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Who is the Color Guard?
The Rainbow City Color Guard adds a visual component to Rainbow City's ensembles, performing choreographed routines with flags, air blades, sabres, and dance. We all have a great time wowing the crowds as we lead the marching band, or exhibition at the local winterguard circuits.
Our members have a wide range of experience, including former competitors, people who spun for a short time many years ago, and people who are brand new to color guard. We aim to foster individual growth by creating opportunities for choreography at various difficulty levels, so that everyone is always learning and growing. We want to put on a show that we can be proud of and to have fun doing it!
What the Color Guard Does
In the summer, we perform alongside Rainbow City Marching Band at parades and festivals, marching at the head of the band (in parades) or front and center (at standstill events) to accompany the band's music.
In the winter, the Color Guard develops an indoor routine composed against a recorded music track, and performs in exhibition at various winter guard competitions throughout Washington.
We've also recently begun hosting open workshops! These occur once a month throughout the winter, and are designed to help folks prepare for the marching season. If you've never picked up a flag before, this is the perfect opportunity to try it out!
Want to check us out?
Anyone is welcome to drop in to our free winter workshops! These will take place once a month, November - February.
Interested in joining?
Membership will open up twice a year at the start of each season. Our marching season opens in March and welcomes people of all skill levels, including those brand new to color guard. Our winter season welcomes more experienced performers who are interested in a higher commitment opportunity; auditions will be held in September.
Get in touch now, so we can keep you in the loop as the next season approaches!
Common Membership Questions
How do you engage with the community?
We love engaging with the crowd and bringing in the energy at various public pride events! We welcome opportunities to collaborate with other performers.
When and where are the rehearsals?
During the wetter months, we hold our rehearsals indoors in Seattle's central district on Monday evenings. This encompasses the entire winterguard season (October - March) as well as the beginning of the marching season (April)
Once the weather is more accommodating (April - June), we begin rehearsing outdoors alongside the marching band on Thursday evenings. We are currently seeking a new rehearsal venue!
When is the performance season?
Our marching season performances span across the whole summer, from June to September. Our winterguard performances take place in February and March.
While we ask our winterguard members to participate in every performance they can, our marching season members are welcome to attend as many or as few performances as they'd like to.
What equipment can I spin?
We expect that all members spin standard 6-ft flags. Some also opt in to spin auxiliary equipment, including air blades and sabres. On occasion we use swing flags as well.
Though many color guards traditionally spin wooden rifles, RCCG has elected to replace them with air blades, which are similarly weighted and use similar techniques.
All equipment is provided!
What’s the skill level required? Is there an audition or cap on membership?
Our marching season accepts everyone who is interested in joining, regardless of their skill level! Our winterguard has a limited capacity, and will audition in order to equitably fill a set number of available spaces.
We strive to make our routines inclusive to people of different abilities, and are always happy to make accommodations if somebody isn't capable of executing a certain movement.
How do you develop and teach choreography?
Before the official start of the season, leadership will make decisions surrounding music, and will assign interested returning members with parts to choreograph. Choreography will then be taught in person at our regular weekly rehearsals. We also provide additional resources (such as video recordings) so that members have the tools to practice on their own.
What are the basic requirements of membership?
We ask members to attend a minimum 80% of rehearsals during the marching season. Our winterguard members are expected to attend all rehearsals- with flexibility for illness or significant life events.
Member dues are $75 for the marching season and $100 for the winter season. If the cost might be a barrier for your participation, our Angel Fund is available to help those with financial need.
Color Guard's History
For the first ten years of its history, Rainbow City Band marched without a color guard. Finally, in 2008, one of our members volunteered to put together a group to march with the band in summer parades. The guard had fun, and the band loved having a visual show to complement their music. The color guard soon became an ongoing ensemble alongside the marching band. In 2024, Rainbow City Color Guard debuted its first ever winterguard show! Moving forward, we expect every year to welcome a new winterguard show with a new theme, music, costuming, drill, and choreography- always centered on LGBTQIA+ stories or themes.
Though we started spinning just flags, we've performed with air blades, sabres, and other equipment to add variety to our shows and match the theme of the music. We continue to develop our individual skills and technique, while simultaneously learning how to develop our performances as a collective group into something that grows greater and greater with every season.