| Type | Drum and Bugle Corps |
|---|---|
| Location | Gates, NY |
| Division | Class A (2005–14) Open Class (2015–2021, 2023-Present) World Class (2022)[1] |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Corps Director | Ben Chaffee |
| Championship titles | DCA Class A: 2013, 2014 |
| Website | whitesabers |
White Sabers Drum & Bugle Corps is an all-age competitive drum and bugle corps based in Gates, NY.[2] Founded in 1928, the corps has a long history as a parade corps.[3] White Sabers is a two-time DCA Class A World Champion (2013, 2014), a perennial DCA Open Class finalist - achieving 4th place in 2019. The Corps began competing in DCA's new World Class in 2022.
The corps was formerly known as the American Legion New York Post #87 Drum and Bugle Corps.
The Corps was founded in 1928 by the commander of the American Legion Post #87 in Dansville, New York (later renamed Daniel Goho, Inc. New York Post #87). In 1957, the corps gained independence from the American Legion post, and continued to perform as a concert and parade corps under the name Dansville White Sabers.[4]
The corps competed at the Red Carpet Association Championship in 1977.[5] Sometime later the corps became inactive.
After "fourteen years" of inactivity, an alumni reunion in 1994 revived interest in a Dansville-based corps.[2] In 2004,[6] the corps became active again, but did not compete.
In 2005, the White Sabers joined DCA as a Class A corps, and placed sixth against ten other competitors. The corps was a Class A finalist in 2006 and 2012, and Class A champions in 2013 and 2014.[7] Kevin Gamin described the corps' 2014 performance as "strong enough to have made Open Class finals.[8]" White Sabers advanced to Open Class in 2015, and were finalists every year they were a part of Open Class. 2015 Executive Director Leslie Amico was awarded Open Class "Director of the Year."
In 2022, the Corps officially relocated from Dansville, NY to the Rochester suburb of Gates, NY. Also in 2022, DCA reclassified their competitive structure with the addition of a World Class—the White Sabers elected to compete in World Class, joining the Bushwackers, Reading Buccaneers, and Hawthorne Caballeros. Corps Director Ben Chaffee was awarded World Class "Director of the Year" in 2022. The corps reclassified to DCA Open Class for the 2023 season, finishing in 2nd by a narrow margin of 0.25 points while taking caption victories in Brass, Visual, and Guard, while Ben Chaffee was once again awarded "Director of the Year" this time in Open Class. After the 2023 DCA season, the White Sabers like other DCA corps became part of the new DCI All-Age class.
Gold indicates DCA Championship; blue background indicates DCA class finalist.
| Year | Theme | Repertoire | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | — | Selection from Songs Without Words by Gustav Holst / "Moondance" by Van Morrison / Santana Medley/Yaleo (original) / "Tuxedo Junction" by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash / "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" by Patrick Gilmore / "Malagueña" by Ernesto Lecuona | — | — |
| 2005 | Ain't It Rich: Music of Buddy Rich | Selections from Channel One Suite by Bill Reddie / "Space Shuttle" by John LaBarbera / "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Josef Zawinul / "Something" by George Harrison / "Dancing Men" by John LaBarbera | 68.738 | 6th (Class A) |
| 2006 | Cool Shades of Latin Jazz | "Feeling Good" by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley / "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman / "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" by Andrew Lloyd Webber / "The Tiger of San Pedro" by John LaBarbera | 76.513 | 2nd (Class A) |
| 2007 | The Gladiator | Fate of the Gods by Steven Reineke / "Mars" (from The Planets) by Gustav Holst / Selection from Troy by James Horner / Selection from Gladiator by Hans Zimmer | 75.275 | 8th (Class A) |
