Now everybody needs to earn their 2 weeks all expense paid trip and honor system, to judge Apples to Oranges using the criteria already laid out, and judge these acts. The 29th Monte Carlo festival, of which all of these acts were judged against each other, has been described almost unanimously as one of the weakest in the Festival's history, many suggesting it may have "inspired" the next years "Best o the Best in the Festival history no awards" , more so then the death of the Prince and 2006, no awards just Circus being a tribute to him. They suggest it may have been an attempt at restoring some sort of validity back to the Festival.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Now that you have the feel of judging, be a Circus awards Best 0 the Best judge.
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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Look at next edition's program.
Where did the exotic act come from..Did you sneak that one in on us..LOL..I don't think I can stand watching another one of these "acts"..Based on the other's I judged, I would have to give the "Best-O-The Best" (and I use this term only because you did,) to the vaulting act..To be quite honest, the rest of the acts stunk....
First act vaulting:
creativity 4
difficulty 4
costuming 4
Second act exotics:
creativity 2
difficulty 2
costuming 4
Third act wheel:
creativity 2
difficulty 3
costuming 2
Fourth act liberty:
creativity 3
difficulty 4
costuming 3
Fifth act dalmatians:
creativity 2
difficulty 2
costuming 2
sixth act tigers:
creativity 2
difficulty 3
costuming 4
The seventh act said "We're sorry, this video is no longer available."
Raffaele,
What is this special horse act they are bringing from France do you know? I hope not one of those lame "freedom liberty" deals.
Wade Burck
Mary Ann,
If that is the case it is the bare back act that was posted competing against the Dalmatian dog act earlier. Some of what I posted earlier were from different years give you a taste of kinda apple to apples. These 7 acts competed against each other.
Wade
Margaret,
Boy you are really showing how long you have been out of the "loop." This act did not win anything at all, except one of the participation Burgermeister proclamations, and deservedly so.
Wade
seventh act bareback:
creativity 3
difficulty 4
costuming 4
Hey Wade, as you would say....I got your "Loop" right here..You mean out of the loop of hanging myself because I judged them as I saw them....
Margaret,
Read the thick skinned comment I posted to Dianne, Jeannie, and Jody. I believe they have all judged. Read the statement at the close of the elephant competition and horse competition.
"Keep in mind that like Circus performers, we judged on our knowledge of what we were seeing, keeping in mind the honor system of not choosing friends or associates."
Calling them like you see them, is not judging, that is "arm chair quarterbacking". All judging is based on your knowledge of what you are seeing, ideally based on a standard. If now standard is set then it is based on your knowledge of what you are looking at. The loosest "competitions" in the world are the beauty pageants. You enjoy the Olympics which have a standard. There is an obvious winner regardless of what we think. Figure skating is judged on a knowledge of how the tricks are to be performed.
Wade
Wade,did John Burke's Seals win anything last year.?..I saw some tapes of his act on you-tube....And Raffaele..Do you have a link to next years program.?..
No commentary...
Except, hopefully they all had to kiss a lifetime of ass to win anything,,,lol
Gold Clown Bareback act
Silver Clown Vaulting
Bronze Clown Exotics
Dishonorable Discharge to the rest
Okay, I'm dating myself with that one...
Hey Wade, Remember when LaCroix's used that one to promote the park horse " The Judge "
Anyway, back to topic at hand...
I think it's easier judging figure skating because each contestant has to perform the same tricks.
Just as I believe it would be easier to judge the standards if you had two horses competing against each other doing the piaffe, passage, or spanish walk.
If both acts did the exact same it would be easier to judge by the standards verses trying to judge different tricks and comparing each trick to what the standards are and then deciding whether that trick performed by horse A did it better than the different trick performed by horse B.
Regarding judging the costume, to me that's just personal opinions as there are no rules for circus costumes that I'm aware of.
Degree of Difficulty could also fall into the personal opinion as what's easy for one person to train could be hard for another to train.. Example.....I wouldn't want to have to compete with Dianne with each of us doing a passage..
Just my opinion....Thick Skinned-you bet..
