Our dancers performed under the Spirit of America Company (SOA) in the cheer/pom category. A company that has been participating in the parade for almost 50 years.
The members who participated in the parade were Mia Skelton 12 (captain), Maddie Harrell 12 (co-captain), Yael Fleekop 12, Luella Skelton 12, Violet Sandifer 11(spirit leader), Caroline Kelson 11, India Whitworth 10, Addison Workman 10, Charlotte Bennett 9, Samantha Iztok 9, Captiva Kovach 9, Abigail Coleman 9, and Coach Shainna Kent.
Before arriving in NYC, the dolphin dancers spent weeks learning and perfecting the dance to a Justin Bieber mix that they would soon perform. Eagerly waiting for the week to arrive, dancers received a package with all the things that they would need for their week in NYC.
The day finally arrived when the team all met at the airport at 5 am and boarded their flights to the city that never sleeps. Once arrived, they had orientation and ended the night with a two-hour practice.
The next day was a long one; dancers had an 8-hour-long rehearsal. After the first four hours, they were taken to see Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre starring Disney Star Meg Donnelly as Satine, the main character in the show. India Whitworth’s favorite part of the show was “when Meg Donnelly complimented us on being in the parade.”
The next morning started with a river cruise to the Statue of Liberty. Following that, they went to the Empire State Building, where dancers took in the skyline of NYC from a view they had never seen before.
That night, SOA participants had a performance for NBC where they performed on the green mat in front of the turkey for the very first time. The dancers had the opportunity to perform with people from Team USA and the Rangerettes.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, participants had the opportunity to explore the city. Dancers navigated the subway, visited the city park, and did a lot of shopping. Captiva Kovach says, “That I had a lot of fun going to stores that we don’t have at home, like Brandy Melville.” She also described the team’s subway adventures as “fun but chaotic.”
On Wednesday morning, all SOA participants were taken to Radio City Hall to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.
Thursday morning, all dancers had to be ready by 5 am. After a few runs of the dance participants traveled through the subway to City Park, where they waited for their turn to start walking. While waiting, SOA was able to watch the balloons make their way up into the air. Charlotte Bennet describes the balloons and floats as “it was unreal experience; I never thought I would be that close.”
After walking almost 2 miles, SOA finally made it to the green in front of Macy’s. Performing in front of Macy’s on Thanksgiving was a life-changing experience for the girls. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Last year, watching it on TV, the girls would have never imagined that it would be them on the screen.