NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Ready, set, it’s go time for the New Orleans Society of Dance Baby Doll Ladies and featuring Music Ambassador, DJ Hektik.
“We bring the sun, the fun and the spirit of New Orleans. We will transform Herald Square into Bourbon Street on Thanksgiving Day,” Millisia White, Artistic Director for New Orleans Society of Dance Baby Doll Ladies said.
This dance troupe of painted masked ladies will be performing in the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
“We have brass bands and New Orleans bounce. We’re going to make sure we bring on the full New Orleans experience,” Baby Doll Lady “Amor Galore” said.
The Baby Doll Ladies first hit the streets performing back in 1912.
In 2005, the tradition reawakened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with Millisia White taking control with a new vision, still rooted in history.
“The tradition itself is about doll face masking and street dancing. When we paint our faces, we typically canvas with a porcelain white, then we paint each dancer’s face in a unique way. They all get to be their own character. This allows the dancer to be free of inhibitions and just be that character for a moment in time,” White said.
The Babydolls bedazzle with their beauty and magnificent moves.
“It’s showtime. New York hasn’t seen anything like this before. We are going to bring the noise, bring the heat, are you ready?,” White said.
Dancing in the Big Apple shouldn’t be as hard as dancing in the Big Easy because of all our potholes here in New Orleans.
“Sometimes we look down because we have to watch out for potholes and beads.”
This is the first time the Baby Doll Ladies were picked to perform in the parade. They were one of six performance groups selected.
Their performance is called: “What’chu Know Bout Dat Nola”.