SYMPOSIUM ADDRESS
Surviving Zingali
Eric T. Williamson
Part One.
I. Introduction
II Dying With Zingali
II Living With Zingali
Part Two.
IV Working With Zingali
V. Surviving Zingali
II Conclusion
Part One of Two.
I. INTRODUCTION.
If quality of that life we live can be measured by how much we give versus how much is being
taken from us, then few have lived life more fully than George Zingali, our first artist. As
evidenced by his work with such drum and bugle corps as the Blue Knights, Star of Indiana, 27th Lancers, and
the Garfield Cadets dynasty, he was unquestionably the most distinguished drill writer in drum
corps history, and made unsurpassed contributions to the colorguard field as well. George
Zingali loved the marching arts.
In spite of his most acclaimed creative contributions, I believe stories of Zingali's extravagant
personality and lifestyle have met cultural misinterpretation - perhaps even reflexive
discrimination. Yet he was a man of courageous creativity throughout the tremendous burden of
an excruciating mortal illness. By all accounts he bore it with enthusiasm and charity to the end.
I can think of no greater lifestyle.
I don't think it is enough to just revive the memories or even the monumental contributions this
man made to the art. I think his case is special. I think it is necessary that we take a personal yet
thorough - even clinical - look at Zingali's life in the context of what it means to work with
AIDS. To really understand his work - its greatness and limitations - its necessary that we "walk
a mile in his moccasins."
In this paper, I hope to reveal a little of the life and work of Zingali. I hope to wipe away some
of the grime of fear and cultural bias clouding our windows of perception. I hope to reveal the
true nature of Zingali's contributions by appraising them (as best I can) in the context of what it
meant to be Zingali, with all the destructive forces which took him from us - complications of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
This is no small task, and it will produce no small address. In order to shed light on these
dimensions of his life, I intend to insert (1) narratives from both individuals who knew and
worked with Zingali, and (2) individuals who lived through and with AIDS. The words and
experiences with AIDS cited here were not Zingali's - they come from others afflicted by AIDS,
and are not necessarily his, though they could be. They are intended to help illustrate some of
the forces which shaped his character.
When Zingali passed away, a great deal of progress in our creative family died with him. It is
my fondest hope that those he has left behind may reach a better understanding of his
contributions, as well as his heroic life and tragic death; where he has taken us ... and where we
go from here. It is my intention to show how to "survive" Zingali.
II. DYING WITH ZINGALI.
Everyone dies. From the time of conception, it's life's one guarantee. There is nothing evil
about dying. Whether death is brought on by simply falling down (the leading cause of
accidental death among Americans age 65+) or murder, the autopsy leads to the same
conclusion. Cause of death: cessation of life. End of story. Perhaps the only consolation it
offers is the abandonment of an imperfect body.
Death is as natural as life. Yet there are some unpleasant ways to die (being tortured, starved,
suffocated, drowned, crushed, etc.) and some hostile environments in which to experience it
(war, jail, the Sahara, off a cliff, alone in a hospital room or retirement home, a diseased body, a
deranged mind, etc.). Hopefully we will not experience these, but odds are a great many of us
will not escape them.
Once dead, it is left to the living to ponder our former state of existence. Hopefully they do so
fairly. Unfortunately, they usually don't have the facts to do so. Great deeds go unnoticed,
worthy causes are forgotten, and supreme contributions go unrecognized. Everyone's
contributions will go unrecognized to some extent. Yet what is tragic - and unacceptable - is
when we refuse to recognize them because of prejudice toward something we don't understand.
This reflects poorly on an ungrateful world.
Has AIDS marginalized Zingali's contributions? "Here is a list of names mentioned by [George]
Hopkins in Parts I and II of Steve Powers' Interview with the Cadets of Bergen County's George
Hopkins,' DCW December 1997, January 1998 [numbers beside each name indicate how often
name was mentioned]:
6 Michael Cesario
5 Marc Sylvester
5 Jay Bocook
4 Dan Acheson
4 Dave Gibbs
4 Scott Stewart
3* George Zingali
2 Thom Hannum
2 Ralph Hardimon
2 April Gilligan
2 Tom Aungst
2 Don Angelica
2 Michael Kumer
2 Dr. Santo
1 Jeff Fiedler, Gail Royers, Fred Sanford, Wayne Downey, Ted Swaldos, Brian Walsh,
Michael Lorenzi, Chris Thompson, Michael Klesch, Kevin Smith"
Its not exactly a scientific measure of Zingali's influence, but its interesting. "In response to
Powers' query on the Cadets' first championship and the snowballed' success which followed,
he credits only one individual for the Cadets' six DCI World Championships (second only to the
Blue Devils): Don Angelica, of all people, for giving them the idea of doing Bernstein's Mass.'
The other two names he mentions in passing only once (Zingali's and Sylvester's) in relation to
those years in which they went to Star.' He tops that by describing his success in finding
people who are able to fill shoes when someone moves on,' adding his commitment to
maintaining a staff that's able to be replaced.' He does find opportunity to credit Zingali and
Sylvester as the type of people whose managerial skills made YEA! A success. And this in
response to the question: Was YEA created specifically to be a fund-raiser for the Cadets?'"
(Stuart Rice on Marching, March, 1998).
Whether this particular slighting of Zingali was an oversight, homophobic, the stigma of AIDS,
or any combination thereof, one thing is certain: there is something wrong if an organization
cannot recognize and praise a benefactor and artist who transformed not only the organization,
but the activity supporting it.
Over a decade after its discovery, there may still exist an amount of discomfort about the HIV
population. "The head of our local health department was quoted recently saying she believes
there is a conspiracy of silence on AIDS. She reports that of the 187 deaths in this area, not one
has listed AIDS as the cause of death in an obituary." Yet "the World Health Organization
(WHO) estimates that at least five million persons are currently infected with HIV. They also
believe that twenty to thirty percent of those persons will go on to develop AIDS," according to
the Director of WHO's Global Program on AIDs, Jonathan Mann (Terry Boyd, Focus Paper #4
March, 1989, ftp://hwbbs.gbgm-umc.org/library/stories/living.text).
It would be interesting to find if publications both during and after Zingali's life mention AIDS.
Has AIDS marginalized Zingali's contributions? Certainly it has done much to marginalize the
lives of those afflicted by it. Said one AIDS sufferer:
"Back when I lost the first of my friends to AIDS, I knew that one friend, Don, had been
sick. It seemed like he was in and out of the hospital with this and that and didn't seem
to be getting any better. Finally, the doctors diagnosed AIDS. By the time he died, he
had been affected with dementia and was blind. When his friends found out he had
AIDS, many of us did not visit him while he was in the hospital. Yes, that included me.
