This Thanksgiving, a few local high school students will have the chance of a lifetime to dance together in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Schlarman High School sophomore Reagan Troglia, freshman Harper O’Brien, and senior Evelyn “Evy” Kelsey have been friends since they were young, they said, and they love dancing together.
When they learned about the opportunity to perform together in the parade as part of the Spirit of America group, they sent in an audition tape.
“My neighbor went in 2021 and she told us if we sent her our audition tape, she would help us with the registration paperwork,” Troglia said.
A few weeks later, the girls received a text message informing them they’d been chosen to participate — just three of more than a thousand high school dancers who will be performing in the parade, along with 1,000 cheerleaders.
The girls received customized red jackets emblazoned with their first names to commemorate their participation in the group.
“We will walk with the parade and then we’ll stop and perform at different points throughout it,” Kelsey said. “And then we also get to perform for NBC in a live rehearsal and they video us.”
The girls will travel with their mothers and siblings this Saturday and stay until the following Friday.
Throughout the week, they will practice with other performers, but also take part in planned opportunities to explore New York City, including meeting the Rockettes and watching ”Hell’s Kitchen” on Broadway.
Each of them is looking forward to the experience for different reasons.
“I’m really excited because I’ve always only seen it on television and I actually get to do it, especially with them because I’ve known them for so long,” O’Brien said of performing with her friends. “It’s just really exciting for me.”
Troglia is looking forward to visiting New York City during the holidays.
“They’ll have the Rockefeller Christmas tree up. There’s a Christmas Village and there’s little Christmas shops everywhere,” she said.
Kelsey is most excited for the chance to dance with Troglia and O’Brien and to take the trip with her family members.
“They’re two of my best friends,” Kelsey said. “And then it’ll just be so much fun because my whole family’s going out there too for it, so it’ll be just a really fun week.”
NBC will broadcast the parade from 8:30 a.m. to noon Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28. Viewers can also watch the performance on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.