The Rockettes are a precision dance company. Founded in 1925 in St. Louis, since 1932, they have performed at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes present five shows a day, seven days a week. Until 2015, they also had a touring company.
Perhaps their best-known routine is an eye-high leg kick in perfect unison in a chorus line, which they include at the end of every performance. Their style of dance is a mixture of modern dance and classic ballet. Auditions to become a Rockette are held in April in New York City. Women who audition must show proficiency in several genres of dancing, mainly ballet, tap, modern, and jazz. Normally, 400 to 500 women audition yearly.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Rockettes have performed annually at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1958, and are always the last pre-parade act to perform before the parade enters Herald Square and their performance has been followed by a commercial break. In 2020 and 2023, however, the Rockettes were the penultimate act of the parade, heralding the arrival of Santa Claus.