Former Rockette Remembers Magic, Shares Memories

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Former Rockette Remembers Magic, Shares Memories

As many enjoy the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, here’s a look at the magic by a former Rockette, including how they master those kicks!

GREENPORT, NY — As the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year — and for generations of families, holiday traditions take front and center stage as they head to New York City for the Christmas Spectacular, starring the Radio City Rockettes, at Radio City Music Hall.

In the audience recently, children watched the show, wide-eyed with wonder at the show-stopping dances, including the high kick lines, performed by the Rockettes, originally founded in 1925 in St. Louis, MO by Russell Markert, a choreographer.

Lucille Naar-Saladino, founder and longtime former executive and artistic director of the MainStage Dance Academy in Greenport, was once a Rockette, dazzling audiences with her high kicks —and now, she shares with Patch her behind-the-scenes memories of performing on one of the most celebrated stages in the world.

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Naar-Saladino studied at a local dance school in Queens and also at various different schools in Manhattan; the owner of the Queens school, Catherine Dooley, set up her audition for a position with the Rockettes, she said.

She was 19 years old when she auditioned, living at home in Queens — and was 21 when she became a Rockette and then moved to Manhattan, Naar-Saladino said.

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Describing the audition process, Naar-Saladino said the young women were taken in groups into the large rehearsal hall at Radio City and measured for height.

“I was very nervous about this because being 5’11″, I actually was too tall to be a Rockette,” she said. “At that time, 5’8” was the maximum height. Now, it’s 5’11.” I was ahead of my time!” she laughed. “I wore very low heeled dance shoes and slouched when I was measured. I got by! I certainly measured taller than 5’8″ even with my slouching but I passed. Needless to say, I was relieved,” she said.

After the measurement process, the women left the room and were then called in individually; each had to perform a short ballet combination as well as a short jazz and tap combo.

“Then the important part: High hop kicks facing the front of the room. Then the same, facing the right side and also to the left side. This is in order to see that you are kicking with a straight back, recovering with your feet together, and are kicking with straight legs and pointed toes. When in the Rockette line, you are kicking by yourself. You are not holding on to the girls next to you. It is an illusion. So you had to show that you were able to do that at the audition. I was also required to do fan kicks,” she said.

After she auditioned, Naar-Saladino, received a letter saying that she’d passed, but there wasn’t a need for tall women at the time, and that she’d be contacted when and if there were.

“I felt good that I passed the audition. But I knew I would have to wait until they called me, so I was a little disappointed,” she said. “I went on with my life and continued teaching dance. I wasn’t called until two years later. Then I had to re audition because it had been so long,” she said. “That’s show biz!”

Once a Rockette, rehearsals included learning routines and kick line combinations for the upcoming show; the Rockettes used to perform four shows a day and Radio City would feature a movie in between shows, Naar-Saladino said. “We were on our breaks then.”

Being a Rockette meant donning spectacular garb, Naar-Saladino said.

“Most of the costumes were beautiful,” with her favorite costume shown above. “It was my ‘opening show’ costume,” she said. “We danced to ‘All That Jazz’. So it was the first costume I wore at Radio City. We also wore wigs sometimes, depending on the costume and dance routine. I don’t think the girls wear wigs anymore.”

Anyone who’s seen the Rockettes perform are left awestruck at the kicks, and wondering just how the dancers learn how to execute them with such precision.

“It was challenging to make sure your kicks were the correct level,” Naar-Saladino said. “For example, sometimes a routine called for ‘eye high’ kicks, or, sometimes, ‘chest high’. You had to make sure to do what was required so all 36 women were kicking at the same height.”

She added: “It was also important to understand that when you were kicking you could not hold onto the girls on either side of you. Your ‘high arm’ appeared to touch the girl in your right’s back— but it did not. Same thing for your ‘low arm’ on your left side. It could not touch the girls lower back near the waist. I remember, during my opening show, my ‘high arm’ was flapping and it was kept touching the girl’s back. I overheard her say to her friend —and she sounded frustrated and angry —when we finished the show, ‘She keeps touching my back!’ Well, I learned pretty quickly not to touch anyone’s back or waist. Hey, it was my opening show. I was nervous.”

Dancing on the world-famous Radio City Music Hall stage was an experience Naar-Saladino will remember always.

“It was very exciting,” she said. “It is such a beautiful stage. It’s enormous. And it has a large turntable in the middle. One of the routines I performed required the turntable to move. That was fun. You had to grip yourself when it got started.”

Meaningful moments include her opening show, Naar-Saladino said. “It was so exciting to perform in a theater with so much history and beauty and also to dance on what was called ‘The Great Stage.’ And to have my childhood dream come true.”

Even today, Naar-Saladino remains close to some of the friends she made as a dancer with the Rockettes.

“As a member of the Rockette Alumnae I am in touch with some of the girls. But I am very, very close with four ladies in particular,” she said. “We all live in different states, but all on the East Coast, and we get together every winter in New York City for a long weekend. And we are in constant contact via text. This year we are meeting in Naples, FL. It’s too cold to stay in New York. We also recently decided to get together twice a year because we miss each other so much.”

The reason why the Rockettes mean so much to people, and are such a big part of their holiday memories, Naar-Saladino said, is simple: “Radio City created a beautiful Christmas show many years ago and the Rockettes were featured. The show was a great success and its reputation in New York reached other parts of the country — and many people from all over came to the Christmas show. The Wooden Soldier routine is famous worldwide for its extreme precision. People are amazed when they see it.”

Even today, Naar-Saladino still enjoys watching the next generation of Rockettes delight crowds. “When I owned MainStage Dance Academy in Greenport I would take a group of girls every other year to the Rockette Experience. This was an opportunity for the girls to learn routines taught by a current Rockette and to see the Christmas Show. I never got tired of watching the show or the Rockettes dance,” she said.

To other young girls who dream of being Rockettes, Naar-Saladino has a message: “Follow your dream and don’t give up. I didn’t.”

And, she added, being a Rockette imparted lifelong lessons forever etched in her heart. “Be a team player, stay humble, play the ‘new girl’ rules. You’ll make friends easier.”

Photos courtesy Lucille Naar-Saladino.

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