I was afraid -- not of catching AIDS -- but of death. I knew I was at risk and that in
looking at Don I could be looking at my own future. I thought I could ignore it, deny it,
and it would go away. It didn't. The next time I saw Don was at his funeral. I am
ashamed and I know that none of us, even those with AIDS, are exempt from the sins of
denial and fear. If I had just one wish, just one, it would be that none of you would have
to experience the death of a loved one before you realize the extent and seriousness of
this crisis. What a terrible, terrible price to pay.
How many people do you know who have saved a life? I tell you I know quite a few.
You may ask, What did they do, save a child from a burning building?' No, not exactly.
Well, did they pull someone out of a river?' Again, not exactly. Well, what did they
do?' When so many are so afraid, they sit next to me, they shake my hand, they hug me.
They tell me they love me and that, if they could, they would do anything to make it
easier for me. Knowing people like this has made my life a daily miracle. You can save
a life, too. That life may only be a few months, or a year, or two years long, but you can
save it just as surely as if you had reached into the river and pulled out someone who was
drowning" (Terry Boyd).
Were such people there for Zingali? Were WE there for Zingali? Generally speaking, probably
not. What interests me is that we are here to re-examine his life and be there to appreciate his
work. We can assert all the good intentions we wish, but to suggest we are above the petty fears
and prejudices of common society is vanity. "We all know about the discrimination, fear,
ignorance, hatred and cruelty attached to the AIDS epidemic. Its sells newspapers and most of
us read the newspaper and watch television.
It is not my intention to add to this fear by painting (or canonizing) Zingali as "a person who had
AIDS." Quite the contrary. I hope to separate the man from the disease, so that we can better
appreciate the scope of what was accomplished in the context of his remarkable life. Perhaps
we may even catch a glimpse of who he was.
III. LIVING WITH ZINGALI.
-------------------------------------------
"Having lived with HIV/AIDS for seventeen years now, I have seen many changes over
time in the way it is viewed, written and spoken about, and controlled. Originally a
Category A (Asymptomatic), I proved healthy for quite a number of years before
progressing through Category B (Symptomatic) to Category C (AIDS). It was at
Category C that I was supposed to die, as most did. Surprise, surprise! Combination
therapy kicked in when I was at the lowest ebb AIDS was to take me to, with Candida [a
fungal mouth infection requiring regular peroxide rinse], CMV retinitis, Wasting [10%
weight loss in conjunction with diarrhea or fever lasting over one month], anemia, and
ten CD4's all at the same time, and restored me to a state of relative good health" (Tim
Alderman, www.hivaids.webcentral.com.au/text/st009.html).
------------------------------------------
Charley Bailey: The first time I ever met George was in 1983 at my 1st Garfield camp. We were
learning drill (Rocky Point Holiday) at the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx. I believe it was
the first time we had run through the famous Z-PULL move .... When the move was over I saw
this little Man with terrible teeth come running towards me. He called me out in front of the
whole corps and calmly asked me, Do you know what you just did?' Me being 16 and from the
deep south I politely said no sir. He responded by yelling you just caused 128 people to F#CK
UP!!' Needless to say it was a very long summer after that ....
-------------------
"I have found an increasing trend, particularly on American sites, to print HIV/AIDS in
lower case. ... Are people so ready to rush HIV/AIDS into the mainstream that they feel
that by printing the letters in lower case, less notice will be taken of them?" (Tim
Alderman).
------------------
Adrienne Renee Meyer: My first year that I was in Winterguard, I competed in an A-class guard
(at the time) so we were all able to watch finals. I remember that I sat with my guard friends and
my mother (one of the least shy women in this world) in some great seats at middle court. Well,
right before one of the guards performed, this man walked up and stood right in front of us,
watching the guard prepare. My mother, annoyed with this man standing right in front of us,
shouted "Down in Front!!". He didn't response. She then shouted, "Hey you! I said down in
front!". He turned around, gave my mom a dirty look, and sat. By this time, my friends and I
had recognized who my mother is yelling at and are trying to crawl under our seats. When I
finally said "Mom, that's George Zingali", my mom's response was and still is, "Well, he was still
blocking my view." We still love to zing (pardon the pun) my mom about that now.
---------------------------------------------
"... over the years I have had a couple of altercations with people over the usage of the
term 'long term survivor'. I attended the one and only Long Term Survivor Peer Support
Group that ACON (Sydney) ran about 1994/'95. The first two meetings were totally
consumed and wasted over a heated debate on the use of this term. The group,
unfortunately, was a failure. I hoped to gain some positive input ... but all I got was a
group of bitter and twisted people who blamed HIV/AIDS for ruining their lives. I
realized there was no way forward with people like this. Personally, I have never had any
problems with the 'long term survivor' terminology. Considering the battle I have fought
through AIDS, I definitely consider myself a survivor. The latest phrase for people in this
situation is that we have 'Lazarus Syndrome'. Lazarus was raised from the dead, and even
though I can see where the proponents of this term are coming from, I do not consider
that I was dead" (Tim Alderman).
-------------------------------------------
imatchen@aol.com: The first time I saw George, he was working with the colorguard, George
had a special love for colorguards, and he was amazing to watch. I asked some of the horn
members, who is that'? And they would say, oh, that's George'. The energy level George had
was amazing. For anyone who as ever marched under George you must remember how he used
to keep his cadence, hard hand claps and the ever famous, dat dat dat dat'.
Being a new member, when George found out that I marched with the Polish Falcons and
was in the rifle line, one night before a drill rehearsal he asked me to show him some of the stuff
we did on rifle. He was like a kid in a candy store, when he saw something he liked he would
scream with joy and say do that again'.
It is always said that some corps put on there best shows at practice. Well, that also held
true for 27th. We were in Colorado (1976) practicing for I believe Drum Corps along the
Rockies, we were doing our closing push on the opener that year "Crown Imperial", when we
finished, all you could HEAR and SEE was George jumping up and down. It wasn't hard to see
him because he always was center stage and up high. I will never forget that night.
