Rockettes Celebrate a Century of Dance

The spectacle, bigger than Broadway and running much longer, begins with a 36-piece orchestra rising from below amid the soaring sounds of an overture.

Then the Rockettes, costumed as reindeer, appear on stage as they take Santa from the North Pole to New York City. It’s a trip complete with wooden soldiers and classic elements, at once familiar and yet with new elements.

The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes runs through January 5 at Radio City Music Hall.

It has attracted millions from around the world. But this year, there’s an element that only comes around once in a century.

The Rockettes look great for 100.

One of the world’s most famous dance troupes, the Rockettes, celebrates 100 years this year with festivities and ceremonies both on and off stage at Radio City Music Hall.

They predate the Christmas Spectacular, with 84 Rockettes total and two casts of 42. Thirty-six women perform live on stage, in a production that includes ensemble singers, dancers, Santa Claus, and others.

“There are some activations in the theater. You can walk around and see bygone days, what happened [in] the past,” said choreographer and director Julie Branam. “Once we set the show, we don’t change it, because there’s no time to rehearse. I do change things every year. They might be small things, but they make a big impact.”

The Rockettes perform in a 6,000-seat venue, typically with packed houses, in a holiday tradition as much a part of Manhattan as the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.

Founded in St. Louis in 1925 before taking their current name, the Rockettes are the longest-running precision dance company in the nation. Originally known as the “Missouri Rockets,” they relocated to New York City in 1927 and were renamed the Rockettes in 1932, when they moved to Radio City Music Hall.

In 1933, the troupe launched its annual Christmas Spectacular, including the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.”

The Rockettes, for more than 40 years, performed as the opening act for films at Radio City—including King Kong, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Mary Poppins, and White Christmas— before becoming the main act.

Branam has become a big part of the spectacle—now behind the scenes—since first seeing the Rockettes when she came to New York City as a child for their summer show. Years later, she auditioned several times before getting the job, remaining a Rockette for nearly 30 years.

“My first night in the city from Des Moines, Iowa, was at Radio City. I was here with a local ballet company from Iowa,” she said. “We went to Radio City Music Hall and I saw the Rockettes. I didn’t know that would be my path.”

Branam was a Rockette from 1988 to 2001 and has been choreographing the shows since 2014, doing everything from selecting new Rockettes to working with each year’s cast.

“I’m really focused on finding the best dancers that I think would make great Rockettes, smart, and well-trained in ballet, tap, and jazz,” Branam said. “You have to be dedicated to matching everybody and dancing at the same tempo as we hear the music.”

Around 1,000 auditioned this year as part of a three-day process that led to 10 new Rockettes joining and many returning.

“We do have people who come back every year, but we also have a lot of newcomers. The first year is really something special,” Branam said. “They probably have never worked harder in their life. The life of a Rockette is hard work, but gratifying.”

Doing the show is grueling in the same way that athletics can be, with the help of athletic trainers, requiring demanding endurance and expertise.

“It’s a rigorous show,” Branam added.

The Rockettes also work with a 36-piece orchestra that, thanks to hydraulics, travels across the stage to arrive upstage.

This year’s show utilizes a new immersive sound system called Sphere Immersive Sound, the same system used in Sphere in Las Vegas, featuring over 7,000 speakers.

The Rockettes have made history before, being among the first entertainers to volunteer for the United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II, a tradition they continued after the war.

They have performed annually in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1957 and launched their Easter Extravaganza, New York Spring Spectacular.

In 1988, the Rockettes performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show and at presidential inaugurations. In the 1990s, they launched their touring production of the Christmas Spectacular, reaching 12 million people in 80 cities across North America.

They have appeared at the Tony Awards, the New York City Pride Parade, MLB’s Home Run Derby, and the NBA All-Star Game; as well as on Saturday Night Live, America’s Got Talent, Today, Live with Kelly and Mark, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; and in the Hallmark film A Holiday Spectacular.

They have a social media fan base of more than 5.9 million followers and have danced with the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, James Corden, Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart, Jennifer Lopez, Kacey Musgraves, Leslie Odom Jr., Pitbull, Michael Strahan, Meghan Trainor, and more.

Although the Christmas Spectacular is the main show, the Rockettes also participate in other events, such as dancing at some Knicks games and taking part in the tree lighting ceremony.

“One of my favorite things is to watch kids with their families and parents watch the show,” Branam said. “There are so many fun moments in the show.”