12 things you never knew about the Radio City Rockettes
Photos courtesy of MSG Entertainment
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Rockettes. And while this momentous occasion probably brings to mind Radio City and those famously in-sync high kicks, there’s so much more to this iconic dance troupe. For example, did you know the Rockettes actually began in the Midwest, not New York City? Or that they’re required to wear red lipstick? Read on for all the secrets and little-known facts about the Radio City Rockettes.
1. The Rockettes got their start in St. Louis in 1925.
The 1925 formation of the Rockettes is credited to the famed choreographer Russell Markert. Inspired by The Tiller Girls, a British precision dance troupe established in 1894, Markert wanted to achieve this same precision and uniformity among his dancers.
Though Markert was born in Jersey City and got his start on Broadway, he later lived and worked in St. Louis. His Missouri Rockets, a group of 16 dancers, were an instant hit.
Markert would remain the “chief choreographer, image-preserver and resident father-figure” of the Rockettes until he retired in 1971, according to his 1996 obituary.
2. The Rockettes’ first NYC show was not at Radio City—and they had a different name.
When the Rockettes began performing, they got the attention of New York City showman Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel. In 1927, he opened the Roxy Theatre, one of the largest theaters in the world at the time. Located at 7th Avenue and 50th Street, the opulent building had 6,200 seats and was a “combination movie and stage showplace,” considered “the cathedral of the motion picture,” according to the New York Public Library.
Rothafel pleaded with Markert to establish a second dance troupe to perform at the Roxy. These dancers were known as the Roxyettes.
When Rothafel partnered with John D. Rockefeller, Jr, to open Radio City Music Hall in 1932, the dancers performed on opening night, now officially known as the Radio City Rockettes. The following year, the Christmas Spectacular debuted, complete with the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.
3. There was once an entire underground world at Radio City for the Rockettes—along with a secret apartment.
As 6sqft previously explained, by the 1950s, “Radio City was showing world premiere movies together with Rockette stage shows, sometimes as many as five a day.” To accommodate the dancer’s demanding schedule, “Radio City opened a 26-bed dormitory, cafeteria, recreation area, tailor shop, and hospital with medical staff.”
Radio City also had a secret apartment for Rothafel. The building’s architect, Edward Durrell Stone, and its interior designer, Donald Deskey, created it as a gift for the theater impresario.
The apartment had “20-foot high ceilings covered in gold leaf, and walls decorated floor to ceiling with plush drapes,” according to Atlas Obscura. “Roxy wined and dined such leading lights as Olivia de Havilland, Samuel Goldwyn, and Alfred Hitchcock there,” they add.
Today, the opulent Art Deco apartment has been preserved as the Roxy Suite and can be rented for private events or film and TV shoots.
4. There are height requirements to be a Rockette—though some is illusion.
The original Missouri Rockets had a height requirement of between 5’2” and 5’6 ½”. Today, that’s changed to 5’6” and 5’10½”.
But even with this four-inch span, the dancers appear to all be the same height, thanks to the costumes being made proportionately.
“The way we line up is we put the taller girls in the center and gradually go down to the shorter girls on the end,” Alissa LaVergne, a veteran Rockette dancer, told the Associated Press. “There’s a bit of an illusion, but it’s actually really simple.”
Other requirements include being at least 18 years old and proficient in tap, modern, jazz, and ballet dance styles.
5. There’s an illusion to those famous high kicks, too.
Believe it or not, when the 36 Rockettes perform their 300 high kicks per show, they’re not actually touching but rather “feeling the fabric,” or gently brushing up on one another, LaVergne explained.
“It just looks like you’re actually holding onto your neighbor but we don’t,” she said, noting that ensures the dancers stay uniform without pushing or leaning on each other.
6. The Rockettes went on strike in 1967.
On September 16, 1967, the Rockettes went on strike against Radio City Music Hall for nearly a month to demand better wages. At the time, they were still putting on several shows a day and participating in countless hours of unpaid rehearsal.
According to an article from The New York Times that year, after 18 hours of bargaining, “A spokesman for the union said that among the issues settled were the $2.50 an hour rehearsal pay, higher extra pay for extra shows, such as New Year’s Eve, higher pay for solo work and for work requiring special talent.”
7. The dancers helped save Radio City from demolition.
Add preservationists to the Rockettes’ resumes. In 1978, facing a $2 million operating loss, Radio City Music Hall was slated to close due to “a scarcity of the family‐type films on which the hall made its reputation, and a decline in audiences,” according to an article from The New York Times published at the time.
Upon hearing the news, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns, Dance Captain of the Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, created the Showpeople’s Committee to Save Radio City Music Hall.
“The group was made up of all types of employees who made the theater run, from Rockettes and singers to ushers and stagehands. Novellino made television and radio appearances and produced publicity stunts to garner support for the theater from celebrities and politicians across the nation,” explained Untapped New York, after interviewing Novellino in 2023.
In just a few short months, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the interior of Radio City an official landmark, saving it from the wrecking ball. Shortly thereafter, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
8. There are microphones in the dancers’ shoes.
Prior to the ‘90s, the Radio City audience was hearing the Rockettes’ pre-recorded taps for their two tap dance performances—“Rag Dolls” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The first attempt to change this required the dancers to wear wired microphones and belt packs, which were bulky and slowed down costume changes. To solve the issues, engineers developed custom dance shoes with a special cavity in the heel to hold a sound transmitter, so now audiences hear the actual live taps.
9. Some costume changes are as quick as 78 seconds.
The Rockettes are in nine different numbers in the Christmas Spectacular, meaning they have eight costume changes, many of which have to be completed in mere seconds.
In fact, a Rockette named Giulia told a Time Out New York writer that the dancers have just 78 seconds to change from their “flouncy green-and-red dresses into their stiff toy soldier costumes.”
“‘New York at Christmas’ into ‘Wooden Soliders,’ our change is 78 seconds long, and even down to our gloves, we have to change,” she shared. “For me, it’s really choreographed to the music. I know on the word ‘best,’ I need to have the dress in my hand. The word ‘subway,’ I know my gloves have to be on.”
Thankfully, there is a team of dressers backstage to help the dancers.
10. The Rockettes have a few beauty requirements.
After an interview last year with three Rockettes, People learned that there are just two makeup requirements for all the dancers—a red lip and false eyelashes. Surprisingly, though, they must do their own makeup.
“A lot of people think that we might have makeup artists, but we do it every single day,” dancer Jordan Betscher told the magazine.
They’re also responsible for doing their own hair, which must be in a French twist. Some dancers use up to 86 bobby pins to keep their hair in place!
11. Even current dancers have to re-audition every year.
Similar to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (for anyone who watched America’s Sweethearts), even current Rockettes have to re-audition every year.
“Auditions are in April. For new women that audition, it’s actually like a three-day process,” dancer Alexis Payton told People. “You start with a jazz combination, and then you get into tap. Sometimes you’ll build on those combinations as the days go by.”
12. The pre-holiday rehearsal schedule is intense.
To get ready for the Christmas Spectacular, the Rockettes have a very intense rehearsal schedule that entails practicing for six hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks.
Furthermore, dancers must come to rehearsals already warmed up. But after the show’s opening night, there are no more practices.
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