New York City isn’t hurting for holiday traditions, but even among iconic events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the New Year’s Eve ball drop, the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular show remains a bucket-list item for many folks. Since the 1920s, the all-female dance troupe has wowed New Yorkers and travelers alike with their elaborate costumes, expert moves—especially, of course, those sky-high kicks!—and impressive ability to convert even the Grinchiest of Grinches.
On opening night in mid-November, I was able to see it all up close and personal for the first time. Wearing my most Christmasy colors, I took the subway to Rockefeller Center for the 7:30 p.m. performance and ran into a huge crowd. Peppy attendants holding huge plastic candy canes directed everyone into lines. Before long, I had made it inside, found my seat, and settled in to watch. Capering and cavorting in perfect rhythm as Christmas carols played in the background and a projector beamed wintry images onto the walls and ceiling, the Rockettes managed to achieve that rarest of things: entertaining kids and adults simultaneously. Whether they’re trotting around as Santa’s reindeer or flitting about as frost fairies, every step is synched, every hair in place, every smile wide. Nifty technical touches only added to the charm—flying confetti, fluttering streamers, even a flock of fairy drones. Several little kids sitting in the row in front of me even reached out for the latter when they passed by, trying to snatch a memento from the air. Behind them, awed, transfixed, and transported by the spectacle, I couldn’t help but fight a similar impulse.
But the polished production is the tip of the iceberg; a churning mix of raw talent, tenacious passion, and hard work makes up the rest, as I already knew from talking to some of the dancers. The week before, I had been able to follow four of them behind the scenes as they prepared for the busy day ahead—applying makeup in a cozy dressing room, stretching in a spacious dance studio, paying a preventive visit to an athletic trainer’s office, and changing into the first of many costumes in a huge walk-in closet crowded with beautiful outfits. In the process, I saw a tiny fraction of the time and effort that went into crafting this year’s show. The hallmark of any talented artist is the ability to make the amazing look effortless, and in that regard the Rockettes are no exception.
Given the prestige attached to the role, becoming (and remaining) a Rockette is no easy feat, so competition for open slots can be fierce. Oftentimes, hopefuls often have to try out multiple times before they make the cut. Then, it’s off to the races: an intense rehearsal schedule that spans six hours a day for six days a week for six weeks straight. And the work does not stop once the curtain descends for the last time in early January. Even though the dancers disperse, they have to stay in shape in preparation for the start of the next season in the fall—especially since return isn’t guaranteed. Yep, that’s right, dancers have to reaudition every single year.
That said, for all its demands, the gig is in some ways a labor of love—a professional ambition achieved, a childhood dream realized. Whenever and however they found their way to Radio City, Tamia Strickland, 23, MacKenzie Howse, 25, Hannah Hawkins, 27, and Paige McRae, 29, all began dancing at an early age and worked hard to claim a place in the kickline. With five seasons under her belt, Howse is the most senior of the four, followed by McRae (a third-year vet) and Strickland and Hawkins (rookies). “I don’t know if it ever gets easier, but I think you get more confident in the space and knowing what it’s like to be here,” McRae tells SELF.
Before one November show, SELF caught up with them backstage to ask how they feel about representing an iconic cultural institution, the best ways to prep for (and recover from) shows, the bonds forged amid the hard work and long hours, and how they balance life as Rockettes with, well, life the other nine months of the year.
SELF: As rookie Rockettes, what was the audition process like?
Tamia Strickland: Open-call auditions were in April, and there’s a three-day-long audition process. I got through all three days and then got invited to Conservatory Week, which is a weeklong program where we train with the Rockettes and the Ailey School [an educational institution that partners with the Rockettes on dancer development programs]. And the Dance Theatre of Harlem also comes and teaches us classes, so we’re exposed to a wide variety of dance styles over the week. And then there’s another invite-only audition in August, which I also did. [Basically,] it was a summer-long process to be here.
SELF: Did you get an offer the first time you auditioned, or did you have to go through it a couple times before you made the cut?