Okay, send me the ice-pack whenever you stop watching the CMA Awards...LOL.........
Mary Ann,
I guess you were the only one with the courage, or the desire to understand being a judge. Others can observe from the fence. Two things I noted form other "competitions", folks were more willing to judge apples to apples. By listing a "standard" in a sense we gave you something to judge against based on your knowledge/understanding of those "standards." I didn't go to 5 often as that is an exception, and I didn't go to one because everything meet the "standards" as set. One very interesting thing, there was a whip cracking all during one elephant act, and during one horse act. Yet both of those act's won in a "apples to apples" competition. MAY BE THE WHIP IS NOT AS OFFENSIVE AS SOME MIGHT ASSUME, MAYBE IT IS HOW SKILLED THE PERSON USING IT IS, AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR. Just something to ponder, instead of assuming. That's why those two acts were chosen, in an "apples to apples" competition against acts with no whips.
As I feel there should only be a Champion and a Reserve Champion, and if you want to make others feel good about their performance, can make them all Top Tens. So we are going with Gold, Silver, and Top Tens. If individuals/organizations want to donate "consolation awards", fine. Just don't let them decide who gets them. In a printed form explain to the public what they are for exactly and let the public chose who gets them, by checking of the act, and turning the form in at the end of the evening, winners to be announced at Gala Night.
Europe is getting ready for their Festival season, starting about mid December and going until the end of January. Some of the most wonderful talented acts you would ever want to see. Yes, I am jealous, because it is very similar to what our Texas Dates used to be. A end of the year string of dates, with some of the best acts available, with the opportunity to make good money, and get ready for the down time in Feb and March. The only thing we have left comparable is the Turkey Festival in Evansville, Ind, and on a smaller scale at the same time, Hammond, Ind. and New Orleans, La.
If Evansville so chose to give "Awards" it is on a scale of grandness and quality of Monte Carlo. But it doesn't proclaim to be the Best 0 the Best in America, and you can't use it to hang phony paper later in your career. I judged these 7 act's last night, and will post the results here with my thought.
Mary Ann judged
Act one 12 (9 average)
Act two 8
Act three 7
Act four 10
Act five 6
Act six 9
Act seven 11
I judged one the same 3 average
Act one
Creativity 3
Difficulty 4
Costuming 5
For a total of 12
If they had completed the quad on the bar, I would have given them a 5. It's a competition close isn't good enough. If you aren't 100% chose something less. Things happen, but because a hurdler knocks over a hurdle we don't start the race over. I a judge tells you to trot your horses, and it breaks into a canter, you will get marked down. It is a competition and perfection is the requirement or as close to everyone else
Act two
Creativity 2
Difficulty 2
Costuming 4
For a total of 8
This act did nothing and was a determent to the circus. There is no need for these types of animals in the circus. Go to the zoo. I couldn't decide if the riders were for show, which would be all right, or if they were there to hold the camels down so the Llama could attempt to jump. Never should have been allowed. And the costuming requirement got them a few points.
Act three
Creativity 2
Difficulty 3
Costuming 2
For a total of 7
Standard wheel act. Every show has them. Got a 3 on difficulty just because they sold the "high jump" rope. That's all.
Act 4
Creativity 3
Difficulty 2
Costuming 3
For a total of 8
This was horrid. Basic behaviors like a split reverse that didn't work. At their hysterical pace I was concerned that they may fall and injure them selves. Unharness act are not that uncontrolled. If I could have rated lower them one, I would have for the way he was begging for applause. Note not a single person applauded until he yelled, hey telling them he had done something. The worst phoniness was at the end, taking their applause and putting it in his heart. That was sad.
Act 5
Creativity 3
Difficulty 4
Costuming 4
Pleasant act nothing special but rated a point for the hind leg walking long mount at the end with the pony and 3 dogs. Got a point for a the different costume to match the Dalmatians, hence his name Mr. Dalmatian.
