For the Radio City Rockettes' 100th anniversary, auditions stakes are higher than ever

New York Post

21-04-2025

If you see a swarm of statuesque women high-kicking in front of Radio City this week, no, it's not Christmas just yet.
The holiday season may be months away, but springtime is when Rockette history is made.
Each April, hundreds of hopeful leotard-clad dancers travel from all over to the Big Apple to audition for a coveted spot on the famous kickline — founded in 1925, halfway across the country in St. Louis, Missouri.
For 11 years, it's been director and choreographer Julie Branam's difficult task to find the next generation of Rockettes for this now-100-year-old legacy.
23 The Rockettes began in 1925, but were called the 'Missouri Rockets' in St. Louis by choreographer Russell Markert.
Courtesy of The Rockettes
23 Every spring, the Big Apple buzzes with leotard-clad dancers lining up outside the Midtown theater for Rockette auditions, which are set for Tuesday, April 22, this year, followed by callbacks on Wednesday and Thursday.
REUTERS
All dancers who meet the 18-year-old age requirement are welcome at the legendary organization's open-call audition, because Branam wants to give everyone an equal opportunity to showcase their talent.
'I'm always looking to do things better and to make sure that I'm giving every dancer the best chance they have to get that job,' Branam told The Post.
While it's an extremely nerve-wracking experience, Branam and the dance captains find small ways to humanize the process — like calling every dancer by name instead of a number.
23 Julie Branam, director and choreographer for the Rockettes, told The Post she gives dancer wannabes the 'best chance they have' to join the group.
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23 Branam joined the Rockettes in 1988. She is shown performing (center) in an undated photo.
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It's a long, high-pressure day for the hopefuls, but considering the legendary troupe has been held to an exceptionally high standard for the past century — only the best of the best make it.
Try, try again
The stakes have always been high at these auditions — even back in 1971 for veteran Cynthia Hughes Miller.
At 17, Miller didn't get the job the first time around but was invited to audition again.
'I got a letter saying the positions were filled, and when I graduated from high school, to get in contact with them,' she told The Post. 'So I auditioned again — I did the kicks, some tap, ballet, jazz and [finally] got the job.'
23 At first, veteran performer Cynthia Hughes Miller didn't get the job when she auditioned in 1971 but eventually succeeded in fulfilling her dream.
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23 Miller, pictured recently onstage at Radio City Music Hall, said she keeps the word 'Rockette' in her email address to tell fun stories when people ask.
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The Rockettes' assistant choreographer and dance captain Danelle Morgan, now celebrating 20 years of eye-high kicks, also experienced rejection at first.
'My first audition, I didn't get hired. My second audition — the same thing. It wasn't until I auditioned for the third time that I got hired,' she recalled to The Post. 'But every time I went back, I stayed a little longer and I learned a little bit more about this style that was not familiar to me.'
Expectedly, audition cuts will always be made because the team of pros is only looking to fill a specific number of spots on the kickline — which varies every year.
23 Danelle Morgan (pictured in foreground) is the assistant choreographer and dance captain.
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23 Morgan is celebrating her 20th year as a Rockette.
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'Some people are starting their families, some people have gotten jobs on Broadway or are touring. Some people are going back to school,' Branam explained.
'You just never know what will be. And some people have just said, 'This is my last year, and I'm going to retire from this,' So there are all different reasons why the line opens up.'
Some dancers who don't move past the first day of auditions are luckily asked to join invite-only conservatory and preparatory programs, designed to help dancers learn, understand and perfect the group's unique dance style to ultimately re-audition.
A 100-year journey: 'It takes a lot of grit'
23 Russell Markert and the Missouri Rockets, seen here in 1925.
Courtesy of The Rockettes
23 The Rockettes, seen here in 1937. The troupe moved to the Big Apple in 1932.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
And the specific technique the Rockettes are known for remains true to its 1920s roots — it's just slightly updated now to keep up with the times.
'With this big 100 number, I think back to how far the company has come. How the choreography and even the [Christmas Spectacular] show has grown, evolved and changed,' said Morgan.
'We [now] have a presence on social media, the versatility that we have to have now as dancers versus back when I even started has changed.'
