November 29, 2023 – The Rockettes

Tonight is the big Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting in New York City! Every year the tree lighting ceremony includes a performance by The Rockettes, who are best known for their iconic Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
The Rockettes were founded in St. Louis in 1925, but have been performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York City since 1932. The Rockettes were inspired by a precision dance group from the UK, the Tiller Girls, who first performed in the United States in 1900. A choreographer named Russell Markert saw the troupe in 1922 and was inspired to create his own version with American dancers.
His troupe was originally called the Missouri Rockets. They traveled to New York to perform in a Broadway show and were discovered by a showman named Roxy Rothafel. The dancers were an immediate hit and Rothafel begged Markert to form another troupe that could stay in New York when the rest went back to Missouri. The Rockettes performed at opening night of Radio City Music Hall in 1932, and a year later debuted their Christmas Spectacular.
In the earlier years, dancers had to be between 5’2 and 5’6 1/2. Today, the height requirement is between 5’6 and 5’10 1/2 in stocking feet. This is to give the illusion of each dancer being the same height. Rockettes must be proficient in a range of dance styles, including tap, modern, jazz, and ballet. There are 80 Rockettes total, but there are 2 casts. 40 perform in the morning and 40 perform in the evening, but there are only 36 dancers on stage at a time.
Over the years, more than 3,000 women have performed as Rockettes. Leading up the Christmas Spectacular, dancers rehearse 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 6 weeks. A Rockette can kick up to 650 times in one day! They do more than 160 kicks in each show, and can perform in in up to 4 shows a day during their busy holiday season. Over the course of each show, each dancer does up to 8 costume changes, and they’re responsible for their own hair and makeup. More than 2 million people attend the Christmas Spectacular each year. Learn more here.