“Blast! II: Shockwave” is a dramatic fable about a school whose budget was cut, turning its dance, band and physical education classes into one.

Or not. But at times, it sure seems that way, since “Shockwave” is decidedly lacking in both blasts and shockwaves, but extremely high on energy. The show melds marching band moves best suited for the Bayou Classic, dance and occasional theatrics into one not-so-tidy package.

It’s not that “Blast! II” isn’t an impressive show — it certainly has moments when it is superb. But it never amounts to much, and being impressive doesn’t always make it entertaining. Its title begins the misleading process, as there’s no more than two blasts of any variety, and nary a shockwave. Though it may be the equivalent of Jerry Bruckheimer producing a marching band show, the show cuts itself off at any high points.

The show begins with a seated orchestra, dressed like finalists in a Larry Eustachy look-alike contest. As the performers tune their instruments, the hijinks begin as a belated drummer and a pair of cymbalists dressed in what looks like secondhand attire from the set of “Logan’s Run” join them on stage, beginning the controlled chaos. The orchestra dances while still playing, and later we see them balancing on plywood and hopping on bouncy balls, all while keeping the music going.

This opening scene is one of the most fun of the production, and is bookended nicely with a tremendous finale, as well as a few solid sequences featuring some fantastic drumming and a humorous performance of the Beach Boys’ hit “Good Vibrations.”

Unfortunately, the high energy points of the show are poorly intermingled with too many slow low-key attempts at dramatic sequences, focusing the audience on the dancing, which is far less impressive than what has already been shown. In this show, sheer technical skill and solid dancing are just boring, compared to the same thing done by someone playing the saxophone.

The costumes are painfully lacking, looking like they were shoplifted from Bad Movie Land, and serve no real purpose, except at one point when the silver jumpsuits help the audience notice that members of the band have formed the shape of an elephant. In a show so dependent on vibrance and excitement, a little style could go a long way. Without it, the performers have to do even more to compensate for the format of the show. Frankly, it’s too much to ask, even from these masterfully skilled individuals.

“Blast! II” certainly has appeal, but it is a limited one, probably to those people who attend football games for the marching band performances rather than the game.

“I think my kids liked it, but I just was wondering when the team would take the field,” said Dan Frederick of Des Moines.

One draw for the audience was the show’s predecessor, “Blast!”.

“I thought the first [Blast!] was the greatest thing I had ever seen … and there couldn’t be a better opportunity to see it since it was at [Stephens Auditorium],” said Rose Rumohr, junior in music education.

This previous experience shaped the enjoyment of this show for some audience members.

“I thought it was really entertaining, but I thought ‘Blast!’ was better,” Rumohr said. “I also thought it was cool how a lot of the cast were music education majors — they are probably the only people who think dancing around with their horns all day is really cool.”

The selections of music also clashed with some expectations from the prior show.

“I was disappointed that they played songs by the Beach Boys and Alanis Morissette,” Rumohr said.

For some, the show looked like it would be a lot more fun to be in the show than to be watching it. But for others, that was certainly not the impression.

“It was great,” said Barbara Gaddis of Ames. “It was really great.”

Frankly, it’s all too much to reach no point, and the joys of the performance just can’t cover for the flaws, unless you are already excited by the format. To those more indifferent, my recommendation is to catch ISU Dance’s Barjche and a band concert the next time around.

An excellent magician is one that sells confidence, rather than just pulling a rabbit out of a hat. “Blast II” is much the same — each of its performers is overflowing with confidence and precision, but it could use a rabbit to placate the audience.