--------------------
"I had been HIV+ asymptomatic for almost eight years. In 1995, I developed my first OI
[Opportunistic Infection]. I was diagnosed with CMV in my small intestine after having
diarrhea for about six months (unresolved with most treatments). I got a double lumen
Hickman catheter and began gancyclovir infusions. It put the CMV in remission but
didn't solve the diarrhea problem. I finally lost 40 pounds in a little over two months. I
couldn't keep anything down and the smell of cooking food was very nauseating. Duke
nursed me at home for three weeks until I got so weak I finally called the doctor. I was
hospitalized and diagnosed with microsporidiasis. Brady had read about a medication
available in Mexico called albendazole that ... only works for about 20% of people who
take it. Duke got some smuggled in and, in a last ditch effort, it was given to me. I almost
died that evening but they pulled me through (our next door neighbor was not as lucky -
don't trust the U.S. water treatment to get rid of these things). In a few months, I had put
on about 15 pounds and was feeling much better. This year I have had gallstones
removed (while Duke was fighting his last battle in the same hospital), meningitis and
AIDS-wasting syndrome (which in combination almost took me again), and a sepsis
infection in my port, within a month of my relocation to Pittsburgh. So, I guess if you
have to qualify, I've earned rank as a full-fledged Person Living with AIDS'" (Phil
Herrington, www.hivaids.webcentral.com.au/text/st007.html).
----------------------
John Opedisano: 27th Lancers of the mid seventies. This was Zingali's original drum corps and
Ralph Pace's 75 drill was a trend setter. Also check out Pete Emmon's 1980 SCV drill, the truly
first all asymmetrical drill. Pete was the first one in the water, willing to take a huge risk and
begin the long task of figuring out the logistical problems of that type of drill, such as music
balance and staging. Not an easy thing.
I worked with George from the beginning of his career, and then competed against him
when I taught the Blue Devils. From his early days in corps with the 27 lancers, he was an
energetic creative soul who found a home for his unorthodox genius, first in color guard with St
Anthony's of Revere and eventually with Garfield Cadets. His mark on the activity is legendary,
since he made, not asymmetry popular, as some would have you believe, but motion and speed.
He also understood better than most the value and construction of visual effects. He was
brilliant in that.
Add to all that a genuine caring and compassion approach to teaching, hidden behind a
maniacal madman facade that fooled no one, and you have one of the great instructors of our
activity.
He was obsessive compulsive, often not changing his clothes an entire camp weekend,
getting little sleep when he was thinking of new drill ideas. And he was fiercely competitive,
and driven to excellence. When he was nervous he would pluck his eyebrows, which over the
years became so bad he have none left during finals week of DCI or WGI.
Unquestionably, George Zingali was eccentric. But he was also a master politician and
promoter, who played those games well when needed to. George had many friends, some whom
he never knew.
His passing is one of the great losses to this activity, and as yet, his place goes unfilled in
the designer community.
------------------------------------------
"HIV/AIDS has always been classed as a life-threatening illness, but in the face of where
I am now, with an undetectable viral load (two years), a fairly stable CD4 count of
around 300, and a part-time return to the workforce, I sometimes wonder about a number
of things. Having survived Category C AIDS, and returning to a life of relative normality,
am I still classed as Category C? (or do they have to come up with some new categories,
such as D: Resurrection), and do I still have a life threatening illness?" (Tim Alderman).
---------------------------------------------
Jeff Wise: An enigmatic man to say the least, Mr. Zingali was almost single-handedly
responsible for "dragging drum corps, kicking and screaming" into the now current state of
heightened visual awareness and concentration.
Ideas like non-stop drill, seemingly whip-lash moves and near cataclysmic pass-throughs
and meshes were the tools of his trade. If you ever see a high camera shot of drill pre-1983 or
so, you'll see what now looks like blase drill. The Cadets drill of the mid-80s up to around 1987
were constant motion due to Zingali.
Besides these concrete accomplishments, the Zingali legend raves on in influence and
"proteges" (many learning their craft through the Cadets). I really can't say much about his WGI
influence since I'm not that up on who's designed what.
I believe, Mr. Zingali was interested in his work as an artist and he obviously approached
it as such. People who were members under him will most likely wax poetic exponentially to
his wonderfulness. His culmination of work (at least in DCI) is probably the 1991 Star of
Indiana and the closing drill move of the re-assembling cross.
He had remarked in interviews about that particular show being kind of a requiem for
him.
All in all he's probably the most important figure in drum corps for the entire decade of
the 80s.
--------------------
"Above all, try to stay in the moment - don't live in the past or the future. Its tough to do,
but every time you get there, you get to truly live" (Phil Herrington).
--------------------
G.S. Newell: I've never heard anyone say Zingali wasn't the major figure in drum corps through
his time.
--------------------
"I have lived an interesting history. From the ignorance, fear and loathing of the early
days (and remember only too well the horrid way that poor little girl, Eve, was treated,
back in the early eighties), to a point where now it is more taken as a fact of life.
However, there are still those amongst the younger generation who see HIV/AIDS as a
product and problem of "my generation," i.e., the eighties generation of gay people. Don't
laugh! It has been said to my face.
I often encounter people who are amazed by, and comment on, the length of my
survival with HIV/AIDS. However, I found one of the funniest, and most endearing
comments came from an anesthetist at St. Vincent's, just before I went under and was
rolled into the theatre. We can't let anything happen to you. You're one of the
originals'" (Tim Alderman).
--------------------
Jordi Vilanova: When I was a Sophomore in high school, my band director told us to go home
that night and watch this thing called DCI. I had never heard of it. Thank God my Dad had the
foresight to videotape it. That was in 83, and I saw the Garfield Cadets for the first time. Over
the next couple of years I was just enthralled by the work of ... George Zingali. In 86, as a
freshman in college, I learned that George was coming to Star of Indiana, and I thought I just
have to go.'
So there we were, in the cafeteria at the school, and this bum comes up. I'm serious, a
homeless guy who I'm sure wandered in for a meal or something. He walked right up to me and
shook my hand and said Hi, I'm George Zingali' in that really thick Boston accent. I was just
floored.
------------
"My first remembrance of HIV was in the early eighties. A group of us were discussing
how to meet a friend who was soon to return from the USA - we joked that we should all
meet him wearing surgical masks. We thought it was funny - what was this AIDS,
anyway? Was it some American gay thing? Things have certainly changed. That
particular friend fell victim to HIV a few years ago. A turning point for me was one day
in 1985 when my GP [general practitioner, or family doctor] told me of the availability of
a test for HIV ... (Johannes, www.hivaids.webcentral.com.au/text/st013.html).
