The Fabulous Rockettes Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1933

The Rockettes were inspired by the Tiller Girls, a British precision dance group who performed on Broadway. Choreographer Russell Markert wanted to create an American equivalent, who were taller, had longer legs and could perform eye-high kicks - which are still one of the Rockettes' trademarks today - and tap routines. The Rockettes were originally known as the Missouri Rockets, but changed their name to the Roxyettes when Samuel 'Roxy' Rothafel brought them to the Roxy Theatre in New York. He moved them to Radio City Music Hall in 1932, where they performed at its opening night on 27th December.

The first Christmas Spectacular appeared in 1933, with the Rockettes performing alongside the Radio City Symphony and opera singer Jan Peerce. The Rockettes had been performing routines to accompany weekly movie showings at Radio City Music Hall, and the original Christmas Spectacular was accompanied by the Disney short film 'The Night Before Christmas' and the musical 'Flying Down to Rio'. In 1934, the Roxyettes changed their name to the Rockettes after Rothafel parted company with the Roxy.

Answer: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

The 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' and the 'Living Nativity' are the only pieces in the Christmas Spectacular that have consistently appeared since 1933. The 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' has the Rockettes dressed as toy soldiers, complete with felt cheeks stuck to their faces - they get through over 30,000 in a season! - and rather than their usual high kicking, they march in lines.

The climax of the piece is the fall, when the dancers topple down one by one following a shot from a cannon. The fall is rehearsed in sections, before the entire line practices it together.

At the end, they sit up and salute before the curtain falls.

Answer: They put the tallest dancers in the middle.

The original height requirement was between 5ft 6 inches and 5ft 10.5 inches, but director Julie Branam stated in 2022 that they wanted to attract more dancers, so they lowered the height requirement slightly for the first time in 15 years. In order to make the kickline look as uniform as possible, the tallest dancers go in the middle, with the shorter ones further to the sides and the shortest dancers near the ends. Dancers are measured in their stocking feet, i.e. without shoes on.

Answer: Modern

Rockettes auditionees are expected to be proficient in ballet, tap and jazz, as many of the routines are heavily influenced by all three styles; the 'Ragdolls' and '12 Days of Christmas' routines, for example, are tap routines, where the dancers have microphones attached to their shoes, and auditions customarily feature jazz and tap sections. Choreographer Karen Keeler cited ballet as being important for a strong technical foundation, stating that 'clean lines and technique really translate into choreography'.

While knowing other styles of dance may be helpful, it is not a prerequisite, and according to one dance coach who has trained various Rockettes, contemporary dance styles can even impair dancers' precision and accuracy.

Answer: Singer Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls, has never been a Rockette, but the other three have.

Amanda Kloots co-presented 'The Talk', a chat show, on CBS and has also launched a digital fitness brand, including exercise instruction videos. As well as the Rockettes, she also performed in 'Follies' and 'Young Frankenstein' on Broadway. After the death of her husband, Nick Cordero, from COVID-19 complications, her fellow Rockettes - who she dubbed her 'Rockette sisters' - came to her house to provide emotional support.

Suzanne Rogers, who took her stage name from Ginger Rogers, played Maggie Horton in the long-running soap 'Days of Our Lives'. At the age of seventeen, she moved to New York to start a dancing career and joined the Rockettes; she also performed in various Broadway shows, such as 'Follies' and 'Coco'.

Kandice Pelletier was Miss New York in 2005, and also appeared on Season 10 of 'The Amazing Race' with fellow beauty queen Dustin-Leigh Fowler. The pair also completed in Season 11, the all-stars' season, where they came second. Pelletier moved from her native Georgia to New York to pursue a dancing career and study at New York University, and danced with the Rockettes during her time there.

Answer: True

Everything in a Rockettes show is done with the utmost precision, to the point where dancers even know when to put their earrings in! Each dancer's position is marked out on a grid, and in rehearsals, the floor is marked with chalk so the dancers know where to stand.

The extreme precision filters down to the costume changes. The 78-second costume change takes place during the falling sequence in the 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers'. Each dancer unbuttons the jacket and trousers of the dancer in front of her to help with taking the costumes off. There are six dressers waiting on each side of the stage to take the soldier outfits while the dancers change into the outfits for the following routine, such as 'Christmas in NYC'. They rehearse the costume changes in ten-day 'rack and shoe' rehearsals after the six-week rehearsal period for the Christmas Spectacular.

Answer: She was the first black Rockette.

The Rockettes were originally whites-only, and choreographer and director Violet Holmes did not want to have darker-skinned women in the line-up, claiming that 'one or two black girls would definitely distract' from the uniform look. Their original manager even forbid one girl from tanning because he did not want her to 'look like a coloured girl'. The policy continued for decades, despite arguably being a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Happily, that all changed in 1987 when Jennifer Jones became the first black Rockette, performing with the company for fifteen years, and other black dancers have performed with the Rockettes since then, as well as appearing in promotional material. One particularly determined black dancer, LaTarika Pierce, auditioned ten times before finally being accepted, because she felt it was 'important to see a group of strong, inspiring, confident women working together, no matter what colour.'

(The first Rockette with a visible disability was Sydney Mesher, who joined in 2019; she has symbrachydactyly, meaning that she was born without a left hand.)

Answer: Drones

The 'Christmas Lights' finale routine in 2018 featured a hundred Intel Shooting Star drones with tiny LED lights creating a curtain of light in various shapes, while the Rockettes danced in their sparkly sequinned costumes. The concept of the light show was based around the idea of the North Star breaking into tiny pieces of light that travel into the world and appear on Christmas trees and candles; the drones started off in a star shape before dispersing. Like the dancers themselves, the drones were choreographed. (Live animals, including camels, have traditionally been a part of the 'Living Nativity' routine.)

Answer: Rockettes Summer Intensive

The Rockettes Summer Intensive was coached by Rockettes members and provided hopefuls with the opportunity to learn some of the signature moves and routines, such as 'Parade of the Wooden Soldiers', with a showcase on the Friday. Over 1200 women aged fourteen and up would audition, and up to 640 would attend one of the week-long programmes. While attending the Summer Intensive would not guarantee a place in the company, it was considered to be an opportunity to demonstrate skill and willingness to learn, and the occasional dancer was offered a contract after meeting all the requirements in the Summer Intensive and attending the invitational week.

After the Rockettes' return following the COVID crisis of 2020, the Summer Intensive was replaced with the Rockettes Conservatory, a three-week programme for a small number of invited dancers, and the Rockettes Preparatory, a one-week programme with three sessions. Selected dancers are able to participate in the programmes for free, with meal, accommodation and travel costs covered. To get into the programme, dancers are either invited by the Rockettes' creative team or attend auditions in the spring.

Answer: True

Yes, it's true - the Rockettes don't have their own hair and make-up team, they ARE the hair and make-up team! In fairness, it can get pretty crowded backstage, with both the dancers and their many costumes, so it's easier just to have the dancers do their own hair and make-up.

The preferred hairstyle is a French twist, to keep the dancers' hair out of their faces and accommodate the various hats and headpieces they wear throughout the show, so dancers have to keep their hair long. (According to one Rockette, it helps if your hair's a bit dirty, as it's easier to style.) Make-up has to be fairly conventional - neutral eyeshadow and red lips - and it has to last throughout the day and only require a few touch-ups, as the Rockettes can perform up to four shows a day. Many dancers also wear false eyelashes. Dancers with visible tattoos must cover them with foundation.