Dancers perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day event

Reflecting on his opportunity as one of six Doherty Petri School of Irish Dancing students who took part in the Riverdance performance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, Isaiah Pujol, a 17-year-old Manheim Township resident, called the experience "awesome." "A lot of people don't understand how big Riverdance is in the world of Irish dancing," explained Isaiah, who noted that the experience brought together the chance to be part of an international show where he could dance with professionals in an event as large as the Macy's parade. "It's this fantastic thing," he said.

Jase Lawrence, an 11-year-old who lives in Penn Manor School District and who was both the shortest and youngest member of the Riverdance parade performers, was impressed by the experience of dancing with professionals he has looked up to. Sarah Smith, a 14-year-old who travels weekly from Baltimore to train at the school, said, "It opens up opportunities for the future."

Esther Pujol, owner and head teacher of the school, called the chance to take part in the parade "unprecedented and amazing." "It was an unexpected early Christmas gift," she said, noting that she is not aware of Riverdance doing anything like this before. Other students from the school who took part in the parade included 15-year-old Ezekiel Pujol of Manheim Township, 14-year-old Abigail Ernst of Baltimore, and 16-year-old virtual student Liam Snodgrass of Hebron, Maine.

Teacher Lisa Petri explained that the opportunity was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students because Riverdance does not take part in the parade every year. She explained that the show sent out a call for student dancers to participate and that dancers could audition by video if they had not attended a Riverdance summer camp. A few of the students had attended Riverdance camps held in Boston, but Smith submitted a video.

By early November, the students who were accepted to take part and perform alongside professional Riverdance dancers had received notice. A few weeks prior to the event, they were apprised of the steps they would need to learn. "The kids are familiar with the show choreography," said Petri, who noted that the students from the Riverdance camps had less to learn than those who had not attended. Smith experienced a little stress going into the event, but she reported that she had fun learning the dances.

On Nov. 26, the students arrived in New York City and took part in a three-hour rehearsal to prepare them for a performance of almost a minute, 40 seconds of which would be seen by television viewers. Later that same day, the students, who were part of a group of about 40 amateurs chosen to take part, rehearsed for about 30 minutes in the spot on the street where they would perform, which had been closed for that purpose.

On Thanksgiving Day, the students lined up with the professional Riverdance performers at 7 a.m. According to Isaiah, they waited about two hours before marching two hours to the spot where they danced. Jase marched and danced with an injured foot that requires him to wear a special boot most of the time. "It hurt," he noted, but added that the experience was worthwhile.

Isaiah noted that the weather on the day of the parade was a problem. "(The rain) was the challenging part," stated Petri, noting that the students wear specialized shoes with fiberglass tips and heels. Because the concrete on which they performed was extremely slippery, several dancers - both professional and amateur - fell, but no one was hurt.

Petri noted that Riverdance brought Irish dancing to the world stage. "I think it speaks volumes to how entertaining Irish dance is," she said, noting that the show has been running for three decades and that the current tour is called The New Generation. "That is literally true because it is now multigenerational in terms of appeal and for the dancers," she said.

Students at the school will once again be associated with Riverdance when they perform in the lobby of the American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, prior to the Irish dancing phenomenon's 7 p.m. show on Saturday, March 1.