By Emily Cedre
Induction into the WGI Hall of Fame is one of the indoor marching activity’s highest accolades. This year, former Dartmouth High School Percussion Artistic Director Darcie Aungst, is among the inductees. Aungst spent her tenure of over three decades with Dartmouth establishing a new visual and musical approach to indoor percussion. She sparked change in the percussion space by pushing boundaries and creating sensory intrigue for audience members.
“For me, the Hall of Fame nomination means my work and contributions to the activity were seen and valued,” stated Aungst. “As human beings, those are things we all want, and I am so grateful I get to experience those feelings from an activity and organization I love. I feel like my nomination is an important step in honoring women who have made a significant mark in a male majority activity. I look forward to other [female] designers…joining me in the Hall of Fame in the near future.”
Aungst got her start in music at the age of five, when she fell in love with piano. After some time, her piano teacher retired and a friend encouraged her to try out for her high school’s dance team in Kelso, Washington, the Kilties. The team doubled as the program’s color guard team during marching band season. Her instructor began teaching color guard for the Marauders Drum and Bugle Corps, giving Aungst the opportunity to join the team in 1983.
Once Aungst completed her first season in the program, she knew she had found the right place and wanted to take on a bigger role.
“I began designing, choreographing, and teaching while I was in high school and in my first years of drum corps,” said Aungst. “My instructor held choreography workshops and I loved that!”
Aungst realized she wanted to stay in the marching arts world. She then discovered an opportunity to become the artistic director for the indoor percussion team from Dartmouth High School.
“I had never heard of indoor percussion before I moved to the East Coast,” reflected Aungst. “When I saw it for the first time, I thought it was musically great, but could be so much more visually engaging. At the time, they either wore their band uniforms or black t-shirts and jeans, did almost no choreography, and had no scenery, props, or floors.”
Aungst wanted to push the envelope and make her indoor team shine.
“As a design staff we talked about this a lot: How can we evolve, be different, stretch ourselves and what’s possible with drums on while at the same time staying true to our identity and artistic style?” said Aungst.
In her first year with the program, she knew the team was in need of dancers to expand the artistic capabilities of the team’s indoor shows.
“In my opinion, visual ensembles expand what is possible artistically, aesthetically, and conceptually. They never subtract from the art form, only add, and they add exponentially! When done well, they not only broaden what you can do choreographically, they are instrumental in effectively developing stories, creating bigger effects, and can add musically as well.”
Dancers at Dartmouth didn’t just dance, they played a variety of instruments including the tambourine, computer keyboard, finger cymbals, hand drums, and more.
“When you design indoor shows for a while, you learn what generates effects, what just works, what visually expresses the music, what excites the audience, and what resonates with the students so that they truly connect to the content and perform even beyond their abilities because of that connection,” said Aungst.
In particular, the team’s 1995 “Egyptian Fantasy” performance was a game changer for the program.
“This was the first year I went full out with costuming and after some uncertainty, the kids totally bought in to full schenti, wigs, headpieces and make-up,” said Aungst. “We didn’t even use floors back then, but all of the white and gold was so beautiful. This show started the students’ willingness to wear and try anything and be prideful about it!”
Some other Dartmouth shows that stood out most for Aungst include 1998’s “Scenes from Gotham City,” 1999’s “West Side Story,” 2000’s “Dances of the New World,” 2005’s “Duality,” 2006’s “What It Means to Be Human,” 2008’s “Modern Day Gladiator,” 2011’s “The Siren’s Song,” 2012’s “Evolved,” 2014’s “Let Them Eat Cake,” 2018’s “Out of the Box,” 2020/21’s “The Web and 2.0,” 2023’s “The Raven,” and 2024’s “Gallery X.”
Aungst spent 31 years as a part of Dartmouth’s indoor percussion staff and expresses her deepest gratitude to the program that gave her so much.
“Dartmouth’s indoor programs gave me the freedom to unleash my creativity, such a rare gift for which I will always be grateful,” expressed Aungst. “Working with Tom [Aungst], Jeff [Sacktig], Brandon [Carrita], and the rest of the designers over the years, I knew we had something special. Ultimately though, without the total commitment, dedication, trust, and buy-in from the performers, none of my art would have come to life.”
Aungst’s children, Alan and Noah, were a part of the group for a span of a decade combined, giving Aungst the opportunity to work with her kids in a way that not many parents get to experience.
“Seeing them grow and develop as young men, teaching them and their friends, watching from a close distance working hard, struggling, overcoming those struggles, and shining was incredible,” stated Aungst. “There really is nothing like watching your kids perform with confidence and skill.
She even got to watch the family members of former performers come back through the program as athletes and volunteers, something that she says she will never forget and was one of her favorite parts of being a part of the program for such a long time.
Aungst has taken on the role of Deputy Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools and is excited to share that the newly formed indoor winds and indoor percussion groups from New Bedford High School will be attending WGI Regional competitions and the World Championships in April for the very first time.
“I am so excited that this inaugural experience for the New Bedford students and staff aligns with my induction into the WGI Hall of Fame; it’s truly serendipitous,” Aungst joyfully expressed. “New Bedford High School is a beautifully diverse, urban school with the fourth largest enrollment in the state of Massachusetts. I am proud of the investments we have made in the arts over the last two years and this is another nod to that promise to our young people.”
Aungst will also be a designer commentator at WGI Regionals, providing consultation to indoor groups, and presenting a clinic this year, allowing her to give back to the activity that shaped her into the person she is today. She also reminds performers that you can achieve anything you desire, if you just set your mind to it.
“Never let anybody tell you that something is impossible,” said Aungst. “Keep your creativity at the forefront of your work, whatever that work is and believe in yourself, even if others may not yet!”
About the Author:
Emily Cedre works as a content creator for OneTouch Direct in Tampa, Florida. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Programming and Production. She also minored in Psychology. She began color guard in her junior year of high school, was a captain of Sunlake High School’s Open Class team and has since spun for the University of South Florida.
