4 Square (television)
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4 Square (also called Four Square) is a preschool/educational television show that airs on (and was assumedly created by) Treehouse TV of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It teaches kids all about musical arts (which in this case are song, rhythm, poetry and dance) in segments. Half-hour programs use four segments. Filler programs (to take up the airspace between two larger programs) use one segment.
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[edit] Format
[edit] Rhythm Segment
The rhythm segment is hosted by the Beat Team, a group of four teenagers wearing neon orange sweatshirts and sweatpants. One by one, they all introduce a verbal rhythm with certain sounds or words (i.e. zip--zip--zip--zip--zip--zip--zip--zip), and then they combine their individual rhythms to make one intricate rhythm.
[edit] Poetry Segment
The poetry segment features one teenage girl, and one (or sometimes two) elementary child(ren), dressed with a violet shirt and black jeans. The older girl recites a poem, teaching it to the younger child, the child says the poem back, and then they both say it together. This is the only Four Square segment to feature children.
[edit] Dance or Movement Segment
The dance segment features four people from the Toronto dance troupe Corpus, dressed in tight, one-piece spandex that is blue along with green waist bands and neon orange headgear pieces that resemble earmuffs. A leader (known as the captain) will direct the other three dancers to do three certain dances (i.e. "Bianca; cross-country ski...Tyler; cross-country ski...Rufus; cross-country ski"). Finally, after learning the dances one by one, everyone does them in unison.
[edit] Song Segment
The song segment features one main singer (known as the leader), three backup singers (called the supertones), and four neon orange and blue puppets called the Doo-wahs. The leader teaches the doo-wahs (and the audience) a certain part of a children's song. After extensively learning the part, the leader, Doo-wahs and supertones get ready to sing the whole song. Before starting, the leader and supertones all whisper "and remember; do what the Doo-wahs do!", after which the song starts and the Doo-wahs and audience do their part on que.
