ITHACA, NY – (607NewsNow) – If you plan to watch the 99th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tomorrow, keep your eyes on the dancers.
You may recognize someone you know.
Dancers from Ithaca’s Armstrong School of Dance will once again be featured in tomorrow’s festivities. The group, which will dance its way up the 2.5-mile parade route, consists of 22 high school students from the Ithaca, Lansing, and Newfield School Districts.
The dancers are already in Manhattan, preparing for the big day. They’ve been rehearsing with 600 other dancers from around the country and working with nationally known choreographers for up to 6 hours a day.
“Our dancers are thrilled for this opportunity,” said Armstrong School of Dance Director Karen Armstrong Gorsky. “For us, this means moving from our small-town stage in Ithaca to a very big stage overnight.”
The parade is expected to draw 3.5 million viewers in person in Manhattan, and many more on viewing platforms. It will be broadcast live on NBC, Peacock, YouTube, and others. Gorsky adds the best time to see the dancers will likely be from 10:45 a.m. to 12 noon.
It will be the 7th time Armstrong School dancers have participated in the parade over the last 17 years.
You can find out more about Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade here, including the balloon lineup, scheduled performers, and the parade route.
Armstrong Dancers in Photo Order:
- Top Row – Rossi Livingston, Olivia Walters, Winnie Monroe, Leo Desjardins, Ellie Wrisley, Stella Watts
- Middle Row – Mairenn Kenaley, Sally Brenner, Avery Roberts, Clare Sanford, Sophia Heffron, Lily Fortenberry, Ainsley Hiland, Juliette DeCastro
- Bottom Row – Ryan Savino, Matti Oakes, Daphne Gilpin, Meghan Snyder, Eliza Kennedy, Siena Doob, Audrey Bennett
- Not Pictured – Alex Filiberto
