Panther Pride prepares to perform 2017 marching band show
Panther Pride Marching Band students rehearse during band camp in July. The students powered through the Georgia summer heat in order to learn the show.
August 24, 2017
After wrapping up 2016 show E-Motions, Panther Pride Marching Band prepares their 2017 show Swan Lake Reimagined. They will perform a modernized twist on Tchaikovsky’s original Swan Lake music by making it very rhythmic and groovy, all while appealing to the audience.
“I really like how hard working we are this year,” senior color guard captain Aurelia Slay said.
Marching band students practice their new show at band camp. Due to construction taking place at Starr’s Mill, the band had to create makeshift fields for rehearsal at Braelinn Elementary and New Hope Baptist Church – South Campus.
In order to prepare the show, the marching band director Scott King began writing and composing it during Thanksgiving Break of 2016. The band came together for band camp in July for two weeks, where they rehearsed from four to eleven hours almost every day. However, due to renovations taking place at Starr’s Mill, the band had to relocate their camp to Braelinn Elementary and New Hope Baptist Church – South Campus.
“I’m looking forward to creating it in the fullest extent we can,” King said.
The show will feature three movements, the Opener, Ballad, and Finale, each a different song from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. King took the original Swan Lake music and modified it to have a more modern sound. For example, in the Ballad, King modified the music to sound similar to when Pentatonix formatted a cover of ‘Mary Did You Know’ since the ballad of Swan Lake is similar to Mary Did You Know. He also added a viola solo to the ballad, which will be performed by junior percussionist Sam Bohdan.
Along with the musical innovations, the show also presents visual effects as well. This includes body work being performed by the band members to go along with the color guard. A solo flag performance will also be encompassed in the ballad by sophomore color guard member Nicole Divinitz.
“Last marching band season was really fun and successful,” junior band member Madison Prillaman said. “I’m now looking forward to learning this year’s show and performing at football games and competitions.”
Panther Pride continues to practice Swan Lake Reimagined in order to prepare for upcoming football games and competitions. They will perform during halftime at the varsity football game against Newnan High School on Aug. 25. The band will also go to their first competition on Oct. 14.
“[The first competition] is two weeks later than we usually perform, so they will definitely be prepared,” King said.
