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-The Rockettes first performed at Radio City Music Hall in 1932 at the height of The Great Depression. They are best known for their perfectly unified and synchronized high leg kicks performed within the confines of the traditional chorus line.
-Auditions to become a Rockette are held in New York City each April. On average, 400 to 500 hopeful women from around the globe audition.
-In total, there are 80 official Rockettes comprised of two separate casts, each cast featuring 36 dancers on the stage at a given time. Rehearsals for the “Christmas Spectacular” commence in September, running Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm.
– Costumes for the big production can weigh as much as a small child. The heaviest costume, at a whopping 40 lbs., is the “Santa Suit”, from the beloved “Dancing Santas’ number. Not surprisingly, this happens to be the Rockettes’ favorite number to perform because they get to dance in flats!
-Each Rockette goes through eight costume changes per show. The quickest changeover is that from “The Wooden Soldier” dance to the “Double Decker Bus” piece, allowing each dancer a mere 78 seconds right to transform, literally in the wings.
-Those rosy cheeks that the wooden soldiers wear aren’t natural. Okay we probably already knew that but did you know those dapple apples adhere to the skin by the magic of double-sided tape? The Rockettes go through approximately 15,000 “rosy cheeks” every season!
-The “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” has been in the show since 1933. The dancers wear microphones in their shoes to magnify the sound of their taps. There is actually an entire microphone crew solely devoted to making sure that the tap shoes are amplified and powered up.
-The Rockettes have performed annually at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1957.
-The kickoff of the holiday season commencing with the annual Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony would not be complete without a performance by New York’s – and the world’s – beloved Radio City Rockettes.