The Rockettes and their Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall are a big part of the holidays in New York City. Did you know that they also have a two touring companies, one of which performed in Chicago a few years ago. This year they are performing in Omaha, Houston, and Nashville.
My family was lucky enough to get to see them and my daughter the dancer even got to meet a couple Rockettes. It was a huge moment for her, and pretty exciting for all of us, I must say. We all got a kick out of it. (I’m so sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Turns out that the Rockettes have pretty broad appeal to all ages and genders. A friend was just telling me how her little boy was completely enthralled with the performance he saw and that he could not get over “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.” She said her family still talks about how he kept exclaiming “Oh my God!” in awe as they fell.
Have your kids seen “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers”? Check it out, and get some fun facts about the Rockettes below.
1933 – The year the Rockettes first performed “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” at Radio City Music Hall. That’s a long-standing tradition!
1,500 – The Rockettes apply that many red dots to their cheeks each season for “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.”
78 – Seconds for a costume change out of the soldier uniform and into dresses for “New York at Christmas.” I’m pretty certain my child has never changed clothes in 7.8 minutes, let alone 78 seconds. The dancers wear a total of 9 costumes at each performance.
206 – Number of times they perform the Christmas Spectacular in New York in a season. There are 2 different casts, meaning each dancer performs in 103 shows.
300 – Kicks per show, including strut kicks (to the waist) and high kicks (to the eye).
72 – Microphones in the tap shoes. They amplify the tap sounds but also mean that the dancers must absolutely precise. One wrong step many not be seen by all, but it will be heard by everyone.
216 – Hours of rehearsal prior to opening night. For 6 weeks, they practice 6 hours a day for 6 days a week. That makes me tired just thinking about it.
90 – Minutes that each show lasts, with no intermission.
500 – Aspiring dancers who audition for the Rockettes each season.
You can find more Rockettes videos on their YouTube channel here.
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