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CNN Saturday Morning News

Rockettes Kick Off 75th Anniversary Performance

Aired November 24, 2001 - 09:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a holiday tradition that spans generations: the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And believe it or not, this year's high-steppers mark their 75th anniversary performance.

CNN's Anna Hovind has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA HOVIND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Radio City Rockettes have been kicking up their heels for more than three- quarters of a century. The precision dance troupe is traditionally linked with the winter holidays, helping kick off the season with their annual appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

CORRINNA LINDHOLM, ROCKETTE: Well, actually I watched the Radio City Rockettes growing up every year on the Thanksgiving parade. So of course it was, you know, a dream to be a Rockette, and I really think it's the epitome of every dancer to be a Radio City Rockette. It's really the pinnacle of your career.

HOVIND: And while it looks effortless, it isn't easy being a Rockette.

LINDHOLM: There are requirements. You must be proficient in tap, ballet, and jazz, be able to sing, be between the heights of five-five and a half to five-eleven, and of course do those eye-high kicks that the Radio City Rockettes are so famous for.

HOVIND: The costumes and routines have changed a bit through the years, but the dancers share a timeless bond. Heather Charlton was just 16 years old when she became a Rockette back in the 1950s.

HEATHER CHARLTON, FORMER ROCKETTE: I think the biggest tradition is the fact that you have the most beautiful girls up on stage doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. But the precision is incredible. And through my life, people have said, Oh, how did you all do the same thing at the same time? Well, practice, this is what it takes. And wanting, wanting to carry on that tradition. We did it for the love of it.

HOVIND: Charlton worked with Rockette founder Russell Markert (ph), who kept a close eye on his dancers.

CHARLTON: If we dyed our hair a color that Russell didn't like, we heard about it. If we gained five pounds, we heard about it.

HOVIND: You can still feel Markert's presence in the Christmas Spectacular. Dancers still perform some of the classic numbers he choreographed.

LINDHOLM: It's such an honor to be a part of such a wonderful tradition. I mean, the Rockettes have been around for 75 years. This year is our 75th anniversary. So it's an extra-special time to be a Radio City Rockette.

HOVIND: And now you don't have to travel to New York to see the Rockettes on stage. The Christmas Spectacular is going on the road. Rockette troupes will be dancing their way through Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, Nashville, and Kansas City.

Anna Hovind reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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