Written by Victoria Le |
Video by Victoria Le |
Music by Bensound |

Back in 2017, a former dance studio submitted an audition video to Spirit of America, an organization that trains dancers to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The video was reviewed, and Spirit of America selected the dancers into the 2019 Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Junior Callie Andrews and I, Sophomore Victoria Le, participated in this event. Callie said she enjoyed “meeting new people, being in the city for a week, and being on TV.”

There were about 600 dancers and cheerleaders from all around the country. The dancers and cheerleaders all learned a separate dance and then came together to do a “Spirit Dance.” All of the participants stayed at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. We arrived on Saturday, November 23. Following our arrival, we had orientation before evening rehearsals.

When the dancers and cheerleaders were not rehearsing, they enjoyed all sorts of activities around New York. Some activities included watching a Broadway Show, visiting the Big Apple, and Times Square. All the performers saw Frozen on Broadway. The hotel, food, and activities in New York cost each participant at least $2500, depending on the type of hotel room and how many people stayed in the room.

The dancers and cheerleaders all marched in the parade but then performed their dances on the star in front of Macys. The parade was about 2.5 miles long, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Following the parade, the dancers and cheerleaders did a “Spread the Spirit Celebration!” At this celebration, we said goodbye, watched the chaperones perform for us, and created an end of the week goodbye video.