23 The Rockettes' famous Wooden Soldier dance, seen here in 1960.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
'The evolution that I've witnessed firsthand and continue to see is that there is now a lot more diversity and inclusion in the cast,' Jacey Lambros-Carrino, a former Rockette of 10 years, told The Post.
Known for their leggy statures, a height prerequisite remains — but Branam said it's changed throughout the years because ultimately she is looking for 'great dancers to join the cast.'
However, being a great dancer will only get someone so far because the life of a Rockette is not for the weary.
These women are athletes in their own right — training six hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks leading up to the November opening night of the Christmas Spectacular.
'It takes a lot of grit to be a Rockette and to be in the Christmas show in general. It is a 90-minute show. And you could do two, three, four shows a day with only one day off a week,' Branam told The Post.
'The consistency is a huge factor. And for some people, that's really hard.'
Lambros-Carrino agreed. 'There aren't a lot of 18-year-olds who can endure the magnitude [of the job] both in terms of physicality and emotional demand,' she said.
23 Dancers travel from all over to pursue their dream of becoming a Radio City Rockette.
NY Post
23 'It takes a lot of grit to be a Rockette,' said Branam (center), who first tried out — unsuccessfully — at age 17.
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'But it's also really beautiful to watch somebody come in at 18 and watch the evolution of that person.'
That includes errors — Rockettes are humans who make mistakes after all, although their kicks make it look otherwise.
'We try to avoid [mistakes] and really rehearse so well that it's muscle memory,' Branam added.
23 The Rockettes, shown in 1939, performed in the first Christmas Spectacular just six years earlier, in 1933.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
23 Dancers warm up and stretch in the lobby of Radio City Music Hall during auditions in 2024.
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23 The Christmas Spectacular has been seen by more than 72 million people over the years.
Carl Scheffel/MSG Photos
They put the 'kick' in kickline
Rockettes must always bring their A-game because every kickline dancer is constantly being evaluated. Regardless of one's tenure, each dancer has to reaudition every season.
'Show business is a really hard business, and I want everybody to do their best. Everyone has to stay in shape, keep working hard, keep listening and keep a good frame of mind,' Branam said.
23 Director Julie Branam, seen next to team captain Danelle Morgan (center), keeps an eye on tryouts at the 2024 auditions.
Jeenah Moon for NY Post
23 The Rockettes train six hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks leading up to the November opening night of the Christmas Spectacular.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
A strong work ethic is what every dancer must have — especially when spectators travel from all over to witness their eye-high kicks in the Christmas Spectacular.
Since premiering at Radio City in 1933, more than 72 million people have seen the seasonal show.
The famous kickline started with only 16 dancers 100 years ago, and today, even with two New York casts, 42 Rockettes in each — these women form a close-knit bond.
23 The very first Christmas Spectacular show was performed on Dec. 21, 1933. The 2025 show season will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
'You become intimately close with the women because you're with them every second of your day,' Lambros-Carrino said. 'I spent my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, sometimes New Year, with these people.'
Morgan agreed. 'It's one of those things that literally nobody gets unless you've done this experience.'
Despite the high-pressure demands of the job, when asked what it means to be a part of the Rockette legacy, all four women couldn't help but smile ear-to-ear.
23 Dance captain Morgan (center) said it took her three auditions to be selected.
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23 'Being a Rockette becomes synonymous with who you are,' Morgan said.
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'Being a Rockette becomes synonymous with who you are. It's something that you wear with a sense of pride,' said Morgan.
Working as a former Rockette and now leading the next generation of dancers, Branam feels blessed to call this work. 'I can't believe I spent 38 years of my life here. I mean, how lucky am I?'
And while Miller may no longer be on the front line, it's an experience she will never forget.
23 Dancers were ready to learn new steps as they auditioned for the Rockettes in 2024.
Jeenah Moon for NY Post
23 The Rockettes are shown during a performance in 1960.
Courtesy of MSG Entertainment
'My email has the word 'Rockette' in it, and when I get on the phone to argue about a bill or something, and I need to give my email, they ask if I was a Rockette and their whole attitude changes,' she laughed.
'Nothing lasts for 100 years — but I think it's going to keep on going. They're beautiful, talented. They're athletes. They're everything.'