From Delano to Dayton, Ohio, Maharlika is one of the current independent winter color guard teams in town to compete in the Winter Guard International: World Championship and has been awarded a Silver Medal.
Bryan Dandin, director of Maharlika, explained how this success is more than just that for his competitors. Dandin added that the journey into the world championships was emotionally satisfying, not just for him but for the entire team.
“The journey has been emotionally satisfying. It took a lot of work getting there; we cried a lot just because we were living through some of the students’ dreams,” said Dandin.
The entirety of their show focused on “Pages of the Past,” which allowed each cast member to draw from their own experiences throughout the season to emulate in their performance. According to Dandin, being in Dayton helped them bring their dreams to fruition.
He explained that competing at worlds was one of the main accomplishments to date. For many of his cast members, this wasn’t just an opportunity to show off their talent; it was also an opportunity to travel out of state for the very first time.
“It’s very gratifying,” said Dandin. “A lot of them never really experience it in their high school years because a lot of our cast members stay local, so they don’t really go out of town or even out of state to compete. So that alone was gratifying to see them experience all those things, because there were a couple who flew there for the first time. So real-life experiences.”
Although each competition and practice requires a significant level of mental and physical stability, it can be emotionally difficult to stay motivated over a short or long period. Dandin shares that he and his team always set expectations for their cast members.
“Going to Dayton, Ohio, alone was an accomplishment in itself, but making finals is hard,” said Dandin.
Over 700 groups compete in color guard, winds divisions, and percussion. Many teams from all across the country and internationally travel to Dayton for a chance to compete with the best of the best. Around 350 color guard teams were featured throughout the championship. With 72 groups competing in the preliminary finals, with groups from Thailand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. As each team continued to advance, only 36 made it to the semifinals, with 15 teams competing in the finals.
“We tell them we just have to work hard and everything will follow as long as we do what we need to do and work hard and try to accomplish the things we want to do,” he said. “We never promise it’s going to happen, but always say work hard. It can happen. The possibility is always there.”
With the accomplishment of winning a silver medal at the world championships for the first time, and making finals three years in a row, Maharlika will be promoted to the top five in their division in the Independent A class for anyone aged 18-22. This success also means they will be moved into the next class division, bringing more competition, with the majority of teams being established institutions.
“It’s going to be scary, it’s going to be tougher competitions because a lot of them are established institutions. A lot of them are college-affiliated, so they have more funding, more backing, and more staff,” said Dandin. “Compared to what we have now, it’s just that we’re as self-funded as well as a lot of the other groups,s but we’re more independent. It’s just us.”
Despite the lack of funding, Dandin remains fulfilled coaching and directing each one of these individuals simply for the love of it.
“It’s gratifying because we put in so many hours, like we’re not getting paid for doing this. We’re just doing it for the love of it and just seeing our kids and cast grow and experience this type of success, it’s very gratifying,” expressed Dandin.
