Traditionally, the senior Southern Belles fly to New York City over Thanksgiving break to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Belles perform with a dance organization known as The Spirit of America, which gives many dancers around the nation the opportunity to perform in the parade. The Southern Belles have been raising money for their trip to New York since January of this year. For months, they have organized many fundraisers to allow them to dance in the parade. 

     The senior Belles left on Saturday, November 18, to fly to New York. On their trip, the girls have many activities to engage in while they explore the city. The girls spend a day visiting sites like the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial, and they will take a day to go shopping around Times Square. The Belles also got the chance to go see a Broadway show and watch the Rockettes perform at one of their shows. On Thanksgiving day, the senior Belles performed live at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The girls had been practicing their routine for around a month and performed an 80s Christmas dance to a mashup of many top hits of the decade. 

     “The days leading up to Thanksgiving day were very exciting! We would wake up, go to practice, and either go somewhere in New York with the group or have a free day with our families. Each day was similar, but it was still fun!” Southern Belles captain Cami Davenport said. Davenport said the most anticipated part of the trip for her was “to dance in front of the iconic Macy’s store!”

     Davenport finds the extremely opportunity important for the team. “It’s our last year on the team and it’s a great way for us to spend time together before we all leave for college,” Davenport said. To prepare for the trip, a lot goes into the fundraising aspect of it all. “For fundraising, we had to plan and schedule events with different stores, restaurants, businesses, etc. Most of the fundraising is organized by the seniors’ parents, but the senior belles help out and show up to all of the fundraising events!” Davenport said.