Personal Narrative: The Rockettes In Radio City Music

Point your toes, lift your head, extend your arms, and complete thirty-two perfect signature eye-high kicks alongside forty other girls who have become my family. These same kicks that have been seamlessly executed by the Rockettes in Radio City Music Hall since 1932. The bright lights shining down blind me as I take my first steps on the gigantic stage that would soon become home to an experience that would strengthen my passion for dance. As the music begins muscle memory takes over and I perfectly execute the many sharp movements and precise head placements that have been my entire life for the last week. I have known my dream of performing the same movements that I had watched from my balcony seats when I was eleven years old. As the Rockettes completed

There were people from all over the United States, and as we ate our first lunch together we shared stories and realized that despite growing up in different cities, and from different dance studios we all shared a common dream and love of the Rockettes. Over the next six days we rehearsed for seven hours a day learning three dances that were choreographed for the Rockettes. The choreography was hard, but with many long hours and the help of my new friends, we were successfully completing a tap, a jazz, and the all famous wooden soldier routine. At the end of the week we were all prepared for a wonderful showcase. We all stepped onto the blinding stage and completed the routines flawlessly, always remembering to point our toes, lift our heads, and extend our arms. I have made lifetime friends that I am still in contact with, and can always count on when I have a question about the best brand of tap shoes. This wonderful experience has left me with a new, refined love for dance and has connected me to skilled, talented dancers all around the country. Dance is the common language that connects people. Rockettes Summer Intensive and those thirty-two seamless eye-high kicks quite