Grenadiers to play
Gershwin show
by Daniel Buteau, DCW staffThe new drum corps season may still be in its very early stages, but the Kingston Grenadiers, Canada's top drum and bugle corps for the 2001 season, are already busy planning for another vintage season.
The corps, which staged its open house and membership weekend on November 11 and 12, plans to bring a production of "By George," the Music of George Gershwin, to the field for the 2002 season.
Corps director Donald Dean is excited about the prospect of again bringing the best that Canada has to offer to the DCA field.
"We like to portray ourselves as Canada's only corps in DCA and pull at the heartstrings of those still involved in corps that being Canadian in a large U.S. market is cool," said Dean, who has been at the Grenadiers helm for the past 16 years. "We wear our red maple leaf with pride and are developing a style which is our own in DCA."
(Photo by Richard Wersinger)
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The corps, established in 1960, is currently enjoying its most successful competitive stint ever, having placed among the top 10 at the DCA Championships for the past four years. That ties Les Metropolitains of Montreal for consecutive years in DCA Finals by a Canadian corps, according to DCA spokesperson Tom Peashey. Despite such enviable achievement, Dean remains adamant that competitive considerations are not what the Grenadiers are all about.
"People who come to the organization need to know there is a sense of family to care for, to have a well-rounded experience, and not always have the competitive elements on the front burner." Dean further insisted that "new members will tell you that our focus is more the experience of a balanced approach than just winning at all costs."
The Grenadiers hometown of Kingston, Ontario, could appear to be a rather challenging location for a DCA competitor. Sitting right on the St. Lawrence River, in a region where it serves as the Canadian/US border, the city is merely a few hours drive from Syracuse, New York, hometown of the overpowering Brigadiers. The current DCA Champion draws members from the other side of the border and is well known in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec for its snazzy and effective recruiting.
Ontario, a drum corps hotbed for most of the past three decades, is also experiencing a drought that threatens the activity's very existence on the Canadian side of the border. This is a reality that the Grenadiers, according to Donald Dean, must function with.
"We plan very well and the support and input from the board of directors help us make rational, well-thought decisions as we realize drum corps in Canada is on thin ice," Dean said.
(Photo by Patrick O'Toole)
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