“It’s dancing together, breathing together, having fun together. “Togetherness is an essential part of being a Rockette,” says Katelyn Gaffney, a Rockette instructor who also attended summer intensives before finally earning her contract. As it happened, this past summer three dancers proved they were up to all the requirements, and Branam offered them contracts.Īll the students, whether in the invitational or the intensive weeks, learn about Rockette teamwork. “It has the most details: tilt of the head, where antlers are, where elbows are.”Īll the choreography the invitational students learn is taught much faster, and some numbers include far more kicks in longer phrases of kicklines, as well as more changes in formation and weight shifts.ĭuring the week, Branam may glean what she needs to make an offer. “It’s super-stylized and difficult,” says Branam. This year, that included learning “Sleigh Ride,” a number featuring the Rockettes as Santa’s reindeer. The invitational week has a similar structure, but greater challenges. A workshop with the Rockettes’ athletic trainer on body care, injuries and maintenance, a Q&A with the Rockette teachers, and a “crazy legging day” round out the week’s activities.Īngles are key. Students spend the rest of the day on choreography, with pieces used as workshops for Rockette trademarks: “muscled” arms, whiplash footwork, precise torso angles, and, of course, those kicks.īy Wednesday, students have all the choreography they’ll perform at their showcase on Friday. “We’re always working on integrating technique.” “We did a tap drawback section across the floor that dancers then used in the 42nd Street number,” explains Branam. Mornings start at 9:30 am with a review of the previous day’s choreography, followed by a Rockette-led group warm-up consisting of planks, strength and core work mixed with jazz-flavored sequences.
ROCKETTES AUDITION 2022 PLUS
Photo courtesy MSG EntertainmentĮach intensive week is run like Rockettes rehearsals, working for 80 minutes at a time, then resting for 10, plus an hour for lunch. Students learn the challenges of precision dancing. “Are you listening to what I’m saying? Are you executing the signature Rockettes strong arms instead of letting them float?”īranam notes that neither the invitational week nor the regular intensive is an audition for the troupe, but they can be a great place to demonstrate skill and readiness. “Are you comfortable in the room?” she asks. But can you do what I ask-kick just to eyeline as the Rockettes do? We need dancers who can be specific and take directions, even if they are used to doing it differently.”įor the invitational week, Branam is looking for students with more polish. You may want to kick as high as you can and reach your face. I’m also watching for willingness to take in details. “We want a strong ballet foundation and the ability to handle many styles. Photo courtesy MSG Entertainmentīranam, a former Rockette herself, looks for several elements in all summer intensive students. The intensive offers a rare chance to learn directly from Julie Branam.
ROCKETTES AUDITION 2022 PROFESSIONAL
That week amps up the intensive’s already rigorous pace and is geared toward semi-professional and professional dancers. Up to 640 dancers are placed in one of the program’s seven repeating weeks, or in the invitational week. Around 1,200 women ages 14 and up audition each year for the summer intensive. The invitational week has proved a path to the Radio City stage for more than a few Rockettes. At the end, she received her Rockette contract. Then, in 2012, she was asked to attend the program’s invitational week. She attended their intensive every summer from 2009 to 2011 being a Rockette was her dream. Rockette Bailey Callahan demonstrates in front of one group. It’s the Rockettes’ summer intensive, a rare chance for students to work with professional Rockettes, not to mention Julie Branam, their director and choreographer. Inside, another type of building goes on: In separate basement studios, two groups of 40 dancers focus their attention on their instructors. On a humid summer day in midtown Manhattan, construction goes on outside the Church of St.
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