Origins Of The Rockettes


Photo: The Rockettes - MSG Entertainment

Seventy-five years ago the “dancing daughters” of Russell Markert made history by performing at the opening night of Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  They have been kicking up their heels ever since.  But the history of the Rockettes actually begins in England.

• 1885 - Englishman John Tiller revolutionized chorus dancing by introducing a straight line of girls with uniform height and weight dancing in precision, forming straight lines and geometric shapes.
  
  Tiller discovered that if the girls linked their arms around each other’s waists, it enabled them to work together to improve the precision.  Tiller brought his precision dancers to Paris’ Folies Bergère to perform the “Pony Kick,” the precursor of eye-high kicks. 
  
  
• 1900 - The Tiller Girls came to America, where they were recruited for the Ziegfield Follies.
  
  
• 1922 - Russell Markert recalled,“I had seen the John Tiller girls in the Ziegfeld Follies.  If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks …they’d knock your socks off!”
  
  
• 1925 - Markert trained a group of 16 girls to make their show biz debut in St Louis in as the “Missouri Rockets.” Their popularity brought them to the attention of showman S.L.(Roxy) Rothafel.  He brought them to New York City to perform at his theater the “ROXY” and called them the “Roxyettes.”
  
  
• 1929 - Roxy Rothafel hooked up with John D. Rockefeller and his new building project in Manhattan.  Rockefeller had a commercial partner called Radio Corporation of America (RCA).  RCA owned the popular NBC radio programs and RKO movie studios that provided entertainment during the hard times of the Great Depression.  These three partners called their new project “Radio City” and it’s goal was to provide entertainment at prices people could afford.
   
• 1932 - On December 27, at the opening of Radio City Music Hall, the “Roxyettes” shared the stage with the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham. 
  
  
• 1933 - Radio City Music Hall had a Christmas Spectacular stage show featuring the newly named Rockettes and a movie.  The Rockettes did their precision dance moves choreographed by Russell Markert and the holiday tradition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular was born.  The show included the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and the Living Nativity that are still performed today!
  
  
• 1971 - Russell Markert continued working with the Rockettes until he retired in 1971.
  
  
• 1979 - In the early days, Radio City offered a stage show featuring the Rockettes AND a movie.  This tradition lasted until 1979 when only the Christmas Spectacular and a Spring Spectacular featuring an Easter Pageant were shown. 
  
  
• 1994 - RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR goes on the road bringing the New York holiday tradition to cities across America.
  
  
• 2001 - The RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR makes its debut in Cleveland, breaking box office records playing to audiences of over 146,000 in 52 performances.

For more information on Radio City and the Rockettes go to:  www.radiocity.com