Almost everyone will be having a traditional Thanksgiving with food and family while the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is on TV, but Thanksgiving Day will be far from traditional for senior Denielle Alvarez. Thanks to her intense dedication to dance, Alvarez will be performing in the parade.
While she will be without her family, Alvarez is sure her Thanksgiving will be just as meaningful with their support behind her.
Alvarez has been dancing since the age of three, and even then showed exceptional talent.
“By the time I was six, I had moved up to level three, which [was with] middle school kids,” said Alvarez. “In my recital videos I’m easy to spot; [I’m] the shrimp.”
After moving to Huntley, Alvarez took a break from dancing to become a gymnast, following in her mother’s footsteps. From third to sixth grade, she took gymnastics and later on, in seventh and eighth grade Alvarez became a cheerleader.
“All my friends were cheerleaders, so I decided to cheer,” said Alvarez. “But [cheerleading] just never felt right.”
Alvarez continued to cheer, but by the time she was a freshman at Huntley High School, she decided to try dance again.
“It was the night before [Poms] tryouts and I was planning on trying out for cheer, but I thought, ‘Why not dance?’”
After not dancing for almost seven years, Alvarez still made the team.
“[The night before] I was freaking out searching YouTube for ‘how to turn’ and ‘how to leap’ videos, but somehow, I made [the team],” said Alvarez.
Now, as a senior, Alvarez is co-captain of Huntley High School’s varsity Poms team alongside Amanda Czarnota.
Both girls are also part the Universal Dance Association, which is an elite dance team that performs competitively.
Team members must be selected, nominated, and then go through extensive tryouts in order to become part of the UDA.
The UDA will also be participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with their All American Program, and Alvarez received the chance to go after winning the UDA’s 2013 All American title.
Czarnota and fellow dancer Jessica Shoemaker will also be dancing in the parade.
“I feel really blessed to be able to do this,” said Czarnota. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
While in New York, they will have intensive rehearsals and then perform in the parade with a larger group of UDA dancers.
Alvarez and her teammates will not only be performing in the parade, but will also be able to experience New York City and sightsee with the UDA program.
But most of all, they’re looking forward to dancing at the 87th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. EST.