yet. Accents + regularity + cyclicity (repetition after a certain time). What gives emotions? Rhythm or melody? We often make mistakes in answering this question. This is important to realize, because a big problem for beginners, and often continuing belly dancers, is that they dance a melody, mistakenly believing that it gives rise to emotion. The melody itself lives in close relationship with the rhythm. MELODY: Melody is musical sounds derived from musical notes. These sounds are played in a given sequence, one after the other, with certain pauses between notes. This sound - with a clear sequence and pauses - gives rise to a musical phrase. Melody, like the sounds of music, lives in close relationship with rhythm. From this "cohabitation" musical sentences or phrases are born. In the Egyptian and some other musical traditions, the melody is built in the format question-answer . The soloist asks a question and the orchestra plays the answer, or vice versa. Depending on WHAT instrument asks the question, the dancer can and must predict what movement should be made. I have divided solo instruments into three main families: The Ney family, or the flute family Family Neu includes such an instrument as the actual NEY (flute) and kavala. You can find their sound on my master of the Arabian flute CD. When nei or kavala are played, the sounds produced by them can be described for the most part as legato (long), like a breath of wind, which have a constant sound and are slow and linear in their form. Sometimes musicians playing on the neu or kavale can play faster, then the sounds take on the character of a short staccato . No one expects to see a dancer's shaking hips to the long sounds of nei or until, however, the soloist plays one of these instruments, faster, in staccato. Thus, while solos or kavalas are playing for the dancer, please, if you are participating as a drummer, choose as few decorations and “stuff” as possible for playing the tabla. Just "keep the pulse" of the music and let the rhythm go. Family Kanun/ud Kanun as an instrument contains 87 strings in groups of 3. It makes a "trrrrrring" sound from each stroke on the strings. As a drummer, you should be easier on the parts where kanun plays his solo and can only grace the sound of the tabla at the end of a group of 4. Continue to mark the pulse with a constant, even, but attractive rhythm, do it in such a way that someone who plays on eve , had the ability to "breathe". This is his solo, not yours! Middle family All other musical instruments fall into this completely unpredictable family. They can play legato, slow and long sounds just as well as short, fast, staccato. The following tools fall into this category:
Electric piano as an instrument capable of simulating the sound of the above instruments or synthesizing various sounds. Now, the dancer is mainly expected to move according to the sound of the instrument, that is, the way the soloist plays. If the soloist makes a sound, then the dancer moves with the sound. If the sound changes from note to note, let's say, in speed - it accelerates or slows down - then the movements change accordingly. This is what E=E means in its size and direction. When they say: MUSIC MOVES ME - THEY MEAN EXACTLY THIS. No more and no less. You may or may not know it - as I always say... I have seen a huge number of dancers in my entire life. And the style that is really worthy of respect is very simple - whether you always dance music and paint a portrait of this music 100%. The rest is not dance. It's something that I can't even name. * A GOOD DANCER'S DRUMMER - in our context, it can be translated approximately as "What is a good drummer for a dancer."
In our school we study the works of Hossam Ramzi, the notes of his compositions are given in darbuka textbook.
Orient Express bellydance competition in Yaroslavl November 10, 2018 , dance - Anna Bandyukyan
Tabla-solo "Rhythms of the Night", Sergey Kuznetsov, Irina Arsteeva
Naima's Hip, at the bottom of the city, 2015
Rhythm and Drum Articles
Sound therapy, shamanism, sound mysticism, antiquity
Rhythmic notation, exercises
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People write to me, and I see that the need for this information is growing steadily. 
Until we hear the same melody, put each time on top of a new rhythm - this is how Hossam Ramzi sang his “Aziza”, the main musical theme, to us, and each time he played a different rhythm. The melody remained the same, each time the rhythm changed - and the general mood changed, completely different emotions were born. EMOTION GIVES RHYTHM. 
But usually these instruments play legato . And therefore, it is quite natural to expect from the dancer to perform slow, “drawn-out” movements, wave, snake, use high, sometimes open movements of the hands (as happens when we cry to heaven and ask God). You can even just sit on the floor or kneel while doing this. 
Therefore, if the dancer translates these sounds correctly, he must perform the shakes in such a way as to visualize the nature and duration of the sound. 
E. , PDF) 
( Antonio Gramsci ) 
Among them are "The concept of musical science of Abu Nasr Muhammad-al-Farabi"; the history of the Turkish darbuka "From Darbuka to Dümbelek: The Turkish Goblet-shaped Drum and the Construction of Difference"; Misirli Ahmet: the clay darbuka technique and its performance analysis 
The video can be viewed in the drum performances section. 
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