![Rockettes 2239923477 139ea932b2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Rockettes_2239923477_139ea932b2.jpg)
The Rockettes are an American precision
dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...
. Founded 1925 in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, they have, since , performed at
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Until 2015, they also had a touring company. They are best known for starring in the
Radio City Christmas Spectacular
The ''Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes'' is an annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 90-minute show features more than 140 performers and an original musical score, an ...
, an annual Christmas show, and for performing annually since 1957 at the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
in New York.
There have been over 3,000 women who have performed as Rockettes since the New York Christmas Spectacular opening night in 1933. The Rockettes also conduct the Rockette Summer Intensive for dancers aspiring to be Rockettes.
History
Early years
![Rockettes 4158767098 b667436066](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Rockettes_4158767098_b667436066.jpg)
The Rockettes were originally inspired by the
Tiller Girls
The Tiller Girls were among the most popular dance troupes of the 1890s, first formed by John Tiller in Manchester, England, in 1889. In theatre Tiller had noticed the overall effect of a chorus of dancers was often spoiled by lack of discipline. ...
, a precision dance company of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
established by John Tiller in the 1890s. Tiller sent the first troupe of Tiller Girls to perform in the United States in 1900, and eventually there were three lines of them working on Broadway.
In 1922, choreographer Russell Markert saw one of these troupes, known as the Tiller Rockets, perform in the
Ziegfeld Follies
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...
and was inspired to create his own version with American dancers.
[
As Markert would later recall, "If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks, they'd really knock your socks off."][ They were originally called the Missouri Rockets. After the impresario Roxy brought them to New York for his Roxy Theatre, they were called the Roxyettes. Only later would they become the Rockettes, after Roxy and Radio City Music Hall parted ways.
The Rockettes have long been represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists (AVGA). In 1967, they won a month-long strike for better working conditions, which was led by AGVA salaried officer ]Penny Singleton
Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908 – November 12, 2003) was an American actress, singer, dancer and labor leader. During her 60-year career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the ...
. In August 2002, contract negotiations for the troupe's veteran members resulted in a buyout by the owners of Radio City Music Hall. Roughly a fourth of the veteran Rockettes were offered retirement options, while the remaining dancers were offered the opportunity to re-audition.
Radio City Rockettes
On August 1, 2007, the Rockettes were inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...
.
Rockettes Summer Intensive
From 2002-2019 the Rockettes presented a dance training program called the Rockettes Summer Intensive. This weeklong dance education program offered aspiring dancers the opportunity to train with current Radio City Rockettes and choreographers and learn choreography from the Rockettes repertoire. Since its inception nearly 100 dancers from this program have become Rockettes.
Controversies
Discrimination and lack of diversity
The Rockettes were created in 1925, but the first non-white Rockette, a Japanese-born woman named Setsuko Maruhashi, was not hired until 1985. The Rockettes did not allow dark-skinned dancers into the dance line until 1987. The justification for this policy was that such women would supposedly distract from the consistent look of the dance group. The first African American Rockette was Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...
; selected in 1987, she made her debut in 1988 at the Super Bowl XXIII halftime show. The first person with a visible disability hired by the Rockettes (Sydney Mesher, missing a left hand due to symbrachydactyly) was hired in 2019.
Trump inauguration controversy
In late 2016, the Madison Square Garden Company
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (also known as MSG Sports) is an American sports holding company based in New York City.
MSG Sports manages professional sports teams. These include the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks and ...
, which manages the troupe, agreed to have the Rockettes perform at the inauguration of Donald Trump
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Donald Trump's term as president and Mike Pence as vice president. An estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the public ceremony hel ...
. According to a report in the ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', there was an initial "edict" to perform at the inaugural. Immediately several Rockettes dissented,[ including Rockette Phoebe Pearl who complained that she was being forced to perform at the inaugural against her wishes.] One Rockette felt reluctant to "perform for this monster", referring to president-elect Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, and another said she "wouldn't feel comfortable standing near a man like that in our costumes."
Madison Square Garden issued a statement saying that "For a Rockette to be considered for an event, they must voluntarily sign up and are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural. It is always their choice. In fact, for the coming inauguration, we had more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available." Another report suggested that dancers were allowed to "opt-out" if they thought that they would feel uncomfortable performing.[
Many on social media believed attendance was mandatory, including Julissa Sabino, a performer who is part of the union, who tweeted that the issue "breaks my heart" and urged supporters to "help these ladies." Autumn Withers, a former Rockette, supported a boycott, saying "take a knee, ladies!"] In December 2016, according to ''The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', three of the thirteen full-time dancers had chosen to sit out the event. The company danced to a medley of Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook.
Born in Imperial Russi ...
songs at the Inaugural Ball
United States presidential inaugural balls are large social gatherings, both white tie and black tie, held to celebrate the commencement of a new term of the President of the United States. Planned and sanctioned by the Presidential Inaugura ...
on the evening of January 20.
Notable former Rockettes
* Lucille Bremer
Lucille Bremer (February 21, 1917 – April 16, 1996) was an American film actress and dancer.
Biography
Bremer was born in Amsterdam (city), New York, Amsterdam, New York, but soon moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she studied ba ...
* Pat Colgate
* Maria Fletcher
* Adele Jergens
* Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...
* Suzanne Kaaren
* Amanda Kloots
Amanda Kloots (born March 19, 1982) is an American television personality, dancer, actress and fitness instructor. Since 2021, she has been a co-host of the daytime talk show '' The Talk''.
Early life
Kloots is the second youngest of five childr ...
* Keltie Knight
Keltie Colleen Knight (née Busch; born January 28, 1982) is a Canadian television personality, actress, podcast host, author, and former professional dancer. She was formerly the weekend co-host and correspondent for the syndicated show '' The In ...
* Alicia Luciano
* Margaret E. Lynn
* Joan McCracken
Joan Hume McCracken (December 31, 1917 – November 1, 1961) was an American dancer and actress who became famous for her role as Sylvie ("The Girl Who Falls Down") in the original 1943 production of ''Oklahoma!'' She also was noted for her per ...
* Kandice Pelletier
Kandice Pelletier (born November 21, 1981) is an American beauty queen and swimwear designer from Marietta, Georgia who has competed in the Miss America pageant and on two seasons of the reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. As of 2012, ...
* Suzanne Rogers
Suzanne Rogers (born Suzanne Cecelia Crumpler; July 9, 1943) is an American actress with film and television credits. Her stage name was inspired by Ginger Rogers, whom she cites as a personal inspiration for joining the entertainment industry. ...
* Jane Sherman
* Vera-Ellen
References
External links
The Radio City Rockettes – Official Website
Radio City Music Hall – Official Website
Photos: The Rockettes in rehearsal
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockettes, The
1925 establishments in Missouri
American girl groups
Dance companies in New York City
Radio City Music Hall