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The Radio City Rockettes perform in the 2025 Christmas Spectacular. Two Utah dancers told KSL about their experience stepping into the living legacy of the Rockettes. | MSG Entertainment <\/p>\nTwo Utah dancers are living the dream, performing in New York City with the Radio City Rockettes, the iconic dance group that is celebrating its 100th anniversary.<\/p>\n
The Radio City Rockettes are famously known for high kicks, precision, unity and the coveted Christmas Spectacular show that more than a million people attend every year. Only about 80 dancers are accepted into the Rockette cast each year, despite thousands of women from across the world auditioning.<\/p>\n
Two lucky and talented Utah women were chosen to be part of the Rockette sisterhood this year and have been pinching themselves ever since.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is a dream come true. I still pinch myself every day when I walk into Radio City for rehearsals or a performance \u2014 because it\u2019s crazy that my dream is now my reality,\u201d Isabelle Harris said.<\/p>\n
Harris, born and raised in Heber Valley, grew up watching the Rockettes perform in the Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were so glamorous and strong, and I knew that that\u2019s where I wanted to end up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When she graduated from high school, she moved to New York City to study and train in the precision dance style for which the Rockettes are known. After three years, she auditioned for the Rockettes and made it her first year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was lucky enough to be chosen. And I\u2019m happy to be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Emry Wride, of Pleasant Grove, majored in dance at BYU, where she performed with the Cougarettes dance team. She moved to New York and decided to attend an open call for the Rockettes, despite not knowing much about the organization.<\/p>\n
The audition was \u201ccrazy,\u201d with more than a thousand women all vying for just a few dozen open spots. People from around the country and even as far as Australia were hoping to become a Rockette, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou walk into Radio City, and the energy is unlike anything I have ever felt. It\u2019s just so iconic, it\u2019s so magical. You feel like you are walking into this whimsical, beautiful place. It\u2019s otherworldly almost,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Wride was invited to be part of a conservatory program that the Rockettes put on, where aspiring dancers train with the Rockettes for a week. Once she was part of that program, she knew she had to be part of the Rockettes.<\/p>\n
The Radio City Rockettes perform in the 2025 Christmas Spectacular. Two Utah dancers told KSL about their experience stepping into the living legacy of the Rockettes. | MSG Entertainment <\/p>\n
\u201cI got it my first try, which I was so lucky to be able to do that, but I really do think it\u2019s because of the new program … that I was able to learn what I would get myself into, and it\u2019s an absolute honor and dream to be able to do this show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Although the audition process was extremely competitive, Wride said the organization cultivates an atmosphere of harmony and collaborative effort, which then becomes a sisterhood once you are in the company.<\/p>\n
After casting, the Rockettes undergo a rigorous six-week intensive training and rehearsal program to prepare for more than 100 Christmas shows in less than two months. The dancers work hard to stay healthy and strong, \u201cbecause we are athletes\u201d who have to do up to 17 shows a week, Wride said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Much bigger than myself\u2019<\/p>\n
As dancers who grew up competing and often dancing alone on stage, becoming part of a century-old team legacy has been \u201csuch an honor,\u201d the dancers said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m on the stage, and the lights are hitting me, it\u2019s like \u2018Oh, it\u2019s a dream come true\u2019 for myself, but also I can feel the unity of everybody around me and how it really is much bigger than myself. This year, especially, honoring the 100th year anniversary, and all the women that proceeded us, it really is so special,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
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The Radio City Rockettes perform “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” in 1943. Two Utah dancers told KSL about their experience stepping into the living legacy of the Rockettes. | MSG Entertainment <\/p>\n
Wride said it has been surreal stepping into a \u201cliving legacy.\u201d Rockettes are known for their bright red lipstick and elegant French twist hairstyles, and Wride said she won\u2019t ever forget the first time she got ready for a performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I did myself up for the first time, it, like, really hit me that I am a Radio City Rockette, and I\u2019m carrying on a legacy that so many other women have performed before me,\u201d Wride said.<\/p>\n
Another milestone for her was rehearsing \u201cParade of the Wooden Soldiers\u201d for the first time, a piece that has been performed since 1933.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery woman who has been a Rockette since then has done this exact same number, and there\u2019s a moment where we do a wooden soldier fall … and the first time I did that in rehearsal I got emotional because you are holding up not only this person in front of you, but this legacy, and it just fully hit me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Performing in a show with such a large cast that also includes singers, musicians and other artists highlights the importance of collaborative effort, Wride said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is just the best going from competing only for myself to now working with hundreds of people to create Christmas joy,\u201d Wride said.<\/p>\n
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The Radio City Rockettes perform in the 2025 Christmas Spectacular. Two Utah dancers told KSL about their experience stepping into the living legacy of the Rockettes. | MSG Entertainment <\/p>\n
The Rockettes\u2019 Christmas Spectacular is a good mix of tradition and innovation, Wride said. The dancers said there is so much innovation happening behind the scenes to ensure the show improves every year, from faster kicks to more athletic movement to new technology that enhances the audience experience.<\/p>\n
While reaching for your dreams can be scary, both dancers said it is important to go for it anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never know what could happen if you show up and try your best,\u201d Wride said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not you? Somebody is going to be chosen; it could be you,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two Utah dancers are living the dream, performing in New York City with the Radio City Rockettes, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,23448,56],"class_list":["post-81330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-news-feed-local","tag-ny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}