Strickland: I auditioned twice, so this past audition was my second time. Being a Rockette has always been a dream of mine, and I knew it was possible if I just kept going for it, pushing. Besides, I love Christmas in New York, and I wanted to be part of that iconic Christmas tradition for so many people. And so that just kept motivating me to keep going, because I knew someday it was going to happen.
SELF: How did you all feel when you got the notification that you were in the cast for this year?
Strickland: When I got the phone call, I was speechless. I was like, “Uh, hi? Oh, yes, I would love to.” And I immediately called my mom. She started bawling, and I just remember feeling like, Oh, I did it! All that hard work paid off, and I accomplished something. Stepping on stage for the first time, I was like, Wow. It was a dream come true, and I started tearing up a little bit in my reindeer costume.
Hannah Hawkins: Yeah, getting the call is pretty magical. I remember that I was shaking. I was with my husband in a drive-through line at a coffee shop. He’s getting handed his coffee through the window, and I’m over there freaking out!
MacKenzie Howse: And there’s actually a separate audition for us as [veteran] Rockettes. It’s a one-day process for us. Return isn’t guaranteed, so it keeps us at the top of our game. I feel more confident every year that I go into it.
SELF: What is the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from a veteran Rockette?
Strickland: Someone told me to remember that I’m here for a reason, because I was very nervous coming into this space. So just to be reminded that I did it and to keep pushing and showcasing myself was very helpful.
SELF: Can you walk me through the practice and training schedule leading up to the start of the season?
Howse: We actually rehearse six days a week for six hours a day [for six weeks] leading up to our performances. We do up to 200 kicks a show and up to four shows a day, so it’s an amazing opportunity to really build up that stamina.
Paige McRae: We definitely train like athletes—not just dancers, but athletes. We have an entire team that helps us, physical therapists and athletic trainers who are there to make sure that we know how to take care of our bodies to do this type of work. When we go out on stage, we want to make it look effortless, of course, but behind the scenes we’re definitely working really hard. So it’s great to have the support system in line, from the vets who can give tips on how to best wear your shoes to blister care from our athletic-training team.
Hawkins: You also definitely have to show up for the season ready. Since we’re only in season for three and a half months, our rehearsal process is very quick, so you have to show up in shape right at the get-go. You can’t use the season—as I’ve learned—to reach that point. You got to train before.
SELF: What’s your preshow routine like?
Hawkins: I’ll try to get my hair and makeup done as soon as I arrive at the Hall, and then I’ll head to athletic training and go through my warm-up routine, which takes maybe 25, 30 minutes as well. I’m trying to wake up my body, so I do lots of active warm-ups, like lunges.
McRae: Lots of times, the athletic-training team will tape us to support our feet. I’ll also warm up my legs in a hot bath.
Howse: I always make sure I’m getting nutrition before I get to the building. And we always eat in between shows as well, just to keep the carbs up.
Strickland: I always eat breakfast before I get to the space to make sure I’m fueled and ready to go. In athletic training, I’ll tape my feet because I don’t want to get blisters in my shoes, warm up my hamstrings. And then like five minutes before showtime, I will do any last-minute touch-ups to make sure that I’m looking my best for the stage.
SELF: What about your postshow regimen?
McRae: Our athletic-training team always has an ice bath prepped. Using that cold temperature helps expedite the recovery time since we do have to turn around quickly.
Howse: Recovery is so important. If not, then we just get sore, and those eye-high kicks aren’t as easy.
McRae: You definitely feel the fatigue in your body. You’re nice and sweaty, you lose some of that perfect makeup. But there’s always a little bit of an adrenaline rush.
Strickland: I always ice my feet after, and then I typically go home, take a nice warm shower. My mom always calls to see how the show went, so I talk to her for a little bit, make myself dinner, relax and wind down by reading a book or putting on a movie.
SELF: What’s the most fun routine or dance number?
McRae: I would say personally for me, our “Sleigh Ride” number—the opening number. We’re dressed as reindeer, in a little tuxedo jacket, and the curtain opens and we charge downstage to start the show. That, for me, is one of the most exhilarating moments. During my first season, the veteran at the time—it was her 17th season, so she had been around the block before—said, “Nothing will ever compare to the first curtain that opens for your live audience as a Rockette.” And I think I still have those chills in me, ever since that first show.