------------
Paul Middleton: I only ever met George once. It was when a friend and I were trying to get to
Chicago airport to get home to England in '85. To cut a long story short Garfields equip.
manager at that time (another Englishman) managed to bag us a lift into Chicago if we didn't
mind staying in the school overnight. Whilst all the Cadets had a meeting in the gym, George
spotted our Colts jackets and came over to tell us how much he loved our show that year. He had
a bottle of champagne in one hand, and a HUGE cream cake in the other. Well, actually, it
wasn't so much in his hand as all over his face and down his arm :-) It was wonderful that he
took the time out from his own triumph to tell us how great we were and how much he enjoyed
watching us. It's something I'll never forget because it's not often you are in the presence of
greatness and still get all the compliments.
---------------
"Now, it is nearly a year. I am still here, still working, still living, still learning how to
love. There are some inconveniences. This morning, just out of curiosity, I counted the
number of pills I have to take during the course of a week. It came out to 112 assorted
tablets and capsules. I go to the doctor once a month and find myself reassuring him that
I feel quite well. He mutters to himself and rereads the latest laboratory results which
show my immune system declining to zero.
My last T-Cell count was 10. A normal count is in the range of 800-1600. I have
been fighting painful sores in my mouth that make eating difficult. But, frankly, food has
always been more important to me than a little pain. I have had Thrush [mouth
infection] for a year. It never quite goes away. Recently, the doctor discovered the
herpes virus had gotten hold of my system. There have been strange fungal infections.
One was on my tongue. A biopsy caused my tongue to swell and I couldn't talk for a
week making many of my dear friends secretly thankful. A way had been found to shut
me up and they all reveled in the relative peace and quiet. Of course, there are night
sweats, fevers, swollen lymph glands (no one told me they would be painful), and
unbelievable fatigue.
I have come to realize that my story is not in any way unique, nor is the fact that I
will most likely die within two or three years. Like many of my brothers and sisters, I
have had to come to terms with my own death, and the deaths of many of those I love.
My death will not be extraordinary. It occurs daily to others, just like me. And I
have realized that death is not really the issue at all. The challenge of having AIDS is not
dying of AIDS, but Living with AIDS (Terry Boyd,
ftp://hwbbs.gbgm-umc.org/library/stories/living.txt).
--------------
Lee Jackson: My wife, Brenda, and I have fond, if fleeting, memories of him. The first time I
even saw him in person was in Nashville, TN, in 1984. I was on tour with the Nighthawks. I
never spoke to him - I just watched as he took the Garfield color guard through a rehearsal of
West Side Story in Vanderbilt Stadium before the show began. He seemed quite remarkable,
even from a distance.
The next time, we both saw him was several years later, at DCI in Kansas City, the year
Madison won it all. It was either during quarters or semis - I can't remember which. He had run
to the upper deck to watch Blue Knights perform his drill. He was right at the upper deck rail,
with us just above and behind. At various points in the drill, he would stand up and shout
"Yes!", or "Wonderful!". I have to admit, he was a blast to watch.
Our final memory of him was at the Lake Highlands show in Dallas. We were seated a
couple of rows below the press box, almost on the 50 yard line. He was with Star of Indiana at
the time - the show was Belshazzar's Feast. Again, he'd run up to the top step of the stadium, just
behind us by a row or two. He was vocal here as well, and he had good reason to be - IMHO, no
flames, please, that drill is one of the best ever written.
I decided then that I couldn't stand it anymore. Jeez, I'd written drills myself when I was
in high school, and here was one of the two living drill-writing legends right behind me. So,
when Star's show was over and the applause started dying down, my wife and I turned around,
got his attention, and gave him a personal standing ovation. We were joined by a couple of other
folks, when they realized what we were doing.
He appeared totally surprised. His jaw dropped, and he turned to his fellow staffers,
shouting, "They KNOW me! They KNOW me!". Before he went back down, I went up and
shook his hand. I wanted to let him know how much I appreciated what I had just seen, as well
as everything else he had done.
It was a short, short moment, but one I will remember forever. He is sorely missed.
------------
"We both tested positive. My partner became ill in 1991. He was never ill enough not to
look after himself and it was only ten days before he died that he suffered some strokes,
then eventually lapsed into a coma and died from the effects of a brain tumor.
I had to start again and now have a career. I have a beautiful and understanding
partner, own a house, am studying accounting and work out at the gym. I visit my GP
every two months to collect my medication - my HIV results are stable and I am happy. I
think the big contributor to where I am today is that conscious decision I made many
years ago. The decision to be positive. [Vic has since learnt that Johannes has recently
passed away. His death was as a result of a car accident]. (Johannes,
www.hivaids.webcentral.com.au/text/st013.html)
-----------
End Part One of Two.
Part Two of Two.
IV. WORKING WITH ZINGALI.
It is not in words, but more in deeds that we reveal ourselves. It is more difficult to be
duplicitous in action. Consider the actions of Zingali at work with the people who knew him.
Susan Arner: I had the honor of marching in an indoor colorguard show designed by George
Zingali in 1989 and 1990. In 1989 he came to our practice and I can honestly say that I will
never forget the day I finally met him. Some of our staff knew him from Garfield and warned us
that he could be very brusque when things weren't going the way he wanted them to. They said
not to take it personally if this happened. We were all kind of scared after hearing that. Then he
came in. He was SO nice. Very patient and heavy on the praise if you did something right. He
had us marching in a style that had four steps for every six beats, (step one-beat one, step
two-beat three, step three-beat four and step four-beat six) which made it look like we were kind
of floating instead of walking (we wore ankle length skirts). He got up to demonstrate this and
pulled up his pant legs so we could see his feet better. He was holding up his pants,
overemphasizing his steps, and chanting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,' kind of galloping
around the room......And showcasing his MISMATCHED SOCKS !!
Micah Lev Baumstein: I marched '91 Star and worked with Zingali. He was interesting to say the
least. He was weird in a queer sort of way, but he was a total genius. He wrote the entire show
at the beginning of the season (maybe 5 pages of drill stayed the whole season) and changed the
drill by telling us to move here or there, what kind of step size or tempo or technique to use...
He openly told us how he had dropped acid and watched bird schools in the sky and how they
got in and out of formations, or how he would take an eye dropper of water and drop a drop into
a puddle and watch the ripples. The last minute of drill in '91 was added the last week before
finals. For this there were no charts, he just said "you four, gate around this way and mesh with
these for over here gating the other way....." The man was amazing and has revolutionized
marching both in corps and band.
