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Arts & Entertainment

Piedmont Teen to High-Kick Through Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It's not quite Broadway, but it's close, and Haley Reicher, who dreams of musical theater stardom, will have an audience of millions.

Ever since she buzzed like a bee in a Washington D.C. production of "Ferdinand the Bull" at age four, Piedmont’s Haley Reicher has lived to perform.

On Nov. 24, Reicher, now 16, will dance in one of New York's most famous shows: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Reicher is among 139 children and teens hand-picked by Connie Kittrell, artistic director of Stagedoor Manor, a premiere theatrical training camp in the Catskill Mountains, to perform in the parade. For Reicher, it's a repeat appearance.

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“The first year, in 2009, it was so much fun because no one knew what it would be like,” Reicher said.

Finding out that she would be among 40 featured dancers in this year's parade was no less exciting.

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“I was in the car and my mom had just picked me up from BART. Once again, I screamed for half an hour."

Reicher faces a grueling schedule once she arrives in Manhattan to join the other peformers.

“I get there Sunday, rehearse 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to midnight Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Thursday, we have to be there at sunrise,” she rattled off.

Dedication to performing means the Piedmont resident has traveled for Stagedoor Manor’s three-week singing, acting and dancing sessions for seven years running, giving up summer strolls with friends down Piedmont Avenue and chocolate frozen yogurt from the Tutti Frutti in Marin County where she attends the Branson School.

Reicher's family is supportive, sending her to Branson which offers her many opportunities to perform. Her mother has helped to orchestrate and shoot YouTube videos for national auditions. Her father has chipped in by pounding on her head like a musical instrument.

“He can play the 'William Tell Overture' on my head,” she laughs. “You open your mouth to make different notes. It’s more about your jaw than your head.”

Make no mistake about Reicher’s head: she intends for it to be used for more than just percussion. With a strong interest in science and medicine, she is planning to use some of her time in Manhattan this week looking at New York University and Columbia University.

“I’m conflicted. Being in the arts is so difficult and I have to weigh whether I can effectively compete with other people. Medicine is merit based and musical theater is so much more subjective. When I was younger, it was cute to say I’d like to be a Broadway star or a pediatric neurologist. Now, it’s important to think if either one is realistic.”

But on Thanksgiving Day, in front of 50 million television viewers and 3.5 million spectators along the parade route, Reicher won’t be worrying about college or making it big—she’ll be focused on not tripping up as she waltzes, foxtrots, taps, twists, hustles, hip hops and krumps down the streets of New York.

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