Act 6
Creativity 2
Difficulty 2
Costuming 3
If you watch close you will see that this tape is a couple of shows spliced together. The voice does not match the commands and are odd for the moment. In the video of the two tigers rolling over the camaras went over heard so you could see them rolling over. As they did for many acts I have posted. In this case you four laying down and then the camera zooms in because only a couple rolled over. You will also note on the waltz 4 tigers on the pedestals, but at various times pedestals empty and a tight focus again. On the far right you will not an empty pedestal, that all of a sudden has a tiger being sent to it's seat. Young Thomas noted something different from when he say the act earlier in the year. For starters Thomas there was no big group sit up that Hawthorn is known for in every act for the past 34 years. All acts were complete except this one. Very glaring at the dubbing attempt is at the end. You will hear her say I forgot one, yet there was nothing to forget, that must have happened at an earlier show. You can dub movement, but not the voice unless they are saying the same thing at the same time. The most obvious was at the very end. The tiger has jumped the paper hoop, and is walking in the back with the trainer. The film jumps for a second and the trainer is at the front calling the last tiger for the cage stand. Look at it again real close. That's how you judge for a standard. At the end, the Ringmaster the "Boss" of the show for public perception, holds her for the continued applause. Did you note him do that for any others on the tapes. Did he not say isn't this better then everything else?
Act 7
Creativity 3
Difficulty 4
Costuming 3
For a total of 10
With only two judges the averages are steep but here what it became
Act one Gold 24 points
Act seven Silver 21 points
Act four Bronze 18 points
Monte Carlo gave these awards
Act one Gold
Act three
Act six Silver
Act seven
Act four
Bronze
Act five
Act two nothing
___________________________________
Jody,
"Here comes the Judge" Was he a big Grey horse, or am I mistaken.
Judging comes down to how qualified you are in the disciplines or what you are judging. Can you read between the lines, can you see the crooked leg attempt to be made straight by how it is stood.
If you think it would be invalid being judged against Dianne's Piaffe you shouldn't be in the ring. But imagine if a cutting horse judge was doing the judging?
Wade
I swear you have some nerve Wade Burck..LOL..You say I'm out of the loop and I somehow failed in my judging duties, and then YOU turn around and vote the same act in first place that I did..And their were more than two judges you know,just because you don't happen to agree with their voting,doesn't give you the right to disallow them..
The Judge was a chestnut horse.
Jody,
See my memory might be failing. I know I am queer for gray mare's, but I always liked a Mahogany bay stallion. So it must be the memory.
Wade
Margaret,
No where did I say you failed in your judging duties. When you rated them 5 for a failed trick, I said you must have been out of the loop too long if you thought that was something. I said there are a number of acts like this from Russia, that are cleaner. Costume is what won them, at Monte Carlo, even John and Herta gushed at their costume. If not for that the failed attempt would have cost them. That what I was inferring. Sorry you misunderstood, Margaret Amelia.
Wade
Okay....But the failed trick was a quad..And you could tell by the way she fell, I mean landed on her shoulder that it wasn't a faked-miss..The rest of the acts and their costumes were just avg. or below, yes the hoop dress and big wigs were beautiful,there were just to many of them,made the act look like a production number..I'm waiting for a link to next years program, I want to see if the camel that drinks the mountian dew will be there, I think he has a real chance at winning it all,hopefully he won't be matched against the "Dip Chick."..LOL..
Margaret,
Margaret in a skating competition, you try some quad lux deal and hit the ice, judges say damn, points off. They know it is not fake. They are not in the circus. Miss America says "shit" in the Congeniality competition, points off.
The Richter's were attempting a production. Thanks for pointing it out. They are all to be a production, that's part of creativity. What started out as a lavish black tie affair with invitations to the actc with a status and mystique, is now the Princess viewing tapes like Paul Kaye or Kenneth Feld wearing denim, in a effort to be "one of the people." That is the "begging to perform there" alludes to. And the assumption that is is being done to show the world the finest of the circus arts is ludicrousness. It fills the coffers just as the Grand Prix or any other event in the Principality. No more show casing thing Paul or Kenneth. Kenneth has a route, Paul and the Princess have a spot date, something to fill in off time.
Wade
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