DCI Traditions: Santa Clara Vanguard - "VIPER"

First executed in the corps' 1988 "Phantom of the Opera" production, the viper is a limb-risking move where plates are whirled above heads and beneath legs of the four-person section, requiring the utmost precision in timing which leads to a truly visceral thrill. Nithin Kumar (2007-2008) said, "When we practice the Viper, we practice with the utmost seriousness. At some times we may be joking around, but when it comes to practicing the Viper, we're straight faces all the way. Unfortunately, if we mess up, or if somebody misses a count, somebody could get hurt. So we make sure when we practice the Viper, we're always 100 percent serious."