Ever since I was a kid, one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions has been watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my sister. Here are some of my favorite performances from this year’s parade!
- Jon Batiste
-
Batiste opened the parade with an amazing performance of “Worship,” accompanied by various dancers whose costumes were enhanced with elaborate body paint. Because it was the opening performance, it was also filmed with a handheld camera, getting close to the action of the performance and following Batiste and the dancers around. It was very entertaining!
- Rockettes
-
The Radio City Rockettes are always my favorite part of the parade, probably because my sister and I grew up dancing. I loved the routine this year! It felt fresh and perfectly highlighted the dancers’ talents. It didn’t feel as if they were rushing to the kick line or that the choreography before it was just filling time. It was also unique in the way the dancers arrived at the kick line, with a fun shimmy instead of their normal pivot steps.
- & Juliet
-
Because & Juliet is a jukebox musical, a genre whose score consists of pre-existing popular songs, the cast performed Demi Lovato’s “Confident.” The ensemble was very animated and fun, and my favorite part was their costumes. They perfectly mixed Shakespearean ruffs and corsets with modernized cargo pants and letterman jackets!
- Shucked
-
I was only partly paying attention at this point, but when there’s a song all about corn, you just have to stop and listen! The cast of Shucked had absolutely amazing vocals and the subject, albeit a bit random, is definitely not something I’ll forget anytime soon.
- Cher
-
This beloved singer, though possibly overdoing it on the auto-tune, gave an incredibly entertaining performance of “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” complete with backup dancers. Most singers perform on floats during the Macy’s Parade, but Cher and her dancers gave their show on the star in front of the Macy’s store.
However, the best part was the three men whose only job was to take Cher’s coat – and she didn’t get the hint.
- Pentatonix
-
This a capella group had great vocals as usual, and I felt their outfits deserved a special shout-out! Usually, the celebrities in the parade dawn typical Christmas-colored overcoats and huge pom pom beanies, but this group wore blue and navy tones instead! Kirsten Maldonado stunned in an amazing blue dress with tulle sleeves.
- Spamalot
-
It’s not often that you see the Knights of the Round Table tap dance – but that’s exactly the fun energy Spamalot brought to the parade. They had some great callbacks to the Monty Python movies, including performing some of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” and clicking coconuts together for horse sound effects.
Make sure to check out these awesome performances online if you missed any!
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, watch us on TikTok, and read our latest Tweets!