Howse: I actually really enjoy our “Here Comes Santa Claus” number. We’re all dressed as Santa, so seeing all the little kids just light up and get so excited when they see us come down [the aisle] is a really special moment for me.
Strickland: I enjoy “New York at Christmas.” That’s been a fun one. We’re on a moving bus onstage, which is really cool. And for me, I’m on the upper deck, so that’s the first time I can look out into the audience and really see people. I’m like, Oh, wow. We have a costume change onstage—we take off our coat [to reveal] our red or green sparkly dresses—so the number’s a little sassy, which I like.
McRae: Plus, we have a lot of fun [between dance numbers] connecting with each other backstage as we’re changing costumes.
Hawkins: And sometimes those changes are really fast. After the “[Wooden] Soldier Fall,” we only have, I think, like 78 seconds to change into our “New York at Christmas” costume, which is a dress, a coat, a hat, a muff, gloves, shoes. We’re all so zoned in. The adrenaline of it is kind of fun and crazy.
SELF: Famously, the show includes a living Nativity scene involving animals [including sheep, camels, and donkeys]. What is it like rehearsing and performing with them?
McRae: I personally am one of the shepherds in the Nativity scene, so I get to hang out with Gladys. She’s a two-year-old sheep, and she’s wonderful, an incredible castmate. We all get acclimated to our animals before showtime—they all have names, their own personalities, so we get to know them as such.
SELF: Tell me a little about your relationship with your fellow Rockettes. Do you feel like friends, coworkers, or somewhere in between?
McRae: I’d say family. Whenever you’re [starting out as] a Rockette, someone says to you, “Look around the room. These will be the women in your wedding one day, the women who celebrate the birth of your first baby or a birthday party, whatever it might be.” And it really does become that way. Usually, you spend the holidays with your family, but we’re spending it with each other, and these bonds that we form are irreplaceable, for sure.
Hawkins: [Given we work] in such a creative, artistic world, too, we’re part of such a vulnerable and exciting experience together, and there’s kind of no way to not bond on that emotional level.
Howse: We spend so much time on the stage together behind the scenes, but those relationships really carry out into our lives. In the five years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve met some of my best friends, and even when we’re off the stage we’re always constantly a part of each other’s lives. We truly become sisters.
Strickland: This is my first year [as a Rockette], so going in, I was a little nervous, but honestly everyone was so welcoming. It was such a warm, friendly environment. I feel like I’ve known these people for years, and I know that they always have my back and I’ll always have theirs. And I’m excited to see what friendships come out of this experience, because I just know that I’m going to have friends for life here.
SELF: Given that the Rockettes are New York icons, especially around Christmastime, what does it mean to all of you to be part of that?
McRae: It’s the best feeling. I think a lot of the women on the line did grow up coming with their families to the show, so we already experienced that tradition as audience members first. For me, seeing the little girls out there who put on their rosy cheeks or get their frost fairy merchandise, knowing that we’re spreading that joy is unreal.
Hawkins: I think the history behind it is so incredible. There’s been generations of women, generations of crew [members], of audience members. And to be able to be a part of a legacy like that is just so inspiring.
Strickland: I remember I grew up watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with my family every Thanksgiving. Seeing beautiful women on stage living their life and having fun, that inspired me to want to be a Rockette.
Howse: Even though it’s been five years, it’s still a pinch-me moment every single day that I get to say that this is my job. I will never forget the first time that I stepped on the Radio City stage for our “New York at Christmas” number, where we [perform on] a double-decker bus. I was sitting on top of the bus looking out into the audience, and I saw a little girl sitting center and looking up at us in complete awe with the biggest smile on her face. Every time I do a show I think of that little girl and how I was that girl at one moment, and [how] now I get to inspire so many [other] little girls to go for their dreams and never give up. So even five years later, that feeling never goes away for me.
