One of the extracurricular* activities that I used to take part in when I was in high school was color guard (sometimes written as one word -> colorguard). Every day we would practice as a group, train our fitness levels and then several times a week we would also practice with the marching band.

History of Color Guard

In its original form, the color guard were individuals who carried the national flag and marched into battle with soldiers. A drummer or a few drummers also marched along, their beats helping to keep the soldiers in step as they marched.

Later on, the color guard was no longer marching into battle but instead was accompanying marching bands out onto the field to add some extra excitement and interest to the music that the band was playing.  Now, color guard has turned into a recognized sport, sometimes known as “The Sport of the Arts.”

Color Guard in a Marching Band

“In a marching band or a drum and bugle corps, the color guard is a non-musical section that provides additional visual aspects to the performance. The marching band and color guard performance generally takes place on a football field. They perform alongside the marching band at football games and most guards regularly compete in competitions during the fall. The purpose of the color guard is to interpret the music that the marching band or drum and bugle corps is playing via the synchronized spinning of flags, sabres, rifles, and through dance.

The color guard uses different colors and styles of flags to enhance the visual effect of the marching band as a whole. The number of members in a color guard can range from a single person to over 50 members. This is often dependent on the size of the band, school or corps, the allotted budget, and the talent available among the potential members who try out.

Since the guard is a visual component the performance, often the uniforms or costumes match the theme of the tunes the band plays. The flags may also go along with the theme in some ways.” –Wikipedia

Color Guard in Action

You can find many videos of color guard performances online. Here is one example:

*extracurricular = extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education.