Ain’t that a kick!
The Rockettes dance through history as they celebrate their 85th anniversary in New York during Radio City Music Hall’s annual Christmas Spectacular.
The leggy beauties display vintage Rockettes wear, from a 1940s sailor’s outfit to a space-age catsuit complete with helmet.
The show’s production team reached into the Radio City archives to find old costumes and found that many were lost to history. They used sketches and photos to recreate the outfits.
“Nothing gets thrown away now,” said head director and choreographer Linda Haberman. “They weren’t as careful in the old days.”
The dancers actually started kicking in St. Louis in 1925 as the Missouri Rockets. They made their New York debut two years later, performing at the Roxy Theater, where they were known as the Roxyettes. When Radio City opened on Dec. 27, 1932, the Roxyettes transferred there and performed in the first holiday show in December 1933. They were renamed the Rockettes in 1934.
During this year’s Spectacular, which opened Friday and runs through Dec. 30, Santa Claus will introduce seven Rockettes to show off the show’s history — two wearing original vintage costumes; four in the recreated looks; and one in the current dress.