Bob Hullett: I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the acid thing was a stretch ...
sometimes if George said something, it was intended to be a joke ... i.e. ...you must be on
glue...,' and the like .... Other fables of George's influence included throwing spaghetti on the
wall and watching the inter-play as it crawled down the wall' and putting a drop of soapy water
into oily water and watch it work... The strange thing is........it works !!!
Michael Chromik: Put simply George Z. was one o the most, if not the most magical person that
I have ever met. Of course he was eccentric, at times a real bastard. But to those of us lucky
enough to know or be taught by him he was and still is magical. George was kind, gentle,
hilarious, tough, but most of all fascinating and wise. George's true influence' is not as much
in design, but in the lessons and memories he left those that he touched. We should all strive to
be even half the man and teacher he was. I miss him more than words can say.
Robert Mayer: I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work with George during my
last 2 years of marching (82-83) with the Garfield Cadets. He always was there to help you
understand how the drill was supposed to work. ALL the members had great respect and
admiration for him. There isn't anything we wouldn't have done for him because there wasn't
anything he didn't do for us.
Marc Whitlock: George taught me how to laugh, that it was okay for a man to cry, how to
spontaneously become 9 years old in the blink of an eye, to push yourself to a new level, how to
write drill, how to put monoxidyl on your head with a sucker gun, and much more.
Memories of him are totally consuming my thoughts right now. Here are some short
examples:
-In '87, when he had rewritten almost all the drill, and hadn't changed his walking shorts
in 6 days.
- When I was upset about a car crash the corps was in, and showed me that it was okay to
express sad emotions.
- When he gave me a set test in front of the corps, and I answered the questions correctly.
- When he asked me to do a near impossible drill move, and I was a little reluctant in the
initial attempt. He told me to visualize it and to put my heart into it. Then he told me to
make it or he'd kick my ass (in a joking way).
- Always bumming cigarettes!!
I could go on for days. He was a cartoon character come to life, a teacher, a comedian,
spoiled brat, mature adult, frenzied lunatic, scholar, friend, and much more.
He meant a great deal to me, and I truly miss him. I miss our great talks and our loud
arguments. He was the most extremely diverse person I've ever known, and taught people lessons
about life without ever realizing it. - Marc Whitlock
fishlegs1@aol.com (Fishlegs1): George's accomplishments were impressive ... but one point not
brought up is that he was one of the sweetest guys i've ever met!
I met George at the Boston Regional in 1987... I was so impressed that I had met George
Zingali, but you would have never known that he was this drum corps/color guard legend, he was
just a great guy.
Later I saw George at work, when he came in to help Sunriser's color guard before the
DCA championships in 87. Boy was he a great instructor... very motivational.
And he certainly loved color guard. One time I'll always remember... the Midwest
Regional in 88, St. Anthony's prelims performance: the girls were doing a flawless show... I
mean flawless... a bunch of us at were at the top of the stands on our feet totally bugging at the
performance. Then the rifles threw a toss turn around and 4 of the 7 rifles dropped. George sat
down, on my feet, and cried.
Bob Hullett: During the 1990 season, we (STAR) were in Hershey, PA practicing at a school in
the middle of Amish country. So, as you might guess, no lights. As the sun faded away, so did
our vision .... After about four collisions including a crush contra and a busted lip for Bob
Keays, George pulls the entire corps into the center of the black-top ....
He pulls two people out of the group ... He asks the boy, why is it that she cannot make
this pass through?' The boy says because she isn't doing it right'... the girl kinda puts her head
down ....
George looks the boy dead in the eyes and says No .... She can't make the pass through
because you don't care enough about her to get her through it.' The two sit down...
George was always big on role play and working out your problems with those who love
you .... We all learned to take care of each other that year ....
Jordi Vilanova: He would just do or say anything to see what kind of reaction he could get. He
particularly loved to find someone who would just freak when he did something. I won't go into
the Roger Dodger thing, but I'm sure some 86 alums will remember.
In 87, when he said to me after a rehearsal, Jordessa girlfriend (I'm not a girl) I was
watching you and you looked great.'
Thanks George.' I said.
No I really mean it, you looked great.'
Thanks George.'
Then he said ... Now it's time to go have sex' [i.e., "put some feeling into it," probably -
editor's note].
Richard Vincent Lamb: Bobby Hoffman was with Bridgemen. Zingali, as far as I know, never
was. Both were with 27th Lancers. Ms. Bonfiglio (at least, the Ms. Bonfiglio I knew about) was
the guard captain for her father, George, who was the corps director. Zingali was a drill
instructor as early as 1978 (if not before) and took over drill writing in 1979 when Ralph Pace
left. I should know...I met George in 1978 when he visited a Kingsmen rehearsal for CYO
Nationals and asked to see me march. One of the Kingsmen contra players later told me that
Zingali was checking me out to see if he could recruit me for 27. I thought he was full of shit at
the time. Now, I wonder.
I also remember seeing Zingali jumping up and down on the press box whenever 27
performed. This gave rise to a saying in North Star ... Happiness is watching George Zingali
falling off the press box!' Ah, rivalry.
Marc Whitlock: In 88 ... he had spent 5 days writing the marching warmup and I asked how
things were going. He said, "Never spend this much time on something that is this unimportant.
V. SURVIVING ZINGALI.
--------------------
"Onychmycosis and tinea pedis appear in almost all persons with AIDS. They primarily affect
the feet, not the hands .... Isolated musculoskeletal enthesopathies include Achilles tendinitis,
posterior tibial tendinitis, dactylitis, and plantar fascitis. There also can be an associated
polymyositis. The heel and sole pain from these inflammations may become so severe that a
broad-based gait develops as the patient walks on the outer borders of the feet to reduce weight
bearing on the painful areas. This is so characteristic of AIDS that it has come to be referred to
as the AIDS gait" (Walter J. Pedowitz, M.D./Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Nov. 1992).
--------------------
Zingali created the marching arts - before his work, there was no art in marching. Only craft.
Zingali was the first to realize drill as a medium of expressive movement (not design), and the
first to recognize a marching ensemble as a medium of collective expression. As such, he
became the first choreographer of marching. Zingali was the first to make a formation "dance."
This introduced an explosive new era in the marching arts - "motion and speed," as John
Opedisano puts it. I would add that the "speed" factor is more one of tempo frequency than
velocity (velocity = frequency multiplied by stride length). The difference is an important one,
and deserving of future examination. While Zingali may have explored the limits of velocity
through high frequency marching, I don't believe he would have condoned the extent to which
velocity was pushed in his absence.
