Waukesha Dancer Selected to Perform in Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade

Lizzy Balsiger, a 9th grader from the Gold Attitude Dance & Poms Team in Waukesha, WI is among the 500+ junior high and high school cheerleaders and dancers from across the U.S. who will perform in the 95th Annual Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the nation.

The individuals invited to perform in the parade are cheerleading and dance All Americans selected from Varsity camps around the country, including camps organized by Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA), Universal Dance Association (UDA), National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and National Dance Alliance (NDA).

Those selected as All Americans will be in Philadelphia from November 25th through the 28th, practicing their routine and visiting Philadelphia landmarks. All Americans are selected via tryout based on either superior cheerleading or dance skills. Only the top 12% of the cheerleaders and dancers who attend Varsity camps earn the chance to march in a holiday spectacular of this caliber.

Lizzy will perform with the All-American group in the annual Thanksgiving Day festivities through the heart of historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event is televised in the Philadelphia area and syndicated throughout the United States.

Five additional team members were also selected as All Americans but will not attend the parade this year. They are 8th grade Captains, Lexie Leuzinger & Jordan Levene; 7th grade Captain, Tamara Ulalisa; 8th grader, Julia Kolton; and 7th grader, Megan Paquette. Junior High teams that attend Varsity camps during the summer can only have a total of 6 team members audition for All American. This is the first year that Gold Attitude sent 6 team members to audition AND had all 6 selected as UDA Junior All Americans.

The Gold Attitude Dance & Poms Team consists of twelve 6th-9th grade students from the Waukesha School District. We are an independent, non-profit, competitive dance team with no school or dance studio affiliation. We compete in the Junior All-Star division throughout Wisconsin. This is the first year that Gold Attitude Dance & Poms Team will attend the WOW Sports Factor Dance Nationals in Minneapolis, Minnesota in February.

Lizzy has been a team member and Captain for three years and recently placed 2nd with her Junior Solo at the Amp It Up! Dance Competition on Sunday, November 9, 2014. Lizzy currently attends Waukesha South High School where she also participates in marching band as a trumpet player.

If you would like more information about our team, please visit our website at http://goldattitudewi.wix.com/home or email our Director & Choreographer, Kim M. Gilchrist, at goldattitudewi@yahoo.com