Percussion Class will not be returning to DCE
The Percussion Class will not be returning to the Drum Corps Europe Championships in 2008. DCE has decided to drop this class as the development of percussion groups is increasingly moving indoors.
The Percussion Class has been present since the start of DCE, which used to take place indoors. When the organisation moved the contests from sport centres to football fields in 2003, the Percussion Class went too. "However, in recent years, this class has not developed further in terms of interest from potential participants", says DCE Chairman Marcel Matthijse. "It can be seen that many percussion groups are increasingly focusing on indoor contests as these are more suited to them. Visitors to drum corps contests often view the Percussion Class as an interval act in the program."
Drum Corps Europe has consulted Color Guard Netherlands, which is in charge of the Indoor Percussion Circuit. With not only a Dutch competition, but also a European competition as from 2008, CGN offers percussion groups the possibility of competing against other teams in a larger group of (European) participants.
Color Guard Netherlands is also willing to offer a place in the indoor contests to units that previously took part in the European outdoor competition. These contests include the WGI European Regional in Drachten on 16th February. "The clarity resulting from this step by DCE is exactly what the activity needs. CGN as a one-stop shop in the winter and DCE in the summer. This will enable us both to focus on the expansion of our activities and associations", says Peter Jan de Werk of Color Guard Netherlands. "We will do everything we can to help those groups performing at CGN for the first time. Our goal is to make them feel just as at home with us as they did with DCE within a short space of time."
Percussion groups who, in spite of this, want to remain active in the outdoor competition, can do so at Drum Corps Netherlands. DCN has announced they will be keeping on the Percussion Class.
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