| 2008 | Music of Robert W. Smith | Selections from: The Great Locomotive Chase, Twelve Seconds to the Moon, Into the Storm, Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual, The Ascension, and Declaration in Blue by Robert W. Smith | 77.313 | 7th (Class A) |
| 2009 | The Music of Cirque du Soleil | Selections from La Nouba and Quidam by Benoit Jutras | 68.313 | 6th (Class A) |
| 2010 | Cirque du Soleil | "Incantation" and "Ninkou Latora" (from Quidam) by Benoit Jutras / "Ombra" (from Dralion) by Violaine Corradi / "Reve Rouge" (from La Nouba) by Benoit Jutras / "Ravendhi" (from Dralion) by Benoit Jutras | 73.425 | 8th (Class A) |
| 2011 | Rhapsody in Shades of Blue | "Blue Morning, Blue Day" by Foreigner / "Blue" by Eiffel 65 / "Devil with the Blue Dress On" by Mitch Ryder / "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by Dave Brubeck / Selection from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin | 72.700 | 7th (Class A) |
| 2012 | From Death 'Till Dawn | Selection from Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns / Dies irae (from Requiem) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / "Black Magic Woman" by Carlos Santana / "Love Potion No. 9" by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller / "Moondance" by Van Morrison | 77.030 | 4th (Class A) |
| 2013 | Fanfare for a New World | Selections from: Fanfare for a New Era by Jack Stamp, Symphony No. 9 by Antonín Dvořák and Dance of the New World by Dana Wilson / "Overture" and "New World" from Selmasongs by Björk | 85.930 | 1st (Class A) |
| 2014 | Arabian Nights | Selections from: Arabian Dances by Brian Balmages, Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / "Misirlou" (traditional) / "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues | 88.600 | 1st (Class A) |
| 2015 | Incantation, Ritual and Danse | Selections from: The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, Incantation and Dance by John Barnes Chance / "Incantation" (from Quidam) by Benoit Jutras / "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette / "Danse Bacchanale" (from Samson and Delilah) by Camille Saint-Saëns | 88.330 | 8th (Open Class) |
| 2016 | Unrequited | Selections from: Piano Sonata No. 14 by Ludwig van Beethoven and Romeo and Juliet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / "Dance of the Knights" (from Romeo and Juliet) by Sergei Prokofiev / "Marche au supplice" (from Symphonie fantastique) by Hector Berlioz / No. 1. "Andante sostenuto" (from Symphony No. 4) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / II. “Allegretto" (from Symphony No. 7) by Ludwig van Beethoven / "My Immortal" by Evanescence | 88.730 | 7th (Open Class) |
| 2017 | WaterwayS | Selections from: Waterways by Ludovico Einaudi, Equus by Eric Whitacre and Rain by Brian Balmages / "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Paul Simon / Selection from Niagara Falls by Michael Daugherty | 93.380 | 5th (Open Class) |
| 2018 | cONvErgence | Theme from Stranger Things by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein / Asphalt Cocktail by John Mackey / "Say Something" by Ian Axel / Selection from The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky | 91.738 | 7th (Open Class) |
| 2019 | 007 - Becoming Bond | You Know My Name (from Casino Royale) / Welcome To Cuba (from Die Another Day) / Skyfall / Live and Let Die / Goldeneye | 91.950 | 4th (Open Class) |
| 2020 | Season Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Brave New World | Canon in D - Pachelbel / New World Symphony - Dvorak / Alone - Marshmello / Rise Up - Andrea Day / Ode to Joy - Beethoven | 85.600 | 6th
(Open Class) |
| 2022 | Heavy Metal | Iron Foundry by Alexander Mosolov / Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, Battery, and For Whom the Bell Tolls All by Metallica / Gates of Gold by Joseph Curiale | 90.800 | 4th
(World Class) |
| 2023 | Invasion | The Hand of Fate, Pt. 1 (from Signs) by James Newton Howard / Lightning Field by John Mackey / The Darkest Day, Fire Storm, and The Day We Fight Back (from Independence Day) by David Arnold | 89.150 | 2nd (Open Class) |