A New York City holiday tradition is marking a major milestone — the Radio City Rockettes are turning 100.
According to The Associated Press, the world-famous dance troupe is celebrating its centennial with this year’s Christmas Spectacular, featuring its signature precision kicks and the iconic “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” where dancers in uniform collapse like dominoes to end the number.
“In my mind, the Rockettes were this amazing, strong, unique, glamorous group of women that I wanted to be a part of,” said 20-year-old newcomer Isabelle Harris from Utah. “It’s so exciting to be joining the line this specific year.”
The Rockettes began in 1925 as the “Missouri Rockets” in St. Louis before theater impresario S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel brought them to New York, where they became the “Rockettes” at the opening of Radio City Music Hall in 1932.
They’ve performed for soldiers during World War II, appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and taken the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the Tony Awards, MTV’s VMAs, and Saturday Night Live.
“There is something about the Rockettes being the main event that is sentimental, riveting and iconic,” said Lauren Gaul, chair of Pace University’s commercial dance program and a former Rockette.
After facing declining popularity in the 1960s, the troupe helped save Radio City from demolition in the 1970s and made history in 1987 when Jennifer Jones became the first Black Rockette.
Today, the Christmas Spectacular blends timeless choreography with modern updates — digital projections, holograms, drones, and even a real double-decker bus for “New York at Christmas.” This year’s show also debuts an immersive sound system expected to wow more than a million spectators.
“What’s truly amazing is that we are all exceptional dancers but we are also athletes,” said assistant dance captain Taylor Shimko. “We say that we’re athletes dripping in diamonds.”
For longtime dance captain Danelle Morgan, the legacy is what makes the milestone special.
“Being a Rockette is something I didn’t anticipate,” she said. “It becomes a piece of your identity. It’s something that’s really special.”
