The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
What You Need To Know<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n- The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Today, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- But the group wasn\u2019t always as big as it is today, and it began in St. Louis, founded by\u00a0choreographer Russell Markert<\/li>\n
- Today,\u00a0director and choreographer\u00a0Julie Branam says it’s “truly amazing” to be part of the legacy, while rookie Rockette Samantha Noto says she feels “honored” to be part of it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/h5>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nToday, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to say they’re athletes dripping in diamonds, which they really are, because they have to be in such incredible shape,\u201d said Julie Branam, director and choreographer, who started her career as a Rockette in 1988.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very intense, and the show is really rigorous,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
But the group wasn\u2019t always as big as it is today. A photo of the original troupe \u2014 the Missouri Rockets \u2014 founded by choreographer Russell Markert in St. Louis in 1925 shows just eight dancers.<\/p>\n
Markert was inspired by the English troupe the Tiller Girls. He equated the sharp, clean sound of the word \u201crocket\u201d with the sharp, clean lines and kicks of the dancing.<\/p>\n
In an undated quote attributed to Markert, he once said: “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 \u2026 they’d knock your socks off!”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kickline was was one thing that was very famous, and I think they really were hoofers, really tapping,\u201d Branam said. \u201cThey were really great tappers.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a couple years in Missouri, Markert\u2019s dancers went on tour in a road show and appeared in the film \u201cKing of Jazz\u201d in 1930.\u00a0<\/p>\n
About a year later, the group relocated to New York, where, now owned by the Rockefellers, they settled on a new name \u2014 the Radio City Rockettes. Their new home? The brand new Radio City Music Hall.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe Rockettes in 1937 (Photo courtesy MSG Entertainment)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI remember my first step on that stage,\u201d said Samantha Noto, whose in her first season with the Rockettes. \u201cIt was thrilling. It’s a unforgettable feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always knew I wanted to be a Rockette,\u201d she added. \u201cJust seeing the line of women, the strength, the athleticism, the passion for dance, I knew that’s definitely where I belonged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noto also happens to be from Missouri.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a part of something that is from where I grew up, it’s so special, and I just feel honored to be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/s7d2.scene7.com\/is\/image\/TWCNews\/Rockettes2_AP25310052036899\")
<\/p>\nThe Radio City Rockettes perform the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers dance during the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Now one of the most famous dance troupes in the world, the Radio City Rockettes are not without controversy.<\/p>\n
Markert, wanting uniformity, famously excluded women of color.\u00a0 But they began to turn the page in 1985 with the addition of the group\u2019s first Asian American dancer, and in 1987 with its first Black dancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Rockettes are so iconic, not only in New York but all over,\u201d Branam said. \u201cAnd they should represent the world, and that’s really what how the company feels, and it’s how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0A special ceremony ahead of last month\u2019s opening night ushered in the group\u2019s centennial season.<\/p>\n
Branam said it is \u201ctruly amazing\u201d to be part of such a legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s the Rockettes, it’s the crew, it’s the orchestra, it’s everybody coming together to make the magic at Radio City,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Magic that\u2019s on track to continue for another 100 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumlocalnews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925.\u00a0 What You Need To Know The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925 Today, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week But the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2187407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[22793,22694,22800,22811,422080,154372,377165,21741,21738,105894,21737,71501],"class_list":["post-2187406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-all-markets-rank-everywhere","tag-app-arts-entertainment","tag-app-for-your-consideration","tag-app-top-stories","tag-chris-welch","tag-ctv-for-your-consideration","tag-ctv-what-you-need-to-know-national","tag-entertainment","tag-news","tag-nnt","tag-top-stories","tag-vod"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Radio-City-Rockettes-alive-and-high-kicking-in-100th-season.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2187406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2187408,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406\/revisions\/2187408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2187407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2187406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2187406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2187406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Today, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- But the group wasn\u2019t always as big as it is today, and it began in St. Louis, founded by\u00a0choreographer Russell Markert<\/li>\n
- Today,\u00a0director and choreographer\u00a0Julie Branam says it’s “truly amazing” to be part of the legacy, while rookie Rockette Samantha Noto says she feels “honored” to be part of it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/h5>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Today, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to say they’re athletes dripping in diamonds, which they really are, because they have to be in such incredible shape,\u201d said Julie Branam, director and choreographer, who started her career as a Rockette in 1988.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very intense, and the show is really rigorous,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
But the group wasn\u2019t always as big as it is today. A photo of the original troupe \u2014 the Missouri Rockets \u2014 founded by choreographer Russell Markert in St. Louis in 1925 shows just eight dancers.<\/p>\n
Markert was inspired by the English troupe the Tiller Girls. He equated the sharp, clean sound of the word \u201crocket\u201d with the sharp, clean lines and kicks of the dancing.<\/p>\n
In an undated quote attributed to Markert, he once said: “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 \u2026 they’d knock your socks off!”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kickline was was one thing that was very famous, and I think they really were hoofers, really tapping,\u201d Branam said. \u201cThey were really great tappers.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a couple years in Missouri, Markert\u2019s dancers went on tour in a road show and appeared in the film \u201cKing of Jazz\u201d in 1930.\u00a0<\/p>\n
About a year later, the group relocated to New York, where, now owned by the Rockefellers, they settled on a new name \u2014 the Radio City Rockettes. Their new home? The brand new Radio City Music Hall.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe Rockettes in 1937 (Photo courtesy MSG Entertainment)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI remember my first step on that stage,\u201d said Samantha Noto, whose in her first season with the Rockettes. \u201cIt was thrilling. It’s a unforgettable feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always knew I wanted to be a Rockette,\u201d she added. \u201cJust seeing the line of women, the strength, the athleticism, the passion for dance, I knew that’s definitely where I belonged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noto also happens to be from Missouri.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a part of something that is from where I grew up, it’s so special, and I just feel honored to be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Radio City Rockettes perform the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers dance during the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Now one of the most famous dance troupes in the world, the Radio City Rockettes are not without controversy.<\/p>\n
Markert, wanting uniformity, famously excluded women of color.\u00a0 But they began to turn the page in 1985 with the addition of the group\u2019s first Asian American dancer, and in 1987 with its first Black dancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Rockettes are so iconic, not only in New York but all over,\u201d Branam said. \u201cAnd they should represent the world, and that’s really what how the company feels, and it’s how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0A special ceremony ahead of last month\u2019s opening night ushered in the group\u2019s centennial season.<\/p>\n
Branam said it is \u201ctruly amazing\u201d to be part of such a legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s the Rockettes, it’s the crew, it’s the orchestra, it’s everybody coming together to make the magic at Radio City,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Magic that\u2019s on track to continue for another 100 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n
\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumlocalnews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925.\u00a0 What You Need To Know The Radio City Rockettes have been high-kicking their way through the holidays since 1925 Today, that means two casts totaling 84 dancers performing as many as five shows a day, seven days a week But the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2187407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[22793,22694,22800,22811,422080,154372,377165,21741,21738,105894,21737,71501],"class_list":["post-2187406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-all-markets-rank-everywhere","tag-app-arts-entertainment","tag-app-for-your-consideration","tag-app-top-stories","tag-chris-welch","tag-ctv-for-your-consideration","tag-ctv-what-you-need-to-know-national","tag-entertainment","tag-news","tag-nnt","tag-top-stories","tag-vod"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Radio-City-Rockettes-alive-and-high-kicking-in-100th-season.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2187406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2187408,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187406\/revisions\/2187408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2187407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2187406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2187406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2187406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}