Four members of LeeAnn’s Dance Connection, 110 E. Main Street, Morrison, IL, will leave Friday, May 23, 2014, on a whirlwind roadtrip. Owner LeeAnn Schaefer will take area Junior High students to perform during Memorial Day Weekend at the Indy 500, held in Indianapolis, IN. As part of the opening number during the “IPL 500 Festival Parade” on Saturday, May 24, these girls will be seen across the Nation on NBC Sports Network (NBC SN), beginning at noon:
- Mackenzie Phillips, Morrison
- Kourtney Queckboerner, Milledgeville-Chadwick
- Peyton Smith, Morrison
- Chloe Wiseley, Erie.
Friday is set for rehearsals, but there will be a tour of the NCAA Hall of Champions.
Typically, more than 300,000 spectators line the downtown, two-mile parade route. They will glimpse celebrities, 33 starting drivers of the 2014 Indy 500, more than 70 specialty units, floats, marching bands, and entertainment groups, and giant inflatable balloons.
A highlight of the trip is a Saturday afternoon Master Class with Mandy Moore. Moore is a two-time Emmy-nominee and world-class director, choreographer, and dancer best known for her ground-breaking work on the global television hit, “So You Think You Can Dance.”
The Morrison dance squad will also take part in the 98th Opening Ceremonies on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, on Race Day, Sunday, May 25. They will hold the gigantic American flag with dancers from around the United States. To end the evening, a DJ will provide music for the girls to create their own choreography.
Schaefer offers additional opportunities for her students to perform before a broad audience. She takes high schoolers to Discover Orange Bowl games, held at Sun Life Stadium, in Miami Gardens, FL. Her dancers are shown below on Friday, January 3, 2014, prior to the 80th annual Orange Bowl game.