Regardless, the Zingali revolution didn't go off without a hitch. One audience member recently
recalled, "I remember VK loaning Garfield 6 sopranos in '84 after one of those infamous train
wrecks'. Not only does it look bad when bodies are flying, it's hard on the equipment, too!"
(vkgarry73). While Garfield's tempos in excess of 200 were by no means a new phenomenon,
executing such frequencies with a non-airborne glide step was new, and it was difficult to
control the body when doing so. The execution of such "Extreme Marching" remains as much a
problem, judging from some other comments about the 1999 season.
Did Zingali truly feel marching technique was "unimportant," as his last comment might
suggest? Did he feel marching warmups were not important? Whatever the case, the evidence
would suggest that, for Zingali, marching technique was not as important as its effect on the
press box perspective - clean formations. I have seen very few people who would bother to
contest this. Yet this is not to say that Zingali had no respect for physical limits.
Nevertheless, the Zingali revolution became the "Extreme Marching" revolution in his absence,
and it took off with such disorganization and reckless abandon that both drum corps audiences
and Drum Corps International couldn't make sense of it fast enough. Audiences became
alienated by the programming it invited. The new corps-style marching (interpreted in various
ways, depending on where one lives) became more of an acquired, specialized skill which
brought an new elite image to DCI.
It was just what DCI wanted - power. One cannot have power unless one has something rare
which is in demand. Unfortunately, however, DCI was no longer influential enough to exercise
this power effectively - DCI was no longer sought out by the marching arts (marching bands in
particular) as they were in the 1970's. This came as a consequence of regional and local neglect,
which caused hundreds of corps to fold throughout the 1960's and 1970's - corps which could not
keep up with the increased emphasis on touring.
Thus, the art of drum corps became more enriched, and yet the guarded, specialized skill of
"Extreme Marching" itself continued to saw away at the economic "branch" on which drum
corps sat. It was a dangerous time.
Another consequence of Extreme Marching was the degradation of military-style drill which
until then corps had called their own - "corps-style marching," the "state of the art." Suddenly
the "state of the art" no longer kept corps on their feet. While this method of teaching (or
non-teaching) technique may have been necessary to turn drill into dance, it also seems to have
turned off a few advocates of traditional marching style.
One of the more outspoken critics of "Extreme Marching" technique, Stuart Rice, went as far as
to suggest that Zingali himself was responsible for this (if I read him correctly) in one internet
exchange four years ago:
---------------
Stuart Rice: "Zingali was in too big a hurry to express something to worry about how it
was expressed (via marching technique). That's why their technique always sucked. He
did not lay a good technical foundation, and that may be a good reason why they are not
as interested in marching today."
John Murray: "I agree completely! Cadets have always been one of my favorite corps,
but I was always disappointed when I saw them up close. I have always argued that they
are one of the worst marching units (in technique) but it is not usually noticed because
they one of the best performing' units out there."
George Hopkins: "Not true ... time was spent with technique ... much time. Marc
Sylvester was the tech and I think ... if you sit to take a look at what was accomplished ...
that is, what we did and how well we did it, you will have a different perspective!"
S.R.: "I understand your point about the level of difficulty of your drill, and I would like
to add that it is the most difficult (if the shortest) drill in the Top 12. However, my
perspective of the technique remains the same."
---------------
Matt Elcock and Jay Wise later revisited the problem of Cadet marching from another
perspective: the lack of it.
-----------------
Jay Wise: "Matt the Carpenter, hitting nails again ..."
Matt Elcock: "If they can get second place for sitting around on their butt for five
minutes, I wouldn't be surprised."
Cadet Fan: "It was not five minutes ... and they did not sit on their butts. They stood
around a lot, and they walked on cases, and they played, and they danced, and the people
liked it, and the kids had a great time, and it was pretty cool, and oh yeaah ... we did
come in second!"
M.E.: "Sigh... the point is that the corps didn't _march_. For the record, I loved
Swing^3. And the show was good... but IMHO, there were a couple of problems with it:
Now, the second point is a matter of personal taste. As for the first, the complaint
is not of the show, but of the judges... and their perception of various corps. This
summer has given the impression that Cadets can get away with anything... What if VK
or Colts decided to skip marching for two of three minutes? You can bet that the judges
would be all over them! Like it or not, a uniform _will_ change impressions.
You made the correct choice for the show, but don't complain if others didn't like
it or the results.
(And, from a pure execution standpoint BD should have taken 2nd.)"
J.W.: "Different medium, same scenario...
It's the 1998 Winter Olympics... You're watching figure skating, a judged art
form that's been around for ages and seen similar changes like drum corps (no more
compulsories is like no more tick system).
A young Russian skater comes out in her long program and does great technical
work. It is very clean, yet doesn't reach the hearts of the audience. She receives great
scores, 6.9s and a few 7.0s...
An American skater then tries something new. One-third of her long program
doesn't contain ANY skating, but rather some fancy tap-dance work to the tune of Sing,
Sing, Sing. The crowd simply EATS it UP, and she gets multiple standing ovations.
What do you think her scores will be?
The argument is NOT over entertainment, but over what is and what is not
judgeable. In figure skating they have two sets of marks, technical merit and artistic
impression. The American will score high, and perhaps win, the artistic side --
deservedly so. But her technical merit scores will suffer tremendously because of the
LACK of skate time compared to her competition! Result? She can't win -- the system
sees to it. Is it right? Who knows, that's a different argument. The system is built in a
manner that forces the competition to do what the activity is founded in: skating! Artistic
creativity MUST stay within the bounds of that principle.
To return to the Drum Corps Scenario with Cadets...
The Swing^3 section was not difficult for anyone other than perhaps the guard.
The pulse center DIDN'T MOVE, as it was grounded in the trap sets dispersed in that
cluster. The horns were in FRONT of the drums, therefore a VERY SIMPLE exercise in
"listening back" for the pulse center.
Balance from the ensemble was simple, as there was no shifting of voices via drill
nor did the pulse center shift from drums to contras, or some similar shift based on drill.
Does this CHANGE the fact that Swing^3 was one of the best damn minutes in
all of drum corps? NO! It deserves all sorts of accolades as setting a standard for dialog
with the audience.
The question has always been, and remains, just how much does it deserve to be
rewarded in the drum corps judging system? A system that compares Tesh to
Tchaikovsky, Basie to Bernstein and Sondheim to Spain... that compares 10 minutes of
drill to 6 minutes, that compares 30 drummers to 20, and on and on.
