On Wednesday, March 29, I escaped the cold weather and a pile of homework as I walked into the small gym to watch SCHS’s winter guard’s performance. I sat down behind three rows of chairs in the humid gym. With no experience of watching such a performance before except for catching glimpses at football games of upbeat dancing and flag twirling, I had no idea what to expect.

Before the performance began, SCHS’s band director Johnny Erdman announced to audience members the inspiration for the show. My mind wandered, but soon the performers set up behind their props as their coach, Kimberly Vernon, told them to take a deep breath before the show’s music commenced.

The small gym was instantly filled by frantic and quick music. Dancers tumbled out from behind two propped up sets, alongside others running out with flags. The performance quickly became organized chaos. So much happened at once, but despite the havoc, the performance began to convey a scene. There were bursts of dancing and rifles being thrown in the air in sync following the rhythm of the music. 

The dancers dispersed from the middle and a neat line of performers with throwing rifles, holding flags and paper crows became clear. From its original chaos, the performance shifted to convey an eerie and sinister vibe. The performance resembled a movie production plot, following the theme of “Psycho,” an old thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 

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Centering around a violent killer, it became clear the show was horror themed. One of the dancers, portrayed to be the murderer, walked up to two shower curtains in the middle of the floor. As the violent performer tore open the front curtain, the dancer behind the curtain, portrayed to be the murder victim, opened her mouth to let out a loud high pitched scream. Instantly after the killing, background dancers waved around red flags to inspire an image of blood. The performance came to an end and was followed by a loud eruption of applause. 

Although the performance made the plot clear, the dancing and creativeness of the show still allowed the audience to interpret their own ideas. Leaving the gym, I overheard many conversations of a much-enjoyed showing from audience members. Watching SCHS’s winter guard performance was definitely not what I expected at all, and despite being fairly short, it was certainly something unique to experience.