Learn more about the famous precision dance troupe and their annual Christmas Spectacular, a New York holiday staple at Radio City Music Hall since 1933.
It's that time of the year again! Radio City Music Hall's famed precision dancers are back on stage for the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, delivering holiday cheer and high kicks through January 4, 2026 this season. This year marks the 92nd Christmas Spectacular, but in a major milestone, 2025 is also the 100th anniversary of the Rockettes!
If you're celebrating at the iconic New York show with your family or friends, here are 10 fun facts you probably didn't know about the women of Radio City.
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They weren't originally called The Rockettes.
Some things haven't changed since the beginning.
All dancers need to be between 5' 5" and 5' 10.5" tall.
There are over 80 Rockettes total.
They do their own hair and makeup.
Even their shoes have microphones.
There are more than 160 high kicks per show.
There are more than 1,100 costumes and pairs of shoes.
There's a 3D portion of their Christmas Spectacular.
The Rockettes' choreography isn't a secret.
They weren't originally called The Rockettes.
The troupe launched in Missouri in 1925 and were called the Missouri Rockets, and later that year, they performed in New York in a show directed by S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel. The director called them the Roxyettes when the opened at Radio City in 1932, and two years later, they adopted the name the Radio City Rockettes.
Some things haven't changed since the beginning.
"Parade of the Living Soldiers" and "The Living Nativity" have remained unchanged since the show premiered in 1933.
All dancers need to be between 5' 5" and 5' 10.5" tall.
While it might look like their heights are uniform, they all fall within that range. To make it look like they're all the same height, the taller dancers are in the center and the shorter dancers taper out toward the end.
In the early days of the Rockettes, the minimum height requirement was 5' 2", but it changed to 5' 6" soon thereafter and stayed that way until 2022.
There are over 80 Rockettes total.
In 2025, there are 84 total Rockettes, divided into two casts who play alternating schedules throughout the Christmas Spectacular's run each year. Only 36 dancers appear on stage at each performance of the Spectacular, and the remaining 12 Rockettes, six for each cast, are swings (a type of understudy who can step in for more than one full-time cast member).
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They do their own hair and makeup.
A French twist, red lip, and false eyelashes make up the dancers' signature style. And if you want to mimic their look, their red lipstick is MAC Red or MAC Russian Red.
Even their shoes have microphones.
To make sure audiences hear every sound in the tap routines "12 Days of Christmas" and "Rag Dolls," all the shoes are miced.
There are more than 160 high kicks per show.
And one Rockette can kick up to 650 times a day. (That's four shows' worth!)
There are more than 1,100 costumes and pairs of shoes.
Including the ensemble and the singers, the cast wears a lot of clothes. In case you were wondering, that's more than 350 loads of laundry a week.
There's a 3D portion of their Christmas Spectacular.
Grab a pair of 3D glasses, because when Santa flies over the audience, there's state-of-the-art 3D technology. Over 1 million pairs of 3D glasses are handed out each year.
The Rockettes' choreography isn't a secret.
The Rockettes may be a classic NYC troupe, but they keep up with the times and are active on social media. During the holiday season, they'll often post tutorial videos on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, featuring a couple Rockettes teaching a snippet of one of their famous routines. Anyone can learn these moves and feel like a Rockette right at home!