Seniors Emma Allen and Audrey Krenzer performed at Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Parade in New York City on Nov. 24. They danced to a song they had been practicing for a few months.

Macy’s, the oldest department store in America, hosts Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It features an array of floats and different performances. 

Krenzer said her sister has previously performed in this event, which gave her an idea of how the performance would go.

“It was nothing like I’ve ever done before,” Krenzer said. “My sister had done it a few years ago, so I knew what to expect.”

Allen also has family members who have previously participated in the event. 

“I knew what I was going to do [because] my sister went, but it was nice finally being able to go this year,” Allen said. 

Krenzer and Allen attended the parade through their dance studio, On Pointe Dance Centre. They prepared the dancers four months before being able to sign up for the event. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, dance instructors at On Pointe Dance Centre sent videos of the competitive dance group to Spirit of America, the organization who runs the parade. 

The dancers had been selected to perform at the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, but the pandemic postponed this performance until 2022. Krenzer said she was excited to finally be able to attend the parade.

“I’m glad that I was able to [perform],” Krenzer said. 

Spirit of America gave choreography to the dancers three weeks before the performance, sending videos of the choreography for the dancers to practice and choosing the song and costumes for the dancers. 

The group performed a jazz-inspired dance to Run Rudolph Run. Nine girls from On Pointe Dance Centre performed out of 700 in total. 

In New York, there were several practices to finalize details before performing at the event. 

“It was an opportunity that not a lot of people get,” Allen said. “It was exciting.”