Local dancers to step lively in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Twenty student dancers from Drouin Dance Center of Westbrook leave Nov. 20 to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Millions will see the parade televised on their local NBC affiliate, which is WCSH channel 6 in Maine.

The dancers and their hometowns are: Ellie Backman, Madison Boucher, Mackinna Campbell, Emilia DePeter, Lily Grant and Ashley Keef of Westbrook; Jocelyn Snow of Windham; Brooke Chason and Michelle Scannell of Portland; Tedi Gould, Kyra Hamblen, Olivia Hopkins, Abigail Houp, Annika Mankin, Sofia Mankin and Julia Ordway of Gorham; Hannah Bristol-Watson and Sydney Mueller of Scarborough; Jada Poisson of Lyman; and Stella Crawford of Cape Elizabeth.

The Drouin dancers are the only Maine representatives and one of two troupes from New England. They will perform with almost 400 other selected dancers from around the country and the parade performance production company Spirit of America Productions.

In addition to learning the choreography, the dancers are preparing for a whirlwind week of rehearsals leading up to the parade. They will also attend the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and take in a Broadway show.

This marks the fourth time Drouin Dance Center has been selected to perform in the parade. Drouin dancers previously performed in 2011, 2014 and 2017. They were selected to participate in 2020, but the parade was scaled back because of the pandemic. They also appeared at a tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.

“We are very honored to have been selected for a fourth time for this event, known all over the world,” said Danielle Drouin, owner and director of the local dance studio.

For more information, contact Drouin at 854-2221 or email drouindancecenter@yahoo.com.

60 years ago

The Westbrook American reported Nov. 15, 1961, that Westbrook High School Principal Roy Robinson was the guest speaker when the Lions Club met. Robinson took the group on a tour of the school’s new addition.