Wednesday’s debut of the television docu-series, “Clash of the Corps,” is more than a break for Catie Toal – it’s living a dream.
“I love it. It’s risky,” Toal said of pursuing a career in dancing and being featured in a nationally televised program as a cast member.
The eight-part show airs at 10 p.m. central time on FUSE TV. It’s advertised as capturing “the highs, lows and blood and guts of the Olympics-like competitive world of the drum corps’ top competing teams.”
Toal was already thrilled over being chosen in June for the elite Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, which she had auditioned for while still a student at Destrehan High School (DHS). But she was overwhelmed when she was chosen as a soloist in Blue Devils performances, which are national.
“It was a magical time,” she said.
During that time,a TV show was being produced by movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson called “Clash of the Corps,” which would feature rivalry among drum corps. The crew came to where Toal was training for the Blue Devils in California.
“Everything came together for me this summer,” Toal said.
The shows’ producers fell in love with Toal, as well as her soon to become boyfriend (also in the Blue Devils). Both were invited to join the cast, and they’re featured prominently in the show’s story.
“The producers really liked me and wanted to do my story,” she said.
According to Executive Producer Rasha Drachkovitch, “The reason we picked Catie for ‘Clash of the Corps’ is because she’s passionate about her role on the Blue Devils. She personifies the spirit of the drum corps and plays a crucial part in their 2016 performance. Catie is a great ambassador for Drum Corps International (DCI) for viewers seeing DCI for the first time.”
Part of this story outlines Toal dealing with the loss of her sister. her, Kayleigh Billings, who was living her dream as a music director in Texas until her death from an accidental drowning last year.
“They were filming us. We could just say whatever we wanted,” Toal said. “It was our lives and what we were doing. There was no script. It was very calm and relaxing, and dedicated to getting it right. They wanted to show the public how this is and what we do for an entire summer.”
At the start of her Blue Devils role, Toal mused she knew the TV crew was there but was focused on getting her moves right. She wasn’t interested in getting a boyfriend because she didn’t have time for that.
Ultimately, her story was ready for prime time – she got the show and the guy.
Now a student majoring in dance performance and choreography at the University of Las Vegas, Toal’s aspirations to become a dancer are even realer to her. They are based on her hard work in DHS’ Desty Darlings and as captain of the color guard, being the only person to do both at the school.
Toal just returned from Los Angeles having done some voice overs for the show, and she and her boyfriend have been invited to visit with The Rock in Hawaii to discuss the show.
But for Toal, the future is already influenced by loving memories of Billings.
“I do think that I adopted her way of thinking,” she said of her sister’s spontaneity and humor. Loss of her sister also affected her direction in life. “I decided I wanted to go out of state to have a new start and follow my dream. That’s when I learned life is too short and I went after my opportunities.”
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