The one day a year that all of America wakes up early to turn on their television. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual holiday tradition that occurs in New York City. Many families say it is a big part of this special holiday. Junior Arabella (Bella) Stratton, is a company dancer at Bourn Academy of Dance, and is a member of Hoover Dance Team. She recently had a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform as a dancer in this event.
“I got this opportunity by taking first place overall at a competition in Columbus,” Bella said. “This allowed me to skip the audition process for the parade and just be in it.”
Savannah Stratton, Bella’s older sister, was super excited when she found out that Bella won and had received this invitation.
“I was so proud of Bella when she won first at our Showstopper regionals and also won the invite to be in the parade,” Savannah said. “[I] was so excited for her to experience this opportunity.”
Bella’s talent didn’t just appear. She has been dancing for 12 years. Lauren Beard, Hoover Dance Team head coach, and instructor at Bourn Academy of Dance has seen Bella improve every step of the way.
“I met Bella when she was 5 years old [when] she started taking dance,” Beard said. “It’s been such a joy to watch her grow and develop as not only a talented dancer but a beautiful young lady with the sweetest soul. She is such a talented dancer and performer. She works so hard and her technique is amazing.”
Bella only spent a few days in the city before the big performance, so she had to use her time diligently. Although it was a busy few days, she didn’t regret any of it.
“Preparing for the parade was tiring but worth it,” Bella said. “There were many practices and long hours/nights spent working on the routine to make it look as put together as it did on Thanksgiving Day. Everybody put in a lot of hard work to make the routine work and I think it really paid off.”
Even though she spent many hours rehearsing, Bella got to experience a lot of the tourist attractions that New York City has to offer.
“While in New York City I got to do many different things besides just practicing,” she said. “I got to see two Broadway shows, Six and Hell’s Kitchen. I also got to see the Rockettes in the Christmas Spectacular. The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Tour, the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, and the Oculus, [were other attractions I got to visit].”
Even after experiencing all of this, Bella’s most memorable moments are more meaningful than what the average visitor experiences.
“The most memorable moment of my trip was getting to meet so many new people from all over the U.S. and watching the confetti fall at the end of our Thanksgiving Day routine,” Bella said. “It made me realize how special this opportunity was and how I will have a lasting memory of this experience forever.”
Like any experience, memorable and fun moments come with difficult times. Bella found some parts of the experience incredibly difficult.
“The hardest part of this experience was the long hours we spent working together and coordinating 656 people to all look the same and know exactly what to do,” she said. “But in the end, it was beneficial and it all came together.”
When coordinating almost 700 people, you tend to spend a lot of time together. This is something Bella has taken away from this experience.
“I am going to take away the connections that I made with the dancers in my group and how honored I was to be given this opportunity,” she said.
Most of America views the parade on television, but Savannah had the chance to see it in person, because of Bella. Surprisingly, she prefers one over the other.
“It was crazy seeing how many people were on the streets watching the parade,” Savannah said. “It was cool to watch it but I think I prefer watching it on TV.”
Even though Bella is an extraordinary dancer, she is also a person that many people are grateful to have in their lives. Lauren has a lot to say about this.
“It’s been such a joy to watch her grow and develop as not only a talented dancer but a beautiful young lady with the sweetest soul,” she said. “Everyone that knows Bella loves her. She comes from a wonderful family who has become like family to me. My daughters absolutely adore her and look up to her [as well].”
Lauren has one special final message to Bella.
“It would be hard to just say one message to Bella but I would tell her how proud I am of her and how awesome it’s been to watch her dance and grow,” she said. “I know she’s going to do amazing things in life.”
