by Natalie Fitts

Junior Kylie Ceriotti was a part of the Universal Dance Association’s All-American team, which participated in London’s New Year’s Day Parade.

How did you get on the All-American team?

“I went to a camp over the summer…with [the] STA dance team. We learned dances and performed them in front of judges. Juniors and seniors can try out for the All-American team, which is what I did. The All-Americans were the ones that went to London.”

How many other girls were on the team?

“From the camp [STA] went to, there were about 20 girls [on the All-American team]. There were about 300 girls [total] who went to London.”

What was the rehearsal schedule like?

“We had rehearsals for two days, usually for a couple hours. We all got in formations and got with partners…At the hotel, they had a meeting room so we all got to spread out [and practice]. There were also drum majors [at the hotel] with us, so we got to see them do their routine and they got to watch us.”

What did you do during the parade?

“It was a 3-mile course. We would walk a little bit and wave at the people watching. Then we’d stop in front of these stands and we’d perform…I think we performed about seven times.”

 

The parade is broadcast worldwide and regularly attracts nearly 300 million viewers.

 

Who else performed in the parade?

“[The parade] had other cheerleaders, some from the United States. Then they had different groups from London or the United States. The group before us was a sixties singing group.”

 This year’s parade featured more than 8,500 performers from 20 different countries across the globe.

 

What else did you do while you were in London?

“They had scheduled tours for us to go on, so we all loaded a coach and went to the London Eye, the London Bridge, Windsor Castle, and those were a lot of fun.”

What was your favorite part of the experience?

“[In the group], I met lots of people from like Texas and Virginia, Rhode Island. That was the best part–meeting new friends from all over the United States…We all keep in touch and follow each other on Twitter and stuff.”

This year marked the 27th anniversary of the parade.