Color Guard
From DrumCorpsWiki
The following information about color guard has been derived from Color Guard Central.
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[edit] History
The traditional color guard bore the national flag and marched into battle with soldiers, along with a drummer or a few drummers to keep all the soldiers in step as they marched.
As drum corps became more privatized and developed shows for entertainment more than warlike intimidation, the color guard marched on the field with the corps. It is speculated that several people at once were involved in turning the carrying of the flags into spinning of decorated flags, this added the “pizzaz” to the music that the corps was playing. In more recent decades, color guard has gone from marching alongside the corps to dancing. Now, it has turned into a recognized sport referred to as “The Sport of the Arts”.
[edit] Equipment
What makes color guard, color guard? The equipment of course! Flags, Rifles, and Sabers are just some of the basic equipment that color guard uses.
Flags are usually colorful representations of the music being selected. The way that we tell a story through music deals with movement and color. Flags come in many shapes, sizes, and variety of designs. There are great websites that can show you different flag designs, and who knows? Maybe you can design your own.
Weapons, which include, but are not limited to rifles and sabers, usually portray a faster-paced part of a musical piece, but not always. Think about weapons being powerful instruments, maybe use them during a drum break or drum solo...
Other props can be used to enhance a theme or idea in any show. And backdrops and floors can make a "messy" performance area look clean and pleasing to the eye.
[edit] Flags
Color Guard uses flags to bring color and variety to any marching show, whether the show is "Phantom of the Opera", or "Thriller". Color guard flags are made out of a fabric called Polyester China Silk or just "China silk" along with various types of Lycra, Chiffon and Lame. They are taped onto a 5-6 foot aluminum pole (sometimes they can be Velcroed on).
There are many varieties of flag shapes, including swing flags (smaller flags taped to smaller poles and typically come in pairs, one for each hand.) Another shape is a tapered flag (these flags are "rose thorn" in shape and are about 3-4 feet long). Other shapes include the typical square and rectangle. Color guard flags can generally range from 3x4 feet to 6x9 feet. Flags need to be small enough to handle, but large enough to make an impact on the audience and judges.
The design of a flag usually reflects a theme or a style of the music chosen. For instance, using a pastel pink and gold would not be a good idea for the theme to "Batman", just as using black with red slashes would not be a good idea when performing "Appalachian Spring".
[edit] Rifles
The rifle line, in many high schools around the country, is made up of the upperclassmen and are the "elite" of the guard. Because spinning and tossing the rifle requires high control and precision, it may be the case that those on the rifle line are not novices.
The use of show rifles has obviously stemmed from the military aspect of color guard's history. These are effective tools on the field that show power and agility.
[edit] Sabres
I know what you are thinking..."We should probably not give certain students sharp objects". Luckily for us, the directors, sabers are not sharpened swords, but rather they are usually covered with plastic and taped with white electrical tape. Again, I know what you are thinking..."Who says that 'plastic and electrical tape' are any safer?".
Sabers bring a whole new element to a show. For a more classic look than using a rifle, sabers fit the bill. Since they are more sleek than a rifle, it may be a good idea to use them in a softer part of a show.
[edit] Floors
How to describe a color guard floor....it's an enormous tarp. Well, more technically it is a large sheet of polyethylene and vinyl plastic that protects the gym floor from scuffs and scrapes left by dropped equipment. Note that it is extremely expensive to refinish the gym floors, so respect the basketball team enough to protect their investments.
Floors are great ways to stylize your show. Whether using them on the football field or on the gym, it will give more uniformity to your colorguard and showcase them so that they don't clash with the lines on the gym floor or the green-ness of the football field.
[edit] Uniforms
Uniforms are important to have for a show. They may enhance the point you are trying to present with your show, and they make the choreography look clean. If you want some individuality in the costume, make each member wear their hair or makeup differently, or wear different colors of the same uniform. This will be enough of a change that they will look like individuals, but the show will have that uniformity and cleaner lines.
[edit] Gloves
These gloves are heaven sent. Let's face it, what goes up, must come down and right into the soft part of your hand. It is hard to say how many hand injuries have resulted from catching a flag, rifle, or saber, but there is enough to wear padded weight lifting gloves.
Fingerless weight lifting gloves come in an array of colors. They have the fingertips cut off so that members can still feel the equipment in their hands. They also provide padding on the palms for protection against flag equipment abrasion.
[edit] Shoes
The shoes that a colorguard member wears, is really up to the director. There are many different varieties of shoe that can be worn on the field or in the gym. Some things to stay away from are : flip-flops ( even if you have an oriental themed show), boots, and anything else that can inhibit movement.
[edit] Choreography
- Dance: There are three to four basic dance types incorporated into color guard choreography: Ballet, Jazz, Modern/Interpretative, and maybe even some hip-hop. All of these styles contribute to color guard in various forms. Some are more difficult than others because of the level of control one must have over their body in order to perform the moves correctly.
- Flag: Choreographing flag moves is something that takes experience. Coming up with new flag moves also takes experience and creativity. A show should be full of moves that the director makes up, as well as some basic moves. Flags are used typically for 2/3 of the show. The other third should be a mix between dance, rifles, sabers, and other props. Typically a choreographer will use anywhere between 2 and 5 flags during a 7-10 minute marching show.
- Rifle: If you thought it took experience to choreograph flag, rifle is a whole other story. Rifle work requires accuracy and precision. If the work isn't together, it looks messy and sloppy. Every member must do the exact same thing, at the exact same time...and 15+ members aren't easy to clean!
- Sabre: Your technique can be whatever you want it to be, as long as it's consistent. Sabres look really stylish when paired with dance. This illuminates different levels of movement and not only makes your color guard look more experienced, but is challenging their minds to think about many things at once.
===Level 1 Beginner=== Most beginning students can do basic moves, such as drop spins, windmills, figure 8 (witches brew), pop tosses (pops), and a few tosses including a concert toss. (They may be able to do more depending on what the director teaches them). These students need to have fundamentals written into their show. For parts of the show, try putting in a couple windmills, or a witches brew. This not only makes them practice their basics, but it looks clean and it is an easy enough move to teach to these youngsters!
===Level 2 Novice=== Novice sounds really like "Beginner" but there are differences. These students will have a good understanding of the basic moves and are capable and willing to learn slightly harder moves. These include but are not limited to: Inverted windmills, horizontals (helicopter), and Yo-Yo Tosses. These students are able to execute more difficult moves and are able to teach younger or inexperienced students these moves.
===Level 3 Intermediate=== The Intermediate students have been doing this for a couple of years. Believe me, they don't come without kinks, but they are able to teach, write and execute work for the most part, on their own. These students need little help learning work, and are great helps when it comes to teaching inexperienced members.
===Level 4 Advanced=== Advanced students are able to do basics with very little effort and in fact, may need newer more complicated moves in their basic warm-up. These students have good understanding of the placement of the flag in the air and in their hands and are able to envision how they look when the do work to the point where they need very little cleaning.
===Level 5 Expert=== These students are for all intents and purposes the most experienced students. They have the ability to learn, write, teach, and execute work with minimal errors and may even be able to write their own show. It is important that these students are challenged to an extent. If there is a part of the show that you are having trouble with, ask them to choreograph 32 counts. Or, if there is a new student that is having trouble, assign them to your experienced student to tutor whenever possible.
[edit] External Links
Color Guard Central: Source Information
