Thursday November 24 2022

Wow!!! What an extremely busy, but yet the most fun, amazing week ever!!! It’s been a week filled with hours of practice, a rehearsal in front of Macy’s, another full dress rehearsal/performance for parents and coaches to watch, lots of shopping and delicious food, two amazing shows (MJ THE MUSICAL, & The Rocketettes Christmas Spectacular), and multiple Uber/subway rides along with miles of walking to get to all the places we wanted to visit during our time in the Big Apple!!! 

Now…. Let’s Have A Parade!! 

Keely’s group, Spirit of America Dancers, will perform live on NBC at approximately 11:45am right before Santa arrives. They will be wearing reindeer costumes and dancing to Run Run Rudolph!!  Included are some pictures from the rehearsals to hopefully help you locate her!! The picture in the blue sweatshirt, you can see where she is in relation to the Macy’s sign. Also, she is always either in front of or behind the boy in the pictures. Since there are so few boys, it will make it easier to follow her during the transitions by looking for his white shirt.

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Monday November 21 2022

Macy’s Journal 

Saturday:

• Took a picture in front of the “Arch” in Athens at 4 in the morning while picking up my brother to go to the airport because I got accepted into UGA on Friday night

• Arrived in NYC at the Hilton Midtown, and immediately went to an orientation. 

• Grabbed a bite to eat at Juniors Cheesecake, shopped a little in Times Square, the headed back to the hotel to get ready for this first rehearsal. 

• Went to rehearsal from 6 pm to 11 pm. There, we met our small group chaperones and I was able to make so many new friends. We learned choreography and our formations for the performance. 

Sunday:

• woke up at 5:30 to get ready to meet my small group. We went to grab breakfast and then began practice. Our first practice was from 8 to 11:30. At this practice, we finished the routine, and spent a lot of our time cleaning the transitions, making them seamless. The instructors told us that transitions were the most important parts of the routine, so they had to be perfect. 

• We had a short break for lunch, and thankfully my dad brought me Starbucks because I was desperate for some caffeine. 

• Our second practice was 12:30 to 4:30. At this practice, we worked really hard on cleaning the routine, and making sure our motions were perfect, sharp, and identical to the 700 other dancers .We left from practice to go watch MJ the musical on broadway. It was the best broadway show I’ve ever watched. I rate it a 10/10. I had so much fun walking around with my new friends, even though it was extremely cold. 

• Finished some homework and went to bed because I was exhausted from the past two days. 

Monday: 

• I was able to sleep in until 7:30, and then I went to meet my small group. We walked to dunkin and had so much fun taking timer pics and selfies with each other while we were in line. 

• I checked out with my parents and we went to build a bear where I stuffed a “Christmas cow”, put it in a sparkly dress, and named it “Macy”. 

• We also went in the Lindt chocolate store and explored the huge Macys store. 

• For lunch, we went to Max Brenner in union square. 

• At 6 tonight, I have a camera blocking rehearsal in front of the Macys store for NBC. This is where we will determine our final placements and formations, and practice our routine in the new space. The camera men also get to find the best angles to film our performance so that it’s prefect for the viewers at home on parade day. We get to wear our matching sweatshirts and do our makeup and hair. We might even get the opportunity to meet celebrities like Big Time Rush and Ziggy Marley. 

• I will be sure to share my experience at the NBC rehearsal tomorrow.

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Every child has a dream.  For Keely DiPrimas it has been dance. Next week Keely and her family set out for New York City for a chance to live out one of her dreams.

Keely, a senior at Model High School,  has been picked out of hundreds of thousands across the country to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving  Day Parade.

As part of her journey, Coosa Valley News has partnered with Keely and her family to bring you a daily journal of her journey. 

Keely will be writing on her journey and we will publish them for her community to see.

Check back each day starting next Monday for her journey!

Like everyone else here in her community, CVN says, congrats and good luck!