Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Broadway beckons youths

A New York-based theater company holds auditions for adolescents to dance in Macy's annual parade.

By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published June 19, 2006

TAMPA - Broadway choreographer Tony Parise paused Sunday during auditions to dance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then called out a direction.

"I want everyone to go to stage right," he said.

The group of 10- to 15-year-old dancers began to scatter. When the chaos settled, half stood on the wrong side of the room.

"What I'm looking for has much more to do with their personalities," Parise said later. "How smart they are, how focused they are when the cameras are around, that's what we'll work on."

For the second year in a row, New York-based theater company Camp Broadway will perform the opening number during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Parise, Camp Broadway artistic director, is looking for 600 dancers to spend a week in New York City learning the routine before taking to the nationally televised parade route on Nov. 23.

Auditions at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Sunday drew close to 60 dancers, most of them performers since they could walk.

"I didn't really know dancers were that good in the Tampa area. I was impressed," said Katherine King, 12, of Tampa.

Timyah Brockington, 12, of Tampa, came prepared for the competition. Camp Broadway selected her to dance in the parade last year.

"It was a good experience," she said. "That's why I came back."

Christian Pici, 14, of Largo, has spent half his life dancing. Older sister Melissa Pici, of Clearwater, sat in the crowd of mothers while Christian wowed Parise with his tap dancing skills.

"We kind of have a laid back approach to it," said Melissa Pici, who is active in community theater. "If he gets through it, he gets through it."

Christian also danced in last year's parade. Having a shot at going back made his sister jealous, she said.

"I don't get nervous," declared Meghan Manahan, 15, of Sarasota. "It's not worth it."

She also danced in the parade last year. And her father, Chuck Manahan, had the pictures to prove it. He snapped more than 1,000 shots of his daughter as she went through the experience last year.

"I love it," he said. "I just go along to take pictures and make sure the kids stay out of trouble."

It will be a few weeks before the dancers find out whether they made the cut. Those chosen to perform the opening number, Give Me A Drum!, written by Michael Feinstein and choreographed by Parise, must pay $695 to participate, plus housing and travel.

"I'm a proud mom," said Cynthia Williams, Timyah's mother. "All my money is paying off."

Times staffer Daniel Wallace and researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this story. Kevin Graham can be reached at 813 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 19, 2006, 05:12:26]