If your holiday tradition includes watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade – look closely. Just before Santa appears, two Covington County students will be dancing with the Spirit of American Productions.

Andalusia’s Rexanne Butler and Opp’s Merrill Ann Culverhouse are among the young women who’ll be dancing. The girls have been in New York City since Saturday, and began rehearsals Saturday night.

Last year, they participated in a similar program at Walt Disney World during the Thanksgiving holiday.

They’re spending the week in New York, and their itinerary includes rehearsals, ice skating, and seeing The Lion King and Phantom of the Opera on Broadway..

They received videos of the dance before they left, Merrill Ann said, and began practicing as a group when they arrived.

“We will clean it up and rehearse it when we’re there,” she said before the pair left. “We’ll actually perform when the parade gets to Macy’s.”

At last check, their performance was scheduled to air at 11:58 a.m.

Both young women have grown up dancing. Rexanne is a senior company apprentice with the Andalusia Ballet. Merrill Ann previously danced with the Andalusia Ballet, but now dances with the Enterprise School of Dance.

The girls will wear jazz shoes and walk the 2.65 mile distance of the parade.

“I think what we do will be simple and really shower,” Rexanne said. “There will be lines with girls everywhere up and down the streets of New York City.”

Merrill Ann liked the prospect of so many different dancers from all over the country participating in the parade.

“I’d just like to be there to there to watch,” she said.

Rexanne has seen the parade from New York City before.

“It’s a really cool thing,” she said. “I never thought I’d want to do that. I saw it when I was younger. We watched from a hotel window, and those balloons are really big.”

Neither expected to have a traditional Thanksgiving day meal this week.

“At Disney, we could have had a Thanksgiving dinner, but we watched a movie instead. I think I had mac and cheese,” she said.

Rexanne added, “I had chicken.”

Merrill Ann is an OHS freshman who hopes to become a pediatric orthodontist. She enjoys dancing, likes to doodle and paint, and do pageants. She also is a manager for the volleyball team. She hopes to earn an undergraduate degree at Auburn and graduate work at UAB.

She is the daughter of Merrill and Susan Culverhouse.

Rexanne is an AHS freshman who is undecided about a career choice, but hopes to study at Alabama.

“I’m just trying to make good grades, and we’ll go from there,” she said.

In addition to dance, she is a second degree black belt in karate and plays flute in the AHS band.

Rexanne is the daughter of Rex and Billie Jo Butler.