Michael Turner, 2024 Madison Scouts Hall of Fame Inductee.
Michael Turner
Michael Turner began his career in the pageantry arts as a marching member of the Madison Scouts from 1976 through 1979. Trained in ballet, jazz, and modern dance, Michael was on staff with the two-time World Champion Madison Scouts for 18 years, serving as Color Guard Choreographer and Visual Coordinator. As one of the early color guard innovators in Drum Corps International (DCI), Michael helped introduce dance and movement to the marching arena, including the iconic and crowd-favorite 1982 Madison Scouts rifle line dance. DCI 1983, the Madison Scouts color guard earned the Best Color Guard award at DCI.
While in Madison, Michael Turner performed with Kanopy Dance Theatre, PresenTense, Children’s Theatre of Madison, Madison Opera, and Ballet Madison. With such a diversified background, he developed an artistically strong and original teaching style. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael served as Dance Master and Choreographer for the six-time DCI World Champion Santa Clara Vanguard. Michael’s contributions as an educator, performer, and advocate for the indoor marching arts earned him the honor of being inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame in 2017. Michael has extended his expertise globally as an adjudicator for WGI, DCI, and Bands of America (BOA) and continues freelance judging for marching bands, drum corps, and color guards worldwide. His dedication to excellence and positive impact on the Madison Scouts and marching arts community continues to inspire generations of performers and educators.