We were always taught that if two corps are equal in merit, that the one with the
more difficult show would be rewarded more.
The arguments being brought here are really NOT against the Cadets -- after all
many think they "beat" the system (what Matt refers to as "would VK or Colts get away
with that"). The REAL issue here is the JUDGING SYSTEM!!!"
Bruce York: "Yes, the judging has a lot to do with it. Personally, I am tired of the
judging system changing every two years. I also do not think that the activity as a whole
has managed to buffer the judges from the corps who are more vocal in there displeasure
than others. I loved 1988. When the order of appearance at finals was not the order of
placement in semifinals. I think it removed some of the politics involved in the judging.
I would like to see it returned just for that reason."
J.W.: "This debate would be moot if a system such as the Olympics were in place (or
other types). Then the show is judged on the whole rather than the pieces parts. Bias is
tossed by the elimination of highs and lows, etc.
I for one - and maybe I'm alone, I don't know - think that this argument is a
judging thing and not a Cadet thing. They did their thing not knowing how they would
score -- in fact as their members say, winning isn't important so why should anyone care
about them standing around?"
--------------------
Interestingly, we now have a situation where a corps, whose name was made great in this era by
a man known for revolutionizing marching, is being criticized for not marching.
------------------------------
Stuart Rice: "I've got high camera tapes at home, and I will go home and time exactly
how long a period the Cadets don't march [note: dancing, sauntering, standing around
looking cool, etc. is not marching]."
Jonathan Willis: "Is this that important to you, Stuart?"
Whitney Densmore: "VERY important, and not just to Stuart!"
J.W.: "What is your point of timing the show, the marching, etc? Do you think you're
going to convince us that the Cadets did not deserve 2nd (or at least top 3 status)? Not
me!!"
W.D.: "I believe that Stuart is little concerned with convincing you *personally* about
this issue (correct me if I'm wrong Stu). I believe that his point is (and has been for
months!!!) that creative and precise choreographed marching is the single most important
element that makes drum corps unique, and as long as we *as a community* allow corps
to receive undue credit while the focus of a show is drawn away from this element, we
are losing what a drum corps show is in essence.
BTW, Stuart made this point long before he would have had a chance to see the
lack of marching in Cadets '95 show. What CBC and the judging system did was to
confirm Stu's concern. Now let's see how many corps draw their focus yet further away
from the marching arts in '96 while buying up the latest electronic gadgets just to keep
up. Talk about f***ed up priorities!!!"
J.W.: "Are you going to convince us that what the Cadets did is NOT drum corps. Well,
nothing you say could do that."
W.D.: "I believe that they are heading in that direction while leading other corps to do
the same.
Still wondering why we are fixing what isn't broken"
(LA7Mary3): [after much discussion] And....what is the exact time once and for all to
shut everyone up?
S.R.: Total show length (first to last note): 11 minutes, 5.64 seconds.
Total time marching (first to last note): 5 minutes, 48.61 seconds.
Total show length without marching (first to last note): 5 min, 17.03 sec.
--------------------------
While I don't see how the Cadets could spend so little time marching, it did seem as though the
Cadets marched less in 1995. But given that 1995 seems more like the exception than the rule
for the Cadets (and drum corps in general), I wonder what would make a corps, whose marching
made them famous, march for 5 minutes and place ahead of a corps which marched for 8
minutes (BD - 3rd place)? Could it be that the Cadets were not as interested in marching? Rice
continues:
---------------------------
Stuart Rice: "Musical theater is not drum corps."
Paul Herzog: "Yeah, but your point is about entertainment, right?"
S.R.: "That seems to be the buzz word these days. It's like were competing with Vegas."
P.H.: "Was 1983 BD, with some of their park-and-blow sections, drum corps? I'll have to
go back and watch it again...."
S.R.: "I dunno. Maybe so - we got second, you know. :) I doubt we could, with a ten
foot pole, touch the percentage of idle time for the Cadets this year, though."
----------------------------
Finally, a Cadet fan steps up to defend the Cadets (and apparently seems to think Zingali
posthumously had something to do with this situation), after which we get an interesting
tongue-in-cheeky reply from Jeff Wise:
----------------------------
thechezman@aol.com: "GEORGE ZINGALI WAS IN NO HURRY. I MARCHED
UNDER GEORGE IN GARFIELD FOR A FEW YEARS. HE NOT ONLY HAD MORE
INSIGHT AND CHANGED THE ACTIVITY GREATER THAN ANYONE BEFORE
HIM. BUT SELECTED SOME OF THE FINEST TECHNICIANS TO SURROUND
HIMSELF WITH. DID YOU EVER HEAR OF TOM STRAKEN OR MACK
SILVESTER, PEGGY TWIGS. IF NOT YOU SHOULD HOLD YOUR COMMENTS
TILL YOU HAVE MORE INFO.
Jeff Wise: "Apparently Stuart started this by slighting Mr Zingali to which the replies
haven't been all that voluminous and moreover mostly missing the point as to WHY the
Cadets are actually GOOD marchers.
See, it has to do with the judging sheets.
Marching, oh I'm sorry, visual movement (sic) in this day and age is all about
manipulating the definitions on the judging sheets to hit Box 5, and eventually Upper
Box 5.
Let's check those sheets out and we'll all notice that Cadets, Cavaliers, BD, PR,
Star -- oops, I mean STAR, back when they were around and so forth use those sheets
and definitions as to what "good marching" damn, I did it again, "good visual movement"
is termed as.
But to make the point simply -- Cadets do what they do as a unit. Watch them
again and again, especially those plumes. Do they bounce and shake those feathery
things? Sure, but check it out, every single one of them does it and they do it in as
exacting a manner as can be expected.
Heck they could skip and mimic the Monty Python Ministry of Funny Walks and
still be credited with great scores -- it's about togetherness.
The Cadets as performers are probably the best corps in the last however many
years to completely understand their roles as performers, musicians and marchers (the
hell with it, I'm not saying visual movement people).
And that is why, in part, they can score high in the visual captions.
Now, Mr Hopkins made this following reply to Stuart:
By the way .... When the Cadets were really good we used to march a lot. We
hope to be able to again approach such a level in the coming years. I sure hope I
personally am up to the challenge!'
Wow, does anyone else here see the gravity in this comment?
Awaiting further debate,
Jeff Wise -- Rationalizer extraordinaire for marching, er visual concepts of DCI."
