After senior Nicole Azar won first place in the Showstoppers competition back in April, she received an exciting invitation: a spot to dance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The invitation came from Spirit of America Productions, the company which organizes the dancing and cheerleading segments of the event.
“At first I was like, what is this? And then I was just shocked,” Azar said.
Taking place in New York City, Azar had to take a flight to New York on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, where she had a week to learn the choreography. Her days were spent practicing and perfecting the dance, which were very different from the 30 minute rehearsals at her dance studio.
“Practices were very long, at least two hours straight,” Azar said. “We deep cleaned every single part of the dance at least twice and broke each countdown being very specific about where your foot or arm was.”
Having lots of free time in between rehearsals, Azar spent much of her time touristing the Big Apple. She attended many shows and spend time with other dancers who were performing alongside her.
“Most nights, we got to go to a Broadway show,” Azar said. “I got to see Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Hell’s Kitchen.”
Azar looks back fondly at her time spent in New York and her participation in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, remembering the lessons she learned from her experience.
“I learned that big events like this take way more practice than I thought, but the most important part is the performance and getting people excited,” Azar said.
As for the young dancers of the future, she gives important advice about how fortitude, effort, and commitment are key components of a prosperous dancing career.
“Dance isn’t easy, and it shouldn’t be, but if you can dedicate yourself in a diligent way, you will definitely be able to succeed,” Azar said.
