The Highlandettes are back from their trip to New York City, and they’re still on a high from the experience. “It was so fun,” said senior Havilland Voss. “We took dance classes, went on a bus tour of the city, saw three Broadway musicals and got to be on the Today Show!”
“We had a once in a lifetime experience,” agreed First Lieutenant Abbey Smith. “We met the cast of Lion King, and (sponsor) Ms. Turnbull arranged for a private Q&A session where we learned what steps took each of them to Broadway and what the requirements are for a Broadway audition. It was so exciting!”
“Ms. Turnbull’s friend is in the cast of Mary Poppins, and he taught us the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious dance,” said Megan Williams, also a lieutenant on the squad. “We saw Wicked and ate at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where all the waiters and waitresses want to be on Broadway. They sing and dance for you and when you tip them, they say ‘That will pay for one singing lesson or dancing lesson.’ It showed us how good you have to be.”
“Going to New York was a great way to broaden our dancing horizons,” added Captain Karin Claussen. “It exposed us to new things.”
“We were driving through the tall buildings, then we pulled up and there it was – Times Square, just like in the movies,” remembered Megan. “We also visited Ground Zero and went to a nearby church that became a shelter for visiting firefighters who came to help. We shopped at the 9-11 Memorial Store, because proceeds will help build the memorial. When it’s built it will have two huge waterfalls in place of the two towers and a sculpture with names inscribed. They’ll also plant a tree for each person who died there.”
“Now that the trip is over, we are very busy getting ready for our competition on February 20,” said Havilland, “and we’re working on some of our routines for our Highlandette Revue.” Their slide show between acts will be our chance to see more photos from the trip.
