COEUR d'ALENE - The girls lined up with hips thrown to the side, hands sucked to their waists.

"Are you girls ready to have big, big, big, big smiles?" Andrea Goad said, eyeing them one by one.

"Yes," they chorused.

Goad hit 'play' on the stereo and the girls moved as one, kicking, sashaying, petting the air as they stepped forward. Left, right, left, right.

Once they danced to the end of the Kroc Center gym on Sunday, the perky "Jingle Bells" music sprinkling the air, they turned to repeat.

"Then they do that 10 more times," said Goad, owner of Dance Theatre Northwest.

It might not sound like much to learn. But the 14 girls from the Rathdrum dance studio, ages 7 to 19, had to memorize the steps in just a week.

In a few more days, they'll be performing in front of thousands, at Disneyland.

"It's a lot for 7 and 8 year olds. The little guys are the ones I worry about," admitted Goad, whose own 7-year-old twins Isadora and Emma are among the performers. "But we've rehearsed it, and they get it."

The young performers who auditioned for the trip are scheduled to give two performances at the California theme park this week. Goad set up the trip through Dance the Magic, a company that links up numerous dance troupes for nationwide and international performances.

"They give you the choreography for the routines, then I'm responsible for teaching it to the girls, and they're responsible for performing," Goad said.

This is the first time members of the studio have traveled to perform, she added.

Everything has been happening quickly. While the girls have been rehearsing for two months, some of the choreography was provided only a week ago. They won't receive their costumes until they arrive at the park.

"I think they learn responsibility, accountability," Goad said of the trip's benefit.

The girls will perform to the soundtrack of "Cars" at Cars Land on Saturday. That's after they dance on Friday in a parade with 100 other youth, down Main Street of Disneyland.

That will actually be Disneyland's Christmas Parade - hence the "Jingle Bells" choreography - that will be aired on ABC on Christmas Day.

"I learned something. The parades we think happen on Christmas day? They don't," Goad said.

She has also learned that performing at Disneyland is expensive.

The girls aren't the only ones who have worked hard. Their parents have spent the past six months conducting spaghetti feeds, raffles, and other events to raise $20,000 for the trip.

That covers costumes, tickets, and other expenses for 44 dancers and their families to visit Disneyland.

"For the past six, seven months, this has been the story of our life," said Erica Brunko, whose three daughters Makkaylah, Destiny and Atarrah are performing.

Erica's husband, currently working in North Dakota to support the family, has worked an extra week for four months to cover the trip for the entire family.

"It's worth it just for the girls to have this experience," the Spirit Lake woman said. "We're waiting for the moment that will make it all worthwhile."

Holly Starchman, watching her daughter Aubrey rehearse, said she feels like she's bonded with the other parents after endless fundraisers and daily rehearsals.

"It's been fun getting to know each other," Holly said. "We spent the whole summer together."

And their daughters have learned something from the experience, she added.

"It's taught them how to work hard for what they want," she said.

Destiny Brunko admitted she was nervous dancing in the streets of Disneyland.

"We've been practicing a lot," the 14-year-old said. "I'm so excited."

Goad said the goal of the trip isn't to gain exposure for her studio.

"That would be a great added bonus, but I'm here for the kids," she said. "It's just very fulfilling. I can't wait until they get on Main Street. It will probably bring tears."