Performance Start/End?
Posted by Kevin Keller | Posted in Contests & Judging | Posted on August 7, 2012, 6:44 PM
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Mike Edison asks
“When, in the judges view, does a performance begin and end?” As a quartet, I have received judges comments regarding how confident we looked as we came on stage. Does that influence the judges scores or just set an expectation? I ask this question from a chorus and/or quartet perspective.
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Hi Mike
The judging starts from the Presentation category when the performer is announced and enters the stage. If there is an “act” such as entering in character, or from the audience, the judging starts when that activity demonstrates to us that the ‘act” has commenced.
The entrance, break between songs and exit are all part of the overall impact/entertainment value so are adjudicated as part and parcel of the performance. I may be misunderstanding your comment about expectations but .. it’s pretty clear in all kinds of perfomance [ not just barbershop] that entrances/exits etc are part of the holistic impression a group gives. Occasionally a group enters looking very professional but can’t sing anywhere near their initial impact, and vice versa [ looking awkward etc but singing great]. In most cases however our experience is that performers are generally pretty consistent in everything they do.
Marty Lovick
Prs Category Specialist
PS … the other Categories obviously don’t score until the singing starts
Hey Marty,
I have an interesting question based upon the action in Portland, and it might be worth some public light so all can learn. It’s likely this scenario will never come up again, but for the sake of good discussion…
The MVE had planned to have a character appear off stage before the chorus appeared, gathering audience attention and creating atmosphere as he made his way to the stage. (I should say, as I made it to the stage since it was me.)
Just before going out, the CA informed me we would likely be disqualified if I appeared before the judges had declared they/you were ready to begin judging. The plan changed and I entered from just off stage. Because of where I had to wait, President’s Council members were passing by and I had to refrain from “performing.”
So, the two questions that might be interesting to discuss/hear explained are:
1 – Does a competitor have a responsibility to wait to be seen at all until the judges are ready? (Side question: if the competitor wants the announcement delayed until a couple minutes after the judges are ready, can they request that?)
2 – Is a competitor breaking rules if they perform to audience members in a clear backstage area?
I don’t fault the CA or anyone else for giving me the information they did. Everyone made an effort to be very helpful. (I do wish the CA had identified himself as such so I knew who he was.) I think it’s an interesting set of questions, though.
Maybe we should just stop pushing the limits? NAAAHHHHH!!!
Thanks Marty!
Hi Ashley
I’ll make sure that Marty responds.
I’m not sure what got communicated, but disqualification is definitely not applicable unless they were not a chapter member. Any chapter member can do anything they want at any time. So if it was you, the information was incorrect.
There was some confusion in this unique situation because the performance was the first after intermission so your performance would have started potentially before the judges were back in the pit. In the end, the performance starts when you say it starts. In this case it may have started before anyone was there, but that is not against the rules. Someone had come up to me to ask about this particular issue at intermission and I made the comment that they might start before judges were there… somehow it got construed as it got passed along.
Thanks, Kevin. I’m not surprised things got misconstrued, and I doubt the misinformation cost us much. It’s good to know, though. Maybe something to throw a sentence or two to the CAs about for future reference?
It’s nice to have this sounding board for questions. Thanks for the commitment to it!
Hi, Mike…..
Marty is right; the MUSIC category doesn’t start scoring until the singing starts.
However, there are a few elements in your entrance that are important to MUSIC; the most important song a tune up.
While we don’t score it at all, it is an integral part of your performance. The tune up can influence how you begin, indicate your approach to starting a performance, and even how well you listen to the ensemble.
Personally, I pay attention to the time before a performer sings but it is not scored.
Best regards,
Kirk Young
Hi Ashley – A few quick points
The performer has the option to work in front of the curtain , enter from the audience etc etc. In doing so timing is critical as the performer needs to consider such things as ” is the audience scattered around and talking, are the judges on a “break” etc etc. All of these are straegic decisions which unfortunately can call for last minute altering IF you want to ensure you are being seen. While the performance starts when YOU say is starting, the circumstances surrounding the venue etc could play a factor in the receptivity of audience AND judges. In short, maximize the opportunity. and take into account all possible glitches.
Creativity comes with risk and the performer should always try to minimize the risk and ensure the impact is what they intend.
Thanks, Marty. A group should definitely consider the risks. In this case, the act was designed to take advantage of the scattered nature of the crowd. That may not always be the case.
Thanks for clarifying, though! We’ll just have to work on something new to mess with your heads.