Dance moves in exhibition?

This past drill season, 2015-2016, we witnessed a true phenomenon across the United States. As Cam Newton ran over defenses, and subsequently threw down his trademark dance, certain parts of his celebration took the country by storm. Most notably of all these is what the cool kids call "dabbing." Dabbing made its way into almost every facet of young adult life, just watch the Daytona Drill Nationals 2016 recap on Langston Nguyen's YouTube page, and see what it opens with.

Dabbing quickly found its way onto the drill floor, especially in unarmed exhibition. Many teens thought it was great, here they could throw in one of the most popular dance moves in the country into their drill, and still keep the sharpness in the routine. Opinions on this varied wildly at first, as some judges knew what it was, and others only saw a new move. However, the larger and more important the competitions became, the more points deducted. The judges knew what it was and decided it had no place on the drill floor.

While definitely not new; for example, Samuel Gozo's moonwalk like flow; dabbing brought the integration of typical dance into drill at a scale never seen before. With this, came the inevitable, "Do dance moves belong in exhibition drill?" At first glance, the obvious answer is no, of course not, dance is almost the exact opposite of "military flavor." But just like everything else, the answer is actually a bit more complicated.

The argument against dance in drill is a strong one. Being precise in drill and being precise in dance are completely different; one being based on sharp, quick, complete stops and the other having a continuous flow while executing the moves to perfection. The dance moves people tend to add into their routines is whatever the current fad is, such is the case with dabbing. While perhaps unique at first, it quickly becomes old and overused. You don't see John Jay or Fern Creek dabbing on the head judge. 

The argument for dance is a bit more flimsy, but still has some decent points. If executed correctly, and in a unique manner, while not losing your bearing and keeping your military flavor, it can be a great addition to your routine. See; Samuel Gozo. As Matthew Wendling points out, it could also depend on the context of the competition. If you're competing at drill's biggest stage in Daytona, it's probably not the best idea to whip. But say you're at a small street comp in the middle of the summer. Putting a unique spin on the dab could get the crowd into it, which could in turn boost your score. The main proponent of dance in drill is pick your stage correctly.

If you're a cadet considering utilizing a dance move in your routine, or already have one, let's put it this way. If you expect to use it at a military competition, with military judges, don't expect a good military flavor score. And just remember, the bigger the stage, the more disappointment you're setting yourself up for. Exhibition allows you to be creative, but that creativity must stay militaristic. Otherwise, you aren't doing drill anymore. It's that simple.