What It's Like to Be a Radio City Rockette for a Day

Ever wonder what it would be like to dance with the Radio City Rockettes...? FITNESS Magazine Senior Editor Bethany Gumper lived the dream of little--and big!--girls everywhere when she took a lesson with the famed dancers.

Watch as Bethany attempts "a tiny" part of their rehearsal. The Rockettes rehearse six hours a day to prep for the holiday show, which they perform up to six times daily.

"By the end (of my lesson), I was panting and sweaty...and but they still looked sparkly and perfect!" Bethany reported back to FITNESS.

In this candid video below, sneak a peek at one of their practices and listen in to a quick Q&A in the dressing room.

PLUS: Want to be a Rockette? Here are FITNESS's three tips to learning the (very exclusive) trade:

  1. Know the stance. Perfect your posture by trying the signature bevel stance as you wait in line at the grocery store: Stand tall. Bend your right knee and rest your right big toe on the floor next to your left big toe.

  2. Get the look. Every Rockette wears MAC Cosmetics Russian Red lipstick and stands between five feet six and five feet ten and a half inches tall. How do they all look the same height in the kick line? The tallest dancer stands in the center, and stature decreases to each end. MORE: 5 Expert Tricks to Plump Your Pout

  3. Practice the kicks. No holding on to each other for balance while kicking. The only thing keeping the Rockettes from toppling like a row of sequined dominoes is core strength. "We do a lot of Pilates and tons of planks," dance captain Karen Keeler says.



The Radio City Christmas Spectacular runs from November 5 through December 30; visit radiocitychristmas.com for more info.


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This article has been reprinted with the permission of Meredith Corporation.