lancerbands.org - Marching Lancers

Marching Lancers

One of the largest student organizations on the campus of Belleville East High School is the Belleville East Marching Lancers. This year, the band consists of approximately 165 musicians, 21 in the color guard and 15 dancers. The band is lead by drum majors Hanna Crask, Gracie LaBlance and Lily Mentzer!

The Marching Lancers march parades throughout the year, starting at the beginning of the summer and finishing in late November. At the beginning of August, the band goes through two weeks of band camp, when they learn their marching show for the fall season. They perform the show during halftime at home football games and at major competitions in the Metro East area.

Every two years, the band attends a bowl game. In 2002, the Marching Lancers went to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia where they won top honors including Grand Champion. In 2004, they marched at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, also winning the Grand Champion trophy. In 2006 the Marching Lancers performed in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL where they were grand champions of Jazz and Concert Band and placed 2nd in the parade and 3rd in the field show. Recently the band returned from another successful trip to the 2008 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN. They placed 2nd in field show and 1st in the Liberty Bowl Parade. In 2016 the band marched in the Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade and in 2018, made a return to the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

The Marching Lancers have a strong history. Under the direction of the first director, Mr. Leroy Kirsch, the band was chosen to participate in the grand opening of Six Flags - Mid America (now Six Flags - St. Louis).

2019 Show - Arachne

2019 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Music, GE, Color Guard, Percussion)

Panther Marching Band Festival Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 6A Field (Music, GE, Aux, Perc)

Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 4th Place in Class 4A Field

Fort Zumwalt North River City Showcase
2nd Place in Finals

Sullivan Marching Band Competition: Sullivan, MO
2nd Place in Finals

2018 Show - The Mad Hat

2018 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Music)

Tiger Ambush Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field

Bands of America Regional Championships: Clarksville, TN 3rd Place in Class 4A Field

Illinois Marching Band Championships Large Schools 2nd Place in Class 5A Field (Visual)

Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 14th Place in Class 4A Field

2017 Show

"Charmed"

2017 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Music, Visual, Auxiliary)
Tiger Ambush Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field
Bands of America Regional Championships: Clarksville, TN 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Music, Visual (tie), GE) 10th Place in Finals
Gateway Marching Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Auxiliary, Percussion, Music, Visual)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 9th Place in Class 4A Field

2016 Show

"Which Witch"

No One Mourns the Wicked and Defying Gravity from Wicked - Stephen Schwartz
Children Will Listen and The Last Midnight from Into the Woods - Stephen Sondheim
Symphony Fantastique - Hector Berlioz
The Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky

2016 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 4A Field
Tiger Ambush Classic 3rd Place in Class 4A Field
McKendree Preview of Champions 2nd Place in Class 5A Field (GE)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 12th Place in Class 4A Field
Effingham Marching Hearts Invitational 2nd Place in Class 7A Field (Percussion, Auxiliary)

2015 - The Gallery

Pictures at an Exhibition - Modest Mussorgsky
Nuages - Claude Debussy
Fetes - Claude Debussy
Asphalt Cocktail - John Mackey

2015 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 5A Field (Auxiliary)

Tiger Ambush Classic Grand Champion 3rd Place in Class 4A Field (Percussion, Visual)

McKendree Preview of Champions 2nd Place in Class A/AA Field (Perc)

Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 12th Place in Class 4A Field

Illinois Marching Band Championships Large Schools 3rd Place in Class 6A Field

2014 - Be Still My Beating Heart

Romeo and Juliet - Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Romeo and Juliet - Sergei Prokofiev
Heartless - Kanye West
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz
You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins

2014 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 5th Place in Class 4A Field
Tiger Ambush Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field
Gateway Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 13th Place in Class 4A Field

