They still have it in them.
Gathering recently at Lynn University in Boca Raton, 14 South Florida alumnae of the Radio City Rockettes, ages 44 to 94, took to the stage and performed one of the troupe’s signature routines: the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, taking straight-legged steps in a perfectly aligned pinwheel, all heads turned to the right.
It was a few minutes of joy for each of them. After several go-rounds, they laughed, clapped, obsessed over each move and recalled when they were younger and the tiny steps didn’t hurt their hips.
Dancing with the famous kickline, which has been a centerpiece of Radio City Music Hall in New York since 1932, was the seminal event in many of their lives, and shaped who many became in later years. In Florida today, where at least 30 live, many are performers and teachers, Pilates instructors and choreographers.
“It’s a sisterhood but it’s also a family. You go through a lot together,” said Marcella Seymour Kiernan, 44, a Jupiter resident who made the squad in 2006 and 2008. “People see you as a part of history. When I get introduced today, they say, ‘Did you know she was a Rockette?’ ”
Although she only worked two seasons, Kiernan said the Rockettes remain her fixation. She has 15 Rockette Barbies in boxes that she displays in her home at Christmas. She has more than 20 Rockette Christmas ornaments and dedicates a whole tree in her home to the troupe. And she travels to New York every year to see the team’s world-famous “Christmas Spectacular.”
In this 100th anniversary year of the iconic precision ensemble, Rockette veterans from around the country have been traveling to New York for reunions and dance parties, and of course, for the “Spectacular,” which is being performed at Radio City from Nov. 19 to Jan. 5.
A hundred years ago, the Rockettes had a modest debut as the “Missouri Rockets” in St. Louis. But in 1932, the troupe relocated to Radio City Music Hall, where they became the “Roxyettes” and then the “Rockettes.” They have since undergone many changes, but still perform every year in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. They appear throughout the year at events and shows, including the Tony Awards and “Saturday Night Live.”
For many former Rockettes, dancing with the famous kickline, which has been a centerpiece of Radio City Music Hall in New York since 1932, was the seminal event of their lives. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
They keep up with the times by posting regularly on social media, including Instagram (@therockettes), where they have 1.2 million followers, and Facebook (Facebook.com/rockettes), where their fans total 2.6 million.
Boca Raton resident Temple Kane, 53, was a Rockette from 1996 to 2009. She remembers wanting so desperately to join the troupe that she crunched her abdomen to make herself shorter as a staffer measured her height during tryouts. At the time, 5 feet 9 inches was the maximum height allowed; Kane is 5-foot-10.
Somehow she shrunk her stature enough to be accepted.
Being a Rockette is a full-time job each year from October, when rehearsals begin, to early January, when the last show is performed at Radio City. Rehearsals are six days a week, said Danielle Jolie Dale-Hancock, a West Palm Beach resident who performed from 1993 to 2010.
There are 80 women in the troupe dancing in two squads, and there are several shows each day of the week, leading to intense workdays with lots of kicks. According to the New York Theatre Guide, there are at least 160 high kicks per show, which can add up to 650 in a day.
During a recent gathering at Lynn University in Boca Raton, retired Rockettes conducted a Zoom call with others in Florida. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
This physical stress takes its toll: Dale-Hancock said the most common injuries include blisters, bunions and sore hips, ankles, shoulders and hamstrings.
There are several notable South Florida alumnae of the Rockettes, including:
Danielle Jolie Dale-Hancock, 53, of West Palm Beach, an assistant drama professor at Lynn University.
Michiko Wilson-Ryan, 52, of Miami, one of the few Asian American dancers in the troupe and possibly the first of American Indian heritage (Sioux). She performed from 1999 to 2004.
Joy Prouty, 84, of Delray Beach, who danced from 1959 to 1961 and is director of education and programming for Zumba LLC and former owner of several Palm Beach County fitness studios.
Cheryl Steinthal, 71, of Boynton Beach, a Rockette in 1975 and 1976 and choreographer for The New Florida Follies, a senior dance troupe that performs in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Patsy Brady Walters Scalise, 94, of Fort Lauderdale, one of the oldest alumnae and a Rockette from 1949 to 1951.
Dale-Hancock said the Rockettes remain American superstars because in a chaotic world, the audience knows what to expect from these beautifully postured, athletic women who have evolved with the times but are firmly rooted in tradition.
“In a world that constantly changes, it’s nice to have something consistent,” she said. “You can rely on our eye-high kicks.”