You hear the music, you watch the intricate steps, but have you noticed the rifles flying? Have you seen the flags twirling on the field? The color guard is also part of the marching band, and they are a vital part of the show.
If you haven’t noticed already, the color guard puts in lots of effort into what they do as well, whether it’s dancing, flag twirling, or rifle throwing. They create the visuals to make the show feel more alive and give it more character.
“Color Guard actually works 10 months out of the year. We take June and December off. During January through May, we are working on honing and learning new skills and training new members,” Says Patti Weiss, Color Guard director. “When we come back in July, we are hitting the ground running, though most of the time we work without music, which makes it challenging. Much of this year’s show was written, taught, and cleaned on the fly.”
This year, with our show being “The Upside Down,” they have multiple highlights to enhance their already amazing visuals.
“We have tons of creative highlights, like our dance feature in Never Ending Story, Rifle feature in Separate Ways, and especially the end of Master of Puppets when we act all chaotic and storm the podium,” says Kiesha Leonard ‘27.
Especially in Master of Puppets, the guard represents the dangers of the Upside Down, where they act dangerous by fighting and doing tricks with rifles, and even cartwheels. You can also spot a fight scene from Eleven, played by Abigail Hevener, ’27, and Vecna, played by Duncan Casebolt ’27. At the end of the show, you can spot Abigail Hevener ’27 waving a flag at the top of the podium representing Eleven’s win against Vecna and the Upside Down.
Every routine the color guard performs is a story woven together with rhythm, color, and courage. What the audience sees in minutes takes months of preparation, patience, and pride. To truly understand their art, you have to see it to feel the emotion behind every motion. So stay, watch, and let their performance move you.