2013 - Transformations

2013 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field (Music tie, Perc)
Tiger Ambush Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field
McKendree Preview of Champions Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 6A Field (Music, Visual, GE, Perc, Aux)
Illinois Marching Band Championships Large Schools 2nd Place in Class 6A Field (Percussion)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 9th Place in Class 4A Field
Panther Marching Band Festival 2nd Place in Class 5A Field

2012 - Control

2012 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field (Visual, Percussion)
Bands of America Regional Championships: Louisville, KY 5th Place in Class 4A Field
McKendree Preview of Champions 1st Place in Class 6A Field
Illinois Marching Band Championships Large Schools 5th Place in Class 5A Field
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 12th Place in Class 4A Field

2011 - The Brain: 101

2011 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 4th Place in Class 3A Field
Tiger Ambush Classic 2nd Place in Class 4A Field
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 11th Place in Class 4A Field
Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival 6th Place in Class 4A Field
Illinois State University Invitational Marching Championships 6th Place in Class 6A Field

2010 - "... the Box"

Heat of the Day-Pat Metheny
Hunting Wabbits 2-Gordon Goodwin
New World-Bjork
A Night in Tunisia-Dizzy Gillespie

2010 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Percussion, Music)
McKendree Preview of Champions Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Perc, Music)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 10th Place in Class 4A Field
Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival 5th Place in Class 4A Field

2009 - "5"

1. Beethoven's 5th
2. Take 5
3. Hungarian Dance No. 5

2009 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Percussion, Music, Visual)
Tiger Ambush Classic 3rd Place in Class 4A Field

2008 Show

"Bugz"

I. The Anthill
II. The Garden
III. The Web

2008 Awards & Placements

Veiled Prophet Parade 2nd Place in Class 1A Parade (DM)
Mozingo Marching Percussion Competition 12th Place in Class Open Field
Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field
Tiger Ambush Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Winds, DM, Percussion)
McKendree Preview of Champions Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Music, Percussion)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 26th Place in Class 3A Field
Effingham Marching Hearts Invitational Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 5A Field (Percussion, Tie Winds)

2007 Show

"An American Elegy"

Appalachian Spring-Aaron Copland
An American Elegy-Frank Ticheli
At Dawn They Slept: December 7, 1941-Jay Bocook

2007 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field (Auxiliary)
Danville Viking Invitational 2nd Place in Class 3A Field

2006 Show

" Murder in Manhattan"

1. Manhattan/ Scene of the Crime
2. And In Walks the Dame
3. To Catch a Killer

2006 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 2nd Place in Class 3A Field
Newton Marching Eagles Band Classic Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Auxiliary, DM, Percussion)
Panther Marching Band Festival Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 4A Field (Perc, Visual, Music)

Grand Champion - Outback Bowl Marching Band Festival

2005 Show

"Midnight in Transylvania"

2005 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field (Aux)
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 25th Place in Class 3A Field
Effingham Marching Hearts Invitational Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 5A Field (Winds, Percussion, Auxiliary, DM)

2004 Show

"A Childhood Dream"

2004 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic: 8th Place in Class 3A Field

2003 Show

"Sorcery Suite"

2003 Awards & Placements

Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO: 15th Place in Class 3A Field

2002 Show

"Inchon "

2002 Awards & Placements

McKendree Preview of Champions Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Visual, GE, DM)
Metro East Marching Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field
SIU Music & Motion 2nd Place in Class 2A Field
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO 10th Place in Class 3A Field
Pinckneyville Mardi Gras Field Show and Parade Grand Champion 1st Place in Class 3A Field (Percussion, Color Guard, DM)

2001 Show

"The Planets"

2001 Awards & Placements

Metro East Marching Classic 9th Place in Class 3A Field

Newton Marching Eagles Band Classic 3rd Place in Class 3A Field


	2000 Show "Pastime: A Salute to Baseball"

1999 - The Pinstripe Chronicles

1998 - El Ritmo Latino

1997 - Return to the Paradise Theater - The Music of STYX

1996 - A Day In The Life In New York City

1995 - A Salute To John Williams