For many young adults participating in drum corps for the first time, homesickness can be a new feeling to wrestle and overcome. Amongst the new friendships, long rehearsal hours, and learning a new routine, in the back of many new member’s minds, the thoughts of what they are leaving behind has the opportunity to interfere with their love of performing. Sometimes that feeling can be eased by a phone call from home, a care package, or maybe even an impromptu visit from family at a show. But what happens when your family is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean?

Enter Juliette. Until now, the members of the Jersey Surf have come from within the North American borders of the United States and Canada. Although many of them travel great distances across the continent just to be a part of the organization, the corps encountered a new experience this year: its first member from France.

The young lady was introduced to drum corps by her band director and France’s first DCI participant, Yohann Ar Bosker, an alumnus of the Madison Scouts. Yohann is also the director of France’s Kadoudal Drum & Bugle Corps (http://www.kadoudal.fr/). From there, she learned about marching, and decided to audition via video for several corps. In the end, the Jersey Surf selected Juliette to be a part of the 2013 Soul Surfing tour.

According to color guard director Matt Hurley, “When we watched Juliette’s audition video, we could immediately sense her passion for performance. We observed a maturity and gracefulness that is uncommon for many performers of Juliette’s age and experience level. We knew that this could be an outstanding opportunity for Juliette and the other members of our color guard as well, so our decision to offer her a role in this year’s program was an easy one. We’re very happy that the 2013 Jersey Surf Color Guard has had the opportunity to Share the Love with our first European member, and we hope this is just the beginning for Juliette and for our relationship with our new friends from Kadoudal.”

To get the feel for the corps and its learning environment Juliette and her family made the long trip from their home in Quiberon to attend a weekend camp in the early spring. After deciding that she would accept the challenge, Juliette became a member of the color guard for her first year on the DCI tour. Juliette returned home to complete her school year, and prepared herself for when she would meet up with the corps for Spring training that was held in mid-June.

Although there were at times language barriers and homesickness to battle, Juliette remained a positive force throughout the whole season. She learned everything with a smile, and when asked about how she dealt with this new adventure, she just laughed. “I’m better when I talk to people, it’s how I get through the day. I love performing, and when homesickness sets in, I just talk to my new friends.”

Read more about Juliette’s summer: http://www.juliette-dci2013.fr/derni%C3%A8re-journ%C3%A9e-d-entrainement-avant-les-prelims

Visit and LIKE the Kadoudal Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kadoudal-Drum-Bugle-Corps-Official/190304047685740