High-kicking Radio City Rockettes mark 100 years with Christmas Spectacular
A staple of the New York City holiday season is marking a century of wowing crowds: The high-kicking Radio City Rockettes are turning 100.
The famed dance troupe will celebrate the anniversary with its annual Christmas Spectacular, a festive performance of synchronized dance routines that includes the troupe’s signature precision kick line as well as the fan-favorite “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” in which the costumed dancers march in military-like formation and then famously collapse like dominoes.
The Rockettes represent a throwback to old-time New York, when Broadway was dominated by extravagant music and dance spectacles, elaborate costumes and lavish sets. Their journey through the past century has seen their modest Midwest beginning as a troupe of 16 precision dancers evolve into a large company of more than 80 staging as many as five shows a day. The shows incorporate a range of dance styles, including jazz, tap and ballet.
One thing that hasn’t changed: generations of little girls have grown up dreaming of joining the troupe. Isabelle Harris, a newly-minted Rockette from Utah, said she’s still floored to be a part of this year’s milestone.
“In my mind, the Rockettes were this amazing, strong, unique, glamorous group of women that I wanted to be a part of,” Harris said before rehearsal last week. “It’s so exciting to be joining the line this specific year.”
The troupe famously performed for American soldiers during World War II and have been a mainstay of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for decades.
The troupe’s signature Christmas Spectacular is a blend of the traditional and modern, says Julie Branam, the show’s longtime director.
The choreography in many of the most famous numbers have remained largely unchanged since the troupe’s founding, including the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.”
But one of the most marked changes over the years has been the increased technical abilities of the dancers, which has allowed the troupe to incorporate faster kicks and more challenging dance moves, says Branam, a former Rockette.