--------------------------
Today, there is still criticism of the Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps, a corps
much different than the one Zingali found, and much different than the one he left. Much of
"Zingali-style drill" can be seen in the Cadets today, but originality and artistry is the price of
imitation. Their "Extreme Marching" is also still popular, in spite of the fact that such body
movement is not controlled. Although they still command respect, this is not the same drum and
bugle corps that dominated DCI.
In the obituaries, it is common to list the "survivors," or family of the departed. On the field,
however, determining Zingali's next of kin is not so easy. Zingali was original. Zingali was
someone who introduced a new creative process. Zingali was artistry. Today, however, there is
no original approach to drillwriting, no new creative process emerging, no artist attracting the
kind of attention given to Zingali's works when he dominated DCI.
Perhaps we did not survive Zingali at all.
VI. CONCLUSION.
He spent most of his time with the Cadets. He chose to spend a couple of his remaining years
with Denver's Blue Knights. His last show and DCI Championship ("the most wonderful night
of my life") knit him into the "fabric of star" (an organization which, after the most wonderful
night of his life,' never again marched another competition) in the two short years before his
death. Has anyone carried on his work? Does anyone even know if his work was about
"Zingali-style drill" or about marching?
Does anyone share enough of his vision to help make it a reality? Don't ask me. I did not know
Zingali. I have never met him, spoken with him, or walked a mile in his moccasins. I can only
recall standing beside the field in Denver when someone pointed him out to me, twenty feet
away. Somewhat in awe, I thought to myself, "there he is. The man who made this an art."
That, and, "Strange looking guy ...."
I don't know what I would have done if I were him. If you're going to die a long, painful, and
costly death, it would certainly be convenient to do so while working for Star of Indiana owner
Bill Cook, President of Cook Incorporated, a major producer of interventive medicine products
worldwide. I know I'd do that. However, there were no corporations pouring money into drum
corps when Zingali began his work. By the time Cook emerged, so had Zingali (thankfully - had
he waited for Cook to nurse him to that one DCI title before he died, his revolution may have
been considered a "fluke").
What would you do if you were George Zingali in the early 1980's? Looking to make
choreographed marching popular in an activity that was just beginning to explore asymmetrical
formations? Left with a quality and quantity of life which defies such sweeping, conspicuous
reforms? It's early 1983. You have won no DCI titles. You have less than a decade before you
die a young man after a long, painful illness, and you are aware of this fact (or are soon to
become ware). What do you do?
I would jack up the tempos far beyond present practice (though not contrary to present trends) a
la "Rocky Point Holiday." I would choreograph marching which judges (increasingly interested
in the press box perspective) have never seen. I would teach the corps to do things that have
never been done on a field. I would hang my hat on the high camera tapes then sold to the
public (before "made-for-tv video yearbooks" in 1995 began to take as many snapshots as
possible in 10 minutes).
I would accept the fact that judges see the diversity of marching technique as something that is
natural yet impossible to judge, that judges no longer judge marching technique, and that there is
little point to devoting my few remaining years selling it to them. I would concentrate on the
effect of good technique - ensemble execution (clean formations) which good technique used to
establish so much more quickly and effectively. I would put the goodies beneath the gaze of the
people whose opinions determine the future of the art (judges). I would work with a medium
which can be created in one's head, and whose execution can be delegated. I think that's what
Zingali did. And I'm glad.
In the process, however, he didn't seem to leave behind any survivors - any artist who could be
considered "next of kin." Except for occasional flickers of inspiration, no "designer" has
emerged to pick up where Zingali left off, as John Oppedisano noted. In fact, I often wonder if
the "designing" community has come to the conclusion that no one can. If so, the art is dead.
"I think that nationally we are all in somewhat of a quandary waiting for something to
happen in the drill writing business. Whether it is DCI, high school or college drill
writing it is really all the same. Somehow, somewhere, drill writing will further evolve
from where it is today" (Scott Hagen, 1999).
Is marching technique "unimportant"? I believe it was in the context of Zingali's life. What if
he had spent the time needed to make 100 people march his "non-stop drill, seemingly whip-lash
moves and near cataclysmic pass-throughs and meshes" (Jeff Wise) with balance, control,
coordination, a smooth glide-step, and an upright posture? There would have been no Zingali
revolution. today. What's more, all of the tricks of his trade would have been adopted by others
looking for easy General Effect within the context of the status quo.
He would have died before his first championship, and the idea of "marching art" would be a
pipe dream. Instead, Zingali delegated his responsibility over marching technique (for better or
worse) and we got progress. We needed art. In spite of the fact that no one has yet to figure out
how marching technique can benefit either Zingali-style drill or Extreme Marching, Zingali got
it done. I tip my hat to him. "Yo Zingy, you-da-man."
Now it is time to decide what the art he brought to life - this marching art - is to look like. There
are some who feel diversity of technical style is sacred, and uniform standards in marching
technique are not progressive. I haven't the space in this paper I need to address this issue.
There is also a common perception that drill is more important than technique. I think we can
agree, however, that a drill can be only as effective as the marching technique which makes it
possible. I believe we have reached the extreme of drill development where our only obstacle is
the marching technique executing it, to say nothing of doing so with individual artistry.
There is no reason we cannot survive the problems we have created. But good marching
technique requires several years of investment before it begins to pay off, allowing one to really
explore drill. Not many people care to obligate themselves to such a cause. Many drill writers
who assert a concern for technique, while low-camera angles tell another story - the body does
not move like it did in the 1960's and 1970's. Not with the same power, control, grace, fluidity ...
not with the same dignity.
There are many reasons why Zingali's influence on drum corps de-stabilized marching
technique. Yes, it may be that Zingali didn't appreciate the internal process of getting a human
body from one place to another. Amidst the occasional stumble and haste, however, it is also
possible that he did appreciate marching technique. Perhaps he didn't have the time to develop
it. Perhaps he didn't have the knowledge. Perhaps he didn't have the personnel. Perhaps his
physical limitations didn't afford him the opportunity. It is also possible that he knew (or
sensed) that he could only teach us something else, something which we may have been more
important at the time: that marching is an art, worthy to be treated as such. Now it is up to us to
learn and do just that.
Is there life after Zingali? There must be, and I think if we continue to study his works from an
objective standpoint, comparing them and documenting their influence on the activity today, we
may yet learn of revolutions in the making, and revolutions yet to come. In doing so, however,
we must never allow political, social, and cultural differences to separate the person from the
product. It is the person who reveals the product, and anyone who truly loves one will discover
the other.
End Part Two of Two.