Submitted by Connie Herbon, Iowa
Idea posted November 29, 2001
I was not the one who offered this, but perhaps it might be useful as a place to start. I choreographed the routine for 4ths for our millennium concert several years ago. I've sent it to several others in the past, but I don't think it's ever been posted to the list.
You're A Grand Old Flag
(You'll need one red, white, or blue plate per student. There were about 60 kids on the risers, and the stripes of color ran vertically up through the group. I think we had 6 stripes total. Think in eight-beat phrases, 2 beats per measure, 4 measures per phrase. R = Red / W = White / B = Blue.)
ms. 1: R & W 2 shakes up and to right while B tap 2X in front of body like a tambourine
ms. 2: reverse of ms. 1
ms. 3 & 4: repeat ms. 1 & 2
ms. 5-8: R, W, & B shake in a large clockwise circle in front of body from six o'clock (in front of chest)
ms. 9: R hold in front of face (keep in place)
ms. 10: W same
ms. 11: B same
ms. 12: R, W, & B Down/Up (down to belt buckle, then straight up over head)
ms. 13-16: R, W, & B Forward/Back 4X (both hands on plate, thrust out from face and back)
ms. 17-20: repeat ms. 1-4
ms. 21-24: repeat ms. 5-8
ms. 25-28: R, W, & B fan plate to right in front of neighbor's face. Repeat to left, then right, and left again. (A real test of working cooperatively!)
ms. 29-31: hold plates in right hand and arc left to right over head for FIVE beats, stopping on "flag." Tap head with plate on beat 6 and hold up and out to right on beat 7. (I think maybe we flung the plates into the air on beat 7 on the repeat of the song.)
I sure hope this is less confusing to read than it was to write!!! The easiest way to follow it is to write out all the lyrics, mark the measures with bar lines, and put the directions right over your words. (Teacher only.) The routine was not easy, but it was very effective when finished. Our red and blue plates were Solo brand, and the whites were something sturdy, but I don't remember what.