The football Giants were not the only New Jersey-based team working all fall and early winter to repeat as champions. Alter Ego, a color-guard group from West New York, also has a crown to defend.
Alter Ego is one of almost twenty New Jersey color-guard troupes that compete each winter and spring in regional and national events staged by sanctioning body Winter Guard International. The activity blends elements of military drill, cheerleading, modern dance, and ballet into a well-choreographed stew. As many as two dozen costumed male and female performers take part in each routine, spinning flags, balsa-wood rifles, and decorative swords in a blur of bodies and motion.
The members of Alter Ego, who range in age from 15 to 24, have been rehearsing twice weekly since September for the 2009 season. The current cast has a tough act to follow. In April 2008, Alter Ego won the world championship in its class at a bustling WGI competition at the University of Dayton Arena in Ohio. It was the first world title for the group.
Alter Ego was founded in 1986 by Joseph Cinque, a science teacher at Memorial High School in West New York. He still serves as co-director of the group with his wife, Mary, district supervisor of science in West New York. And he still exults in last spring’s championship show. “Twenty-two years of emotions overcame me,” Cinque says. “I was hysterical up there.”
Talk about emotions: Alter Ego’s winning routine was a tribute to the heroes of 9/11. Inspired by the tragedy, the cast spent several months perfecting the show. At the finals, they had a mere six minutes to impress a panel of judges.
“Every second of practice comes down to that moment,” says Robert Foerster of North Plainfield, a 22-year-old veteran of the group. Alter Ego nailed the performance.
The 2009 cast of Alter Ego features 25 performers, including 15 from New Jersey. Their season is to include performances January 24 in West Orange, January 31 in Hillsborough, and March 7 in South Brunswick. For the complete schedule, visit alteregocolorguard.org.