-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
EPCOT Entertainment cuts
- Thread starter wannabeBelle
- Start date
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Where once we saw the small free birds fly................... Marie
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...off-kilter-fans-epcot-20140904,0,3266626.post The message is getting out there!! Marie
PirateFrank
Well-Known Member
I saw this in my yahoo feed yesterday and was mildly surprised. However, I have to say - if this were a creative decision, Off Kilter might have a chance of coming back. TWDC/TDO would realize that a market truly still exists and going in a new direction wasn't in their best interests and they would reconsider.
However, this wasn't. It was clearly a budgetary decision that is not easily changed at this stage and moreover, necessary to prevent painful cuts in other places. Unless there are mass-boycots of the WDW product (*very* unlikely), TDO will not care one iota whether there exists an O-sent article, the "save Off Kilter" Facebook page has 1,800 members or 18,000 or emails flood the company. In fact, as far as I know -- people are starting to get bounce backs on off-kilter complain emails to TWDC VIPs - likely aided by smart keyword filters. They just don't care. They want the cuts and they know they'll get em without upsetting 99.999% of park guests.
Sorry to sound so glum, but that's the way I see it.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Just checked out some YouTube videos for what is reported to be the new act for Morocco, B'Net Houariyat. Based on what I've seen/heard here -> and here -> it would appear to most definitely be a very international/cultural based act. While I can see this fitting in fairly well with what appears to be one of the most authentic feeling pavilions (to me at least) continuing the feeling you are at an outdoor market, I wonder how many people this would really attract. Most people don't really seem to appreciate music that truly should be filed in the "World Music" section of the music store. Wonder if this is a true attempt to bring back culture (and yes, save money) or if it is an attempt to prove that people don't want culture, so we can have more characters stuck in Epcot.
I had seen a video of the new act for Morocco. I will be polite and reserved and say this act will not go over well at all in EPCOT. I was not impressed at all and probably wont be getting over there to see them at all. This may not be the best act that could have been selected to be ambassadors for that region of the world. Marie
doctornick
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Personally, to me, that seems a ton better than Mo'Rockin' and I appreciate the attempts to bring more culturally authentic acts to WS (even if the main motivation were budget reasons).
Morocco is one of my favorite pavilions, partially because of how distinct it is and how different from our typical "Western" world and this act would seem to enhance that aspect.
janoimagine
Well-Known Member
Thats disappointing to say the least ... Those guys were good, all the entertainment was great ... I understand the need to keep things fresh and new but this wasn't one of those times.
Just once I would love to find out the executive who makes these calls, get a number and an email address and communicate to them directly ... it is getting out of hand and sadly after this years trip I will likely let our AP's expire and stick to the Cruise Line and Asian Parks where the idiots of the asylum haven't been left to run free.
Jano, On Facebook there is a Save Off Kilter page with about 2000 members cmon by, there are addresses and e mail addresses to write to as a part of the group as well as many heart warming stories regarding the history of the band's interaction with guests. Hope to see you there!!! Marie
dupac
Well-Known Member
I took a class called "Middle Eastern Music" in college (misleading title as we studied the music of the Balkans along with music from Egypt, Morocco, and Iran). Music from that area doesn't even use the same rhythms/musical structures as Western music. It's part of the reason why it's so recognizable. I hope the new act is quality.
Edit: Words are hard.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
I have to admit that I am kind of in line with your opinion here.
Obviously, though, a lot of this comes down to each person's opinion as to the changes, with the underlying fact that the changes are rooted in budgetary considerations.
As I am not a local, I know none of the impacted performers personally, so I have no emotional ties to these changes but I am still completely sympathetic to them. The company I work for is currently in the process of cutting 20% of the workforce over a 2 year timeframe so I do understand.
That being said, I never once stopped to see Off Kilter or Mo Rockin'. The one act I will miss, however, is the fife and drum corp from the American Pavilion as it is more of a traditional experience (they should keep it and move that group to Liberty Square in MK). I think that is why I won't miss the other 2 acts as much as they were not as traditionally representative of the cultures (to me) in the pavilions where they performed. And again, that is just my opinion or expectation of how the different cultures should be represented in World Showcase. To me, Off Kilter and Mo Rockin' are more 'westernized' examples of Canada and Morocco.
Oddly enough, the cheaper alternatives being brought in seem to be more appropriate in terms of heritage or cultural history for the regions in question. I mean, I doubt that B'Net Houariyat has a cult following like Off Kilter does, but I personally don't find that to be the purpose of World Showcase either. I appreciate that there is still some shadow of edutainment that occurs in World Showcase, but acts like Mo Rockin' and Off Kilter never heightened that experience for me. I also don't know if lumberjacks juggling flaming chainsaws will accomplish that either, so in truth I am in a wait and see mode for the new acts. They could end up being culturally significant but just godawful in terms of live, daily performances. At that point I would say give it another try WDW! and just wait and see.
I will definitely be giving them all a chance, though.
It is interesting how different cultures feel about some of the acts in World Showcase. As an anecdote to this topic, I noticed that people generally seem to appreciate the Chinese acrobat team in the China Pavilion. I always thought that the act was pretty good so my family typically will standby and observe. The last time we were visiting the world, we were in EPCOT and stopped at the China Pavilion as the acrobats were just marching out to perform. We were standing back, more towards the outside of the ring of observers, and I happened to catch a young asian family (I am assuming they were one family) coming towards the group of people. When they got close enough to see what everyone was watching, the one girl turned towards her family with a horrified look on her face. She basically said 'oh god don't stop. Just keep walking.' It was funny how an act that was being admired by so many people was found distasteful by people with a more similar (or maybe the same) cultural background as the act that was performing at the time.
I guess we never will know what is truly representative or appropriate for the Pavilions in EPCOT. My only wish is that they would add more of them. Sigh.
doctornick
Well-Known Member
I basically agree totally with your post and this paragraph in particular tends to sum up my feelings on the Epcot changes.
What will probably happen is that the new acts will not draw the crowds the way the current acts do and no one will go there to watch. Disney will then use this to cut them since they aren't popular, and then won't replace them, thus saving even more money. They will say it is the guests fault because we didn't support the new acts, even though we did support the current acts. 
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
Okay Okay Chicken LitltleWhat will probably happen is that the new acts will not draw the crowds the way the current acts do and no one will go there to watch. Disney will then use this to cut them since they aren't popular, and then won't replace them, thus saving even more money. They will say it is the guests fault because we didn't support the new acts, even though we did support the current acts.
WDWFigment
Well-Known Member
I'd be curious to have someone reconcile complaints about Frozen potentially replacing Maelstrom with complaints about more authentic acts replacing Mo'Rockin and Off Kilter.
If I thought TDO truly cared about authenticity, then perhaps I would be more willing to buy what they're selling. But they don't care about that as much as continued quarterly profits and a healthy ROI....
WDWFigment
Well-Known Member
In the grand scheme of things, I can't say I disagree with you. Personally, I look at each change based upon its impact on the parks from a guest perspective, and not from a $$$ perspective. Many (most?) recent changes cost less AND harm the guest experience, so I think looking at economics has been fair. In this case, I think it costs less BUT improves the guest experience, so it's not quite the same.
Just my take on this one particular change. The motives here are dubious, but the motives don't concern me so much as the end results...
I don't see any benefit in removing Off Kilter, the WS Players, or the fife and drum corps. Not would I say this "Celtic" band is a replacement for the first and the others....well, there is no replacement for the other two really. But I respect your view....