As the school year comes to a close, color guard hosts their annual interest camp to pique students’ interest in hopes of growing color guard for the upcoming fall season, color guard co-director Raven Bautista said.
The camp aims to introduce students to the pageantry arts and help them gain a deeper understanding of what color guard entails in order to get new people involved, Bautista said.
“We try to put color guard on [people’s] radar during the summertime so they know what they’re getting into in the fall season,” Bautista said. “It doesn’t just have to be just freshmen [participating], sometimes we even get first-year seniors or first-year sophomores and juniors. It’s just getting people to try out new things at Homestead.”
During the interest camps, students learn dancing and the basics of spinning equipment, Bautista said. This way, new members get the hang of basic skills so everyone can be in the same skill range and practice the same things for the fall season, Baustista said.
“We spent a good amount of time teaching a movement technique,” Bautista said. “[There’s] a variation of styles, but it’s usually catered to what the show is. We do various dance styles, ranging from jazz, ballet, and contemporary. [Students] spin what we call a flag, and they also have two [weapon props] known as rifles and sabers.”
As a dancer, freshman Tamar Roisman said she was interested in color guard because she had never used props in her dances, prompting her to participate.
“It was really interesting, but it was also really fun and really challenging for me as well,” Roisman said. “I had a hard time getting the flag movement and the team members went over it with me a lot. They were making sure that I understood [the motion,] which was really nice.”
Compared to last year’s interest camps, junior Wren Malakuti, who has participated in color guard for five seasons, said this year’s interest camps have a different, much more fun, atmosphere as compared to last year.
“Everyone seems more comfortable and open. [All] the returning members are really sweet. When we first walk in, we don’t look serious or anything like that, we just walk in with a smile,” Malakuti said.
Within the color guard community, Malakuti said there is no judgment, whether you’ve done several seasons or are just beginning.
“If we see somebody struggling a lot, we understand that it’s the first day and we give them tons of support,” Malakuti said. “We always make sure that they understand so they’re not continuing the struggle. If they still need help, [we’ll] be there.”
Everyone understands how colorguard skills can be difficult to grasp at first, Bautista said, but through interest camps, newcomers can experience the community that makes color guard truly enjoyable.
“A lot of the returning members, when they were first-years, were very quiet, shy and didn’t know what they were getting into,” Bautista said. “Everyone here is really kind and patient because we all understand that [for example] spinning a flag in a gym can be hard and weird sometimes. But it’s pretty fun and I think everyone just enjoys it.”
