Drum Corps Associates is a governing body for modern all-age and senior drum and bugle corps in North America. DCA's responsibilities include sanctioning competitions, certifying adjudicators, maintaining and enforcing rules of competition, and hosting an annual World Championship during Labor Day weekend. Historically, DCA members were referred to as "senior corps" in contrast to the "junior corps", who limit participants to a maximum 22 years of age. DCA has no age restriction. The term "all-age corps" has come into common use. DCA is viewed as a counterpart to Drum Corps International, which governs junior drum corps in North America. The 2020 DCA World Championships were scheduled for, to be hosted by Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In March 2020, the entire competitive season, including the 2020 World Championships, was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
History
In August 1963, Almo Sebastianelli, sponsor of the annual Parade of Champions drum corps competition, approached Henry Mayer, then-director of the Skyliners, to discuss problems affecting show sponsors and competing corps. Following their discussions, Sebastianelli and Mayer organized a meeting later that month, which was attended by representatives from the Archer-Epler Musketeers, Reading Buccaneers, and Yankee Rebels and the Skyliners. Five areas of concern were identified during the meeting:
Conflicting contest dates.
Inconsistent contest formats.
Inconsistent adjudication.
Uneven distribution prize money.
Need to promote better relationships between competing corps.
At a second meeting held sometime in September 1963, by-laws for a new governing body were adopted, as well as the adoption of the name Drum Corps Associates. Mayer was elected the first DCA president. Charter members were: Reading Buccaneers, Connecticut Hurricanes, Interstatesmen, Archer-Epler Musketeers, Pittsburgh Rockets, Yankee Rebels, and the Skyliners. DCA sanctioned one event in 1964, the 12th Annual Tournament of Drums in Waverly, New York. The first DCA World Championship was held in Milford, Connecticut on. The Reading Buccaneers won the first of their sixteen championship titles at this inaugural event. Hawthorne Caballeros joined DCA in 1966, along with the Sunrisers, and Brigadiers. The Rochester Crusaders joined in 1967. The number of corps competing in Open Class reached twenty-three in 1987. In 2008, twenty-four corps competed at World Championship, twelve in Open Class and Class A each. Corps from Canada have been frequent competitors since DCA's founding, such as Les Metropolitains from Montreal, and Les Dynamiques from Buckingham, Quebec. The Kingston Grenadiers, from Toronto, competed in 2010. Yokohama Inspires, from Japan, competed in 2005. The most recent competitors from the United Kingdom were Kidsgrove Scouts from Kidsgrove in 2017, and Cadence from Guildford in 2018.
Currently, DCA assigns all competing corps to two classes. No arrangements are made for corps from outside North America, as the same classification and adjudication applies to all competing corps. All corps perform in competition as one continuous flight, but they are judged and ranked by class.
Current Classes
Open Class corps are the groups that have chosen to compete at the highest level, and generally march up to 130 ensemble members. Class A corps are small, often young and developing, groups who wish to compete, but may or may not have the resources to compete against the larger, more established, Open Class corps. Participation in Class A is limited to corps with less than 65 ensemble members. Mini-corps is a special class reserved for very small groups consisting of horns, and percussion or rhythm sections. These groups typically compete on a theater stage, and not on a football field, and are often no larger than twenty members. A mini-corps championships is held the day before World Championship prelims.
Historical classes and divisions
Source:
Adjudication
DCA's Adjudication Manual is based on three broad categories, Visual, Music and Effect. Visual and Music categories are further subdivided into three reference criteria, or captions: one caption for each of a corps' sections, and two ensemble performance captions. Unlike other adjudication manuals, DCA's manual does include captions for individual or ensemble analysis, or design or effect analysis. The manual includes definitions for appropriate, and achievement, in lieu of proficiency, or attempt. This vocabulary reflects the style of programming utilized by modern all-age corps. Audience entertainment and engagement are also important factors in adjudication as well. Prior to 2011, nine adjudicators were required for each competition, using a different manual. The "European Music Games" adjudication manual published by Drum Corps Europe was adapted from the previous DCA format.
