Bedford Teen Picked to Perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

What does it take to perform in the most famous of holiday parades?

Having the stamina to learn a routine in just 24 hours of rehearsals—several of them rain-soaked—in an effort to nail a song-and-dance number that will jump-start the 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and reveal this year's hosts, NBC's Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.

But Casey Hunter of Bedford doesn't mind.

"I'm so excited, and have just been counting the days until it happens," she said.

Hunter, 14, is a freshman at . She was selected from over 400 hopefuls from Stagedoor Manor, a Catskills-based performing arts camp that draws students from across the country. She found out in October she was one of 140 students chosen to be part of the parade's opening number, sung and danced by Stagedoor kids for the last three years.

"I'm excited because it's the first thing that happens in the parade," said Hunter of the original song composed for the telecast. She and her fellow performers had learn three different "reveals" for Curry and Lauer and after the number was blocked for television cameras Tuesday night they found out which the producers liked best for Thanksgiving Day.

Following the opening, the students will make their way to the top of the parade route and march the entire length of the parade, eventually escorting Santa Claus into Herald Square for the finale. 

Hunter is an outgoing teenager and student leader—she also plays field hockey, has volunteered as a library book buddy and has campaigned for student government on YouTube (it worked; she's a freshman class officer this year).

And she enjoys performing—she has spent two summers at Stagedoor Manor, performed in Fox Lane plays and musicals and will appear in a January production of Les Miserablés at the Lighthouse Theatre in Thornwood.

Though many Stagedoor alumni have gone on to have established careers in the performing arts or film—Natalie Portman, Robert Downey and Lea Michelle of "Glee" fame are among the camp's alumni—Hunter doesn't plan on pursuing a professional career.

"I kind of want to be a chef," she said of her future. "But I love performing and will probably always do it on the side."

You can catch Casey Hunter on NBC Thursday morning beginning at 9 a.m.