Color Guard
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Color Guard |
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Before the 20th century, military colors were carried covered except for ceremonies or when in sight of the enemy. A unit's colors provided battlefield recognition for both friend and foe. These were always the soul and reputation of the unit. Each regiment had two flags: the national color and a regimental flag. To ensure that the men knew the flag of their own regiment the two flags were paraded before them during reviews and other ceremonies. From this practice developed our modern color guard.
Following British custom, American infantry first had a junior officer (called an Ensign) to carry and guard the regimental colors. Since each company had an Ensign and there were eight companies, the ensigns had to take turns guarding the flags. Later, the color guards were selected from among the strongest and bravest soldiers. So the task was performed by enlisted men instead of officers.
Originally, a military color guard often travelled with a band, which would play a patriotic song. This use continued into the civilian marching bands; and, today, a marching band color guard will normally carry flags, flag poles, banners, mock rifles, mock sabres, or batons, much as a military color guard does. Color guards may include separate groups such as a rifle team, a flag corp, or baton twirlers. Color guards often dress and use different pieces of equipment to fit the theme of the musical selection, and switch out equipment for different parts or movements or the selection. Band color guards also spin, flourish, and toss their equipment in an extremely stylized manner, adding movement to the routines. Other props, of a nature relevant to the theme of the musical program, are also used. Marching band color guards can grow very large, sometimes rivalling the number of musicians in the band.
Some color guards also participate in competitions that exclude the musical performers. Taking place after "marching season" ends, winterguard takes over. Winterguard is much more rigorous and intense than marching season, but also held to be more rewarding. Most of these guards are found in North America. Held indoors, typically in gymnasiums, winterguard competitions are a growing part of the pagentry activity which also includes marching bands and drum corps. Color guards involved in these indoor competitions may be a part of a high school or college marching band or may be stand-alone club activities in these educational institutions. Some guards are "independent" and are self-sponsored or attached to a non-profit organization such as a veterans post, a church, or a municipal recreation department. Such guards can draw members from a wide range of ages and areas. Guards may range in size from less than a dozen to over two dozen members.
In the past, color guard membership was limited to those under 22 years of age (except for the small number of adult guards) but (WGI), a governing body for much of the competitive guard activity, raised the age limit for the highest class of independent guard. By the 1970s, most guard competitions were influenced by military marching and were performed to live drum cadences or were silent, relying on the footfalls of the members or the vocal cadences called out by the guard captain. That style evolved into the modern guard and WGI was formed in the late '70s set the stage for more standardized national competitive rules and judging.
Guards perform a show, now typically set to edited recorded music, that incorporates the classic guard equipment of flags, rifles, and sabres. The movement is highly stylized and largely influenced by dance. Members are drilling in the combination of equipment and movement until they have a polished presentation. Choreographers and designers often help meld the music, equipment work, and movement and some units use expressive make-up and facial accents to convey their show theme. Elaborate props -- which must be able to be assembled and disassembled rapidly to fulfill rigid competition time requirements -- and colored plastic tarps or painted canvas floors are frequently used to transform the gym floor into a temporary stage. Props, flats, and floors, along with the musical score and equipment routines, are used to take the audience to another place or time. Shows ranging from Niagara Falls to the Pirates of the Caribbean can be found, though a new copyright rule has been imposed stating that if music is copyrighted, a group must have permission from the holders of the copyright in order to use that music.
Units are judged on the effect of the design of the show and the aptitude of the members in movement and equipment work. Expectations and timing are different for the varying classes of unit with longer shows and more stringent requirements as the units ascend to the highest class, "World Class." Competitions are generally held from January through early May with local circuits accounting for most of the competitions nationwide. WGI sponsors widely attended Regional Championships leading to the national championship typically held in Mid-April.
The WGI guard movement also spawned indoor percussion contests which are often quite similar to the guard contests in movement and design.