Kick off the holidays with the iconic Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall
NEW YORK CITY - What better way to KICK off the holiday season than seeing the iconic Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall!
FOX 5 NY's Amanda Geffner heads to the Large Rehearsal Hall to learn more about the Christmas Spectacular and try some kicks.
What is the audition process like for a Radio City Rockette?
The audition process takes three days in the spring.
Rockette Mindy Moeller believes that this year, there were over 1,000 women who showed up.
"What I love about the Radio City Rockettes is anyone can show up, all you have to do is pre-register online," Moeller said.
Each dancer will learn choreography from the show, which includes having a background in tap, ballet and jazz.
Rockettes should be between 5'5" and 5'10.5".
By the end of the third audition day, Moeller said it dwindles down to about 60-70 dancers and varies every year.
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About the Christmas Spectacular
Within the Christmas Spectacular, there are nine different numbers and for each number, the dancers wear a different pair of shoes.
There’s a morning and afternoon cast in the Christmas Spectacular. There are a total of 84 Rockettes and only 36 perform on stage at a time.
The duration of the Christmas Spectacular is 90 minutes with no intermission.
Each cast has four swings who fill in the spots for nine of the women on the line.
Fun facts:
- Roughly every show, the Rockettes do up to 200 kicks
- The Rockettes do not touch on the kickline
- Over 3,000 women have performed as Rockettes
- The Rockettes rehearse six hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks
The 2023 Christmas Spectacular again features the fan-favorite scene "Dance of the Frost Fairies," which was re-imagined in 2022 and features the Rockettes as fantastical winged fairies, performing alongside fairy drones that dance high above the audience.
Other iconic numbers featured in the show include the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers", "Sleigh Ride", "New York at Christmas", "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rag Dolls".
The "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" has been a part of Radio City’s holiday tradition since they were first performed on the Great Stage in 1933 and the routine has not been changed since.
The Rockettes are now gearing up to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2025.
Catch the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall now until Jan. 4.
To purchase tickets, click here.