Radio City Christmas Spectacular Rockette Audition #4

This audition for the Rockettes was my fourth audition with Radio City Music Hall (I auditioned for the Rockettes twice last year and, now, twice this year). The audition format for the Rockettes is just about always the same, so I have reproduced one of my entries from a past audition below the dotted line.

A few tid-bits that I haven't included before or just learned at this audition:
1. I was told by a dancer in line that the Rockettes only take dancers who look mature - basically, if you look young you won't be chosen. I don't know if this is true or not, but its an interesting possibility.
2. If you are not from America and you do not have a work visa, you will not be permitted to audition (you may be allowed to take the first combination as a class). An auditioner found this out the hard way.
3. When you enter Radio City Music Hall at the stage door, you take the elevator to the seventh floor and then walk up to the ninth floor to audition.
4. There are restroom facilities on the ninth floor. However, there are only about 8 stalls total for ALL the girls who audition (including the men's restroom that is converted to a lady's room). However, all of us still manage to get changed in time for our audition. So, if you don't want to travel around the city in your dance clothes, you should be able to change.
5. I've found that auditions for the Rockettes are usually held twice a year. Most dancers in New York City go to both auditions. The same combination is used at both auditions. Therefore, if you only go to the second audition you will be one of very few people that don't already know the combination!
6. Auditions for the Rockettes pop up very quickly - the best way to find out about them is by staying tuned to their web site (radiocityauditions.com), calling their audition hotline, or by getting a subscription to Backstage East.
7. Black and white headshots are "out" now. Color headshots are "in."
8. A large amount of graduates from Oklahoma City University's Dance Performance program go on to become Radio City Rockettes.

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The Rockettes cast for two different segments of their production - The NYC Production that is staged at Radio City Music Hall, and several satellite productions (Christmas Across America, or CAA) that are staged in cities across the country. I believe that there may also be one touring company.

To audition for the Rockettes, you must at least 18 years old, between 5'6" and 5' 10.5" in height, and proficient in tap and jazz.Radio City Music Hall is located on 6th avenue between 50th and 51st streets. You will be admitted into the audition at the stage door, which is on 51st street. Radio City is a very short walk to Rockefeller Plaza.Have your resume and headshot ready to hand to the audition staff. They had a stapler on hand, but it might be wise to staple it yourself at home. There is typically little to no walking room in the small rehearsal studio, so they try to keep you there as little as possible. They will call segments of names to be measured for height. They will also call segments either into the large audition hall or into the red room (holding area).

Attire:
Most girls wear a colorful leotard (flattering cut - I saw a lot of halter tops this year. French cut leotards make your legs look longer) with nude fishnet tights. Tan LaDuca Character shoes (high heeled) were the most popular for footwear. No matter what, make sure you bring high heeled character shoes and tap shoes! You want to present yourself as a Rockette, and you can't do that without the proper footwear. The management staff says that some girls have become Rockettes without the proper footwear, but be sure to tell the audition director the reason you don't have proper footwear. Most girls wore their hair down or in a pony tail with classic make-up.

THE AUDITION

They will bring 30-50 people into the audition room and teach a short Rockette Jazz Combination. No Jumps, No Spins, maybe one Kick. Mostly just straight arms and legs. After teaching the combination, the room will be split into two groups and each group will get to try the combo to the music 2 or 3 times. Then they call names 3 at a time to perform the piece in the center of the room. There are three Xs on taped on the floor. The X you stand on wkill depend on whether you are called first, second, or third. Pay attention! Your ability to follow directions factors into whether you will make the next cut or not.

The two most important aspects of dancing in the Rockette Audition are 1) Precision and 2) Performance. The choreographer is very picky about where she wants hands and bodies. Pay attention to angles. Learn to hold your hands on your hips with your thumbs on the front of your hip and your elbows out. Break your wrists. Smile Smile Smile! Also, make sure that you remember the combination! Often times, they will use the same combination for the first cut in a few auditions a year.This was my second year auditioning, and they used a different combination with pretty much the same elements they used in my first year of auditioning. So, you will see the same themes and moves repeated year after year. In my first year of auditioning, they took far more people from the first cut then they did this year. We auditioned for both the director of the NYC show (Linda Haberman) and the Christmas Across America director.I'll let you know about the rest of the cuts when I get to them! Good Luck!Visit RadioCityAuditions.com for frequent Audition updates.