4 Square (TV series)
Encyclopedia
4 Square is a Canadian television show for preschoolers, produced by Treehouse TV
. The show consists of 4 different segments. Each segment has its own coloured backdrop, with the actors wearing the contrasting colour. The show is often divided up and only one segment is aired as filler (between two longer running shows).
sweatshirts and sweatpants
. One by one, they all introduce a verbal rhythm
with certain sounds or words (for example, "zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip"), and then they combine their individual rhythms to make one intricate rhythm.
) dressed in mainly purple, and one (or sometimes two) child(ren), also dressed in mainly purple. She recites a poem while giving certain words a hand sign, teaching it to the younger child, the child says the poem back with the learned hand signs, and then they both say it together. This is the only Four Square segment to feature live children in the scene.
dance troupe Corpus
, dressed in blue spandex outfits with green shoes, knee pads and elbow pads. A leader known as Captain "Hup" or "Huppette" will direct the other three members to do three certain movements (e.g. "Bianca, cross-country ski; Metito, cross-country ski; Rufus, cross-country ski"). Finally, after repeating the movement one by one and asking the viewer to try to do it, everyone does them in unison. The original cast featured David Danzon as Captain Hup, Sylvie Bouchard as Bianca; Ray Hogg as Krankovich; and Anand Rajaram as Ludsu. Subsequent casts featured Rachel Cook as Captain Huppette, Michelle Black as Pippa, Michael Caldwell as Rufus, and Rob Rementilla as Metito.
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel with programming targeted towards preschoolers that was launched on October 17, 1997. Its name comes from YTV's old children's programming block, The Treehouse...
. The show consists of 4 different segments. Each segment has its own coloured backdrop, with the actors wearing the contrasting colour. The show is often divided up and only one segment is aired as filler (between two longer running shows).
Rhythm Segment
The rhythm segment is hosted by the Beat Team (Ingrid Gaynor, Stephanie Hyppolite, Roney Lewis and Emma Schellenberg), a group of four young people wearing bright orangeOrange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
sweatshirts and sweatpants
Sweatpants
Sweatpants are a casual variety of soft trousers intended for comfort or athletic purposes.In Britain, Australia and New Zealand they are known as "jogging bottoms" or "track pants".- Design :...
. One by one, they all introduce a verbal rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
with certain sounds or words (for example, "zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip"), and then they combine their individual rhythms to make one intricate rhythm.
Poetry Segment
The poetry segment features a woman ( Helen) (in later episodes Pay ChenPay Chen
Pay Chen is a Canadian television host, currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she co-hosts Citytv Winnipeg's Breakfast Television.Chen grew up in Halifax and Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia. She moved to Toronto to attend Ryerson University, later working in writing and production roles for...
) dressed in mainly purple, and one (or sometimes two) child(ren), also dressed in mainly purple. She recites a poem while giving certain words a hand sign, teaching it to the younger child, the child says the poem back with the learned hand signs, and then they both say it together. This is the only Four Square segment to feature live children in the scene.
Movement Segment
The movement segment features four people from the TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
dance troupe Corpus
Corpus (dance troupe)
Corpus is a Canadian dance troupe whose work often combines humour with dance. Besides major productions, they often perform in schools, and are co-creators of the Treehouse TV series 4 Square...
, dressed in blue spandex outfits with green shoes, knee pads and elbow pads. A leader known as Captain "Hup" or "Huppette" will direct the other three members to do three certain movements (e.g. "Bianca, cross-country ski; Metito, cross-country ski; Rufus, cross-country ski"). Finally, after repeating the movement one by one and asking the viewer to try to do it, everyone does them in unison. The original cast featured David Danzon as Captain Hup, Sylvie Bouchard as Bianca; Ray Hogg as Krankovich; and Anand Rajaram as Ludsu. Subsequent casts featured Rachel Cook as Captain Huppette, Michelle Black as Pippa, Michael Caldwell as Rufus, and Rob Rementilla as Metito.