If you’re a regular reader of this blog, by now you know that I proudly dance with the Pussyfooters in parades throughout the year. Krewe of Thoth may be the longest route, but between the usually fabulous weather and the many delightful children that attend, it’s one of my favorite to parade in. I gave some behind-the-scenes information in my post on Pussyfooting in Krewe of Muses but here’s some answers to some frequently asked questions about parading.
It usually takes between 1 1/2 hours and 3 hours to watch a parade go by. For the riders, bands, dancers and other entertainers, it takes quite a bit longer to make the 8-ish mile journey (miles vary depending on the parade route and Thoth is far longer). We join the parade line-up at least an hour or 2 in advance. When it’s cold or raining, etc., just standing around can be the toughest hours. Parades often begin late, especially if you’re not first in the day’s line-up for the route. Thoth was scheduled to start at noon and finished for our group around 5pm. Each group does it differently but the Pussyfooters danced for 4 songs then danced “freestyle” for 1 – and we dance whether the parade is moving forward or not.
Parades roll rain or shine unless there’s lightning or some other dangerous weather element. We all have tricks for getting through bad weather but on those cold nights dancing in Muses, I rely on a Thermacare heat patch under my corset. Some groups only parade for Carnival, others (including the Pussyfooters) do events all year and serve as helping hands and entertainers for community non-profits.
We practice a lot. We have parade dance practices available all week every week starting in October. You must attend at least 12. There are also marching practices to help with formation, spacing and making turns. And there are specialty dance practices for our “performance dances,” usually debuted at our annual Blush Ball.
Yes, we can jump out and hug a friend if the stars align and I was thrilled to get hugs from many of mine during Thoth including John Schneider, who played my husband in the upcoming Hate Crime, and Alicia Allain who served as producer on the film.
The biggest question women ask about the Pussyfooters is how to join. Many of the dance troupes hold auditions, usually during late summer. The Pussyfooters use a lottery system instead. Once we determine how many spaces we’ll have available, each member in “good standing” (has met all practice, parade, monetary and service hour requirements) is allowed to nominate one new “kitten” over the age of 30. The names are put in a lottery to fill the available spaces. The year after I joined, there were no slots available. This year, we added about 20 new members.
Parading is a labor of love that tests commitment and physical limits. It’s also the most extraordinary way to see the city, to meet wonderful people who agree with you about what’s fun and to experience Mardi Gras from the inside out.
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- photo by Eli Mergel
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- passing Okeanos parade lining up
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- singing with crowd
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- walking to the parade
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- WWL’s Alfred Richard/610 Stomper
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- Amelia Earhawts
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- Pussyfooters gather
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- tightening corset
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- getting “tattooed”
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- our Handlers
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- Krewe of Thoth rolls
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- photo by Eli Mergel
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- during a parade stop
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- John Schneider and producer Alicia Allain
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
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- photo by Sean Hardy
L.A. to N.O.LA 
Nice post! You mention attending a minimum of 12 rehearsals. So does that mean it’s possible for an out-of-towner to join? Would love to join a group but living in Houston makes it tricky with some groups rehearsal requirements 😦
It’s possible, though very difficult. The Pussyfooters requires those practices as well as marching and specialty dance practices. More importantly, we provide support at various non-profit events year round and you’re required to do at least 2 of these events as well as 10 hours of service to our own organization. There are many groups who focus only on Carnival season and might be more manageable.
Thanks Laura, good to know! You never know when there will be a time in my life that allows more travel to NOLA, so I’ll keep that in mind. If you have any other groups you recommend I look into, would appreciate it! 🙂
I don’t know which groups would work best for your needs but this has a fairly comprehensive, up-to-date list of dance krewes:
http://www.whereyat.com/marching-groups-of-mardi-gras
And this slightly older list has short descriptions of many of the groups:
http://gonola.com/2014/02/06/mardi-gras-lagniappe-dance-troupes-and-marching-clubs.html
Laura, I’m way behind on thanking you for the links! I’ll check them out for sure. I forget to login here lol. Irony is I’m sitting in MSY on my way back to Houston!
And I’m way behind making a correction – it’s a minimum of 4 community service events, not 2. Safe travels!
No worries! I’ll be hanging on to this until I find a time in the near future that would allow me to travel back and forth enough to make this a reality 😀
Where there’s a will…