At highs of about 40 degrees and lows of 30, winter weather will put a chill into anyone who happens to be standing outdoors to witness Macy's 82nd Thanksgiving Day Parade today.

So consider what that must be like for the 150 dancers from Hawaii—many of whom have never experienced an East Coast winter—making their way from Central Park West to Macy's Herald Square, seemingly in little more than bandeau tops and grass skirts.

“;During roll call I asked how many had experienced winter weather, and only a handful raised their hands,”; said Iwalani Tseu, assistant director for the Polynesian Dance Ensemble of Hawaii, which has been in New York acclimating and rehearsing in the cold since last Friday.

On the plus side, they didn't need refrigeration for the lei and ti leaves they brought along. “;We can just leave them on the (hotel) balcony,”; Tseu said.

This isn't the first time a Hawaii entourage has made its way to the Big Apple for the event. The ensemble has borrowed a few tricks from ice skaters in order to keep warm during the three-hour, 2.5-mile parade route. They will be bundled in hoodies and jackets most of the time, until they get to the spot where the NBC cameras will be set up to televise their hula.

The dancers, under the direction of John Riggle and Tseu, will dance to “;Hawaiian War Chant,”; as recorded specifically for the parade by Na Leo Pilimehana.

They'll be dressed in red and yellow, colors linked to feathered capes worn by Hawaiian royalty. And, underneath the sway of the pa'u, ti leaf and Tahitian skirts will be layers of thermal underwear, flesh-tone unitards, heavy socks and nude shoes.

“;It's so exciting that we are representing Hawaii, and we didn't want to compromise too much. When people see our dancers, we want them to say, 'That's Hawaii,' and think it's a parade like they'd see in the islands. It's only if they look closely they'll see, 'Oh, they're wearing socks.'”;

Riggle, a 32-year band director at Kamehameha Schools and founder of the Hawaii All-State Marching Band and Dance Ensemble, was invited by Macy's to put together a 150-member troupe honoring the store's 150th anniversary. Dancers were nominated and selected from high schools on each of the islands, representing several schools of dance.

The entourage grew by 20 with the addition of male conch-shell blowers, and those watching the parade live will see closer to 350 marching in the parade, including parents or chaperones who must be there to grab their charges' jackets and disappear to the sidelines a minute before they reach camera range.

“;We didn't want any of the parents to get lost en route or be unable to get through the crowd, so the only way we could do that was to have them march with the unit,”; Tseu said. “;You know Hawaii, we invite everyone and their auntie, but I'm sure the people there will love it. Who doesn't love Hawaii?”;