Batavia High girls ready to show off their stuff at Macy's parade
For many of us, Thanksgiving is all about cooking, eating and eating again.
For four energetic young girls from Batavia, Thanksgiving is all about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Jeni Camery, Amanda Scully, Tara Jones and Jen Wood, all members of the Batavia High School dance team, earned the opportunity to march in the famous parade and do a dance number in front of the company's flagship store.
"We all attended the a camp sponsored by the Universal Dance Association," said Jeni Camery. "There is a competition where the dancers are judged on how well they do certain dance patterns. Those who are designated as All Stars get to perform at the parade."
The Macy's Day Parade is just one opportunity. Some dancers will head to Philadelphia and others get to dance in Paris, France.
Our four dancers are perfectly content with heading to New York. For Amanda Scully, the excitement is growing each day.
"My sister, Emily, got to go last year," she said. "When she came home she said it was the experience of a lifetime."
The girls will have the opportunity to attend masters classes with dance professionals. They are thrilled to be able to learn from those who at the top of their field, like the choreographer of the Rockettes, but, they are also excited to be able to do some sight seeing and shopping on the city's famous Fifth Avenue.
The theme for this year's parade is the 1950s and the 1960s, so the girls have been busy learning the routines for the performance in front of Macy's. They are also looking forward to seeing some of the celebrities who will be involved in the parade.
Will these young ladies be having Thanksgiving dinner after the parade?
"There is a dinner at the hotel but is pretty expensive," said Tara Jones. "So we have decided to go out to McDonalds and bring it back to our hotel room and have it there."
The girls have done their research, sharing many of the high prices of a big city.
"A bagel is $9 there," said Amanda.
Their moms are excited for the girls but also a little disappointed that they won't be there to share in the family holiday.
"My mom is having a dinner for our family before I leave," said Jen Wood.
The girls aren't worried about braving the cold temperatures or about missing a step in front of a viewing audience of 10 million. They do hope that Batavians will tune in and look for them in the parade.
They will appear after the 10th commercial, or just after the balloon of Snoopy, the Flying Ace.
"It probably will be hard to pick us out. Since Jen and I are short, we'll be in the front. We'll be the little heads with the big poms," said Tara, with a giggle.
Dance at the high school level involves a great investment in both time and money. There are practices year round and the costs are high since the team travels to camp, competitions and has costume requirements. There are also the additional costs of private dance lessons.
For these girls, the Thanksgiving trip will be a culmination of all their efforts. All of the hard work will be forgotten once they step off for the parade.
"It's a trip of a lifetime," said Jeni. "We are all so excited."