CG and Social Media: A Q&A With Angie Mayhue

CG and Social Media: A Q&A With Angie Mayhue

By Mai Tran

Social media and the marching arts have inevitably become intertwined, as performers share and support each other’s passion for the activity through photos, videos and captions. It’s easy to spend hours scrolling through posts, but are there any repercussions to doing so? You can become inspired or discouraged from watching other performers, admiring them or cultivating a fear of missing out. How does anyone manage a good relationship with social media and performing?

To learn more, we talked with Pride of Cincinnati and Boston Crusaders performer Angie Mayhue (@angie_mayhue) about her social media following and how it has affected her—a color guard performer with over 15,000 followers on Instagram, she is frequently reposted on spinning and guard related accounts, and has used her following in innovative ways.

When did you first start noticing that your account was gaining more attention than usual? Do you think it was for specific kinds of posts, like videos as opposed to photos, or tour diaries?

I started noticing my page getting more popular around the winter of 2015. I started marching Pride of Cincinnati and I had just cut my hair short. I began posting more videos of small routines, or “ditties,” that I would choreograph with my friends and my account blew up. I think the younger kids of this generation really identified with a role model that liked the creative aspects of color guard just as much as they did.

Did you ever start curating your posts for the color guard audience that followed you?

I definitely did start curating my posts toward my followers. I would still post the things I wanted, I just knew a video or an action shot would get more likes than a selfie or a picture of me and my friends.

Did you ever feel additional pressure because of social media, whether during shows or posting videos?

I started feeling added pressure at shows when people started recognizing me and taking pictures with me. It is quite a bit more pressure to be perfect in front of thousands of people who think the world of you, than just an audience of strangers. The winter of 2018 especially, I felt like I wasn’t living up to people’s standards of me. I had to remind myself that no one is perfect and that’s what my followers appreciate about me…is that I’m a real person, who fails and tries again just as they do.

Do you remember a time when color guard wasn’t widely shared on social media? How do you think it’s changed the way people spin today, and affected color guard as a community?

I, of course, remember a time when color guard wasn’t wide spread on social media. I think it correlated with Instagram’s popularity growth in general, but it completely changed the activity in some good ways and some bad ways—in my opinion. Unfortunately, live performance cannot be edited and retaken as many times as you need. I would venture to say that this version of color guard doesn’t enforce consistency as much as the competitive sport does. Also, posting on the Internet is permanent. People of all ages from all over the world can view it as many times as they want, and scrutinize it for what it is.

Videotaping your routine requires a different level of perfection that wasn’t always demanded of the performers before. However, there are huge positives that social media has had on color guard as well. Now people are able to learn, repost, share, and challenge themselves with all kinds of different styles. Now you have more self-taught kids who don’t have to be from the best scholastic organizations in the country to be amazing or go on to march independent programs. I think it affected the community by making it seem more intimate and more interconnected, which I think strengthens it and its possibilities.

Can you talk more about the contests and clinics you’ve hosted? How did those ideas come about, and what was the reception like?

I’ve had quite a few contests and clinics on my Instagram page. My contests were received really well! I would post a video of choreography, a tutorial on my YouTube channel, give a deadline to enter, and then choose five winners. I was skeptical about this at first because I didn’t want my followers to think that they are inferior to each other. But I decided that it would be a fun way for people to try new things and challenge themselves. I’ve taught clinics all over the place from Pennsylvania to Texas to Colorado to Florida. Those are probably my favorite part about what I do.

Can you talk more about the contests and clinics you’ve hosted? How did those ideas come about, and what was the reception like?

I’ve had quite a few contests and clinics on my Instagram page. My contests were received really well! I would post a video of choreography, a tutorial on my YouTube channel, give a deadline to enter, and then choose five winners. I was skeptical about this at first because I didn’t want my followers to think that they are inferior to each other. But I decided that it would be a fun way for people to try new things and challenge themselves. I’ve taught clinics all over the place from Pennsylvania to Texas to Colorado to Florida. Those are probably my favorite part about what I do.

As we wrapped up our conversation, Angie left us with a final thought.

“Getting to write such different pieces and meet all different kinds of people is truly inspiring,” Angie said. “I love being able to see where the activity has grown in the past couple years, and I’m honored to even be considered as a catalyst for this trend.”

Whether you are void of social media, an avid follower of accounts or somewhere in-between, it’s hard to deny the increasing effect social media has on the activity. Regardless, as Angie points to, it’s important to realize the benefits and limitations that come with it—whatever they may be for you.

About the Author

Mai Tran is a student at New York University, studying English with minors in dance and American Sign Language. She writes for several on-campus publications and is a volunteer editor at October Hill Magazine. Originally from southern California, she has performed with the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps and Alter Ego Winter Guard.