This year’s Earthstock Festival made its mark with the recyclable materials, food, animals and the various performances. The one show that stood out this year was the Color Guard and Drumline Showcase.The showcase was held at the Staller Steps at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24.
The main entertainers were the Stony Brook Marching Band’s color guard and drumline.Over 50 Stony Brook students came to the Staller Steps to watch the groups perform on the cloudy and environmentally-friendly day.The drumline started the show with the song “Pompeii,” which fired up the Stony Brook students who gathered on the steps.
Both color guard and drumline switched off performing throughout the entire showcase.
“[The Showcase] gives them the opportunity to focus on their technique,” Shayna Stahl, the director of the Athletic Bands, said.
Members of the color guard started their performance by taking out their flags and dancing to songs like “Price Tag” and “Heartless” by Jessie J and Kanye West, respectively. The color guard members choreographed all of their routines.
Elizabeth Brenner choreographed two of her members for the 12th number in the showcase. One routine from the color guard that stood out in the showcase was the “Pirates of the Caribbean” performance. Jake Holderman and Caitlyn Forrester-Johnson’s performance embodied two pirates in the midst of a sword fight.
Color guard and the drumline did have one obstacle during the show: the weather.
It was a cold and windy day, which brought difficulty to some of the performances. During the 11th and 14th act, while the color guard members were dancing and waving their flags, the wind started to blow the flags away, causing the performers to drop them. However, they were able to pick them up and continue to impress the crowd with their talent.
Stahl and all of the other captains organized the entire showcase.
The other people who organized this event were Greg Mulzet, the coordinator of athletic bands; Mark Carman, the drumline instructor; and the color guard captains. The marching band closed the show with two final numbers from both the drumline and color guard.
Despite the dropping of a couple of the flags during their routine, the performance was still impressive and the crowd responded well, making it known that they were entertained.
The drumline closed the show with songs from “LTL” to “D&K.” After the performance, the group received a big round of applause. The performers had to deal with chilling winds, but the performances made their mark on this year’s Earthstock festival.
