Hard work, perseverance pay off for Akron native, new Rockette Abby Minear

Akron native Abby Minear, who has dreamed of being a Rockette since she was 7, is now living that dream in New York City.

The 21-year-old, a 2021 graduate of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, moved to New York City at 18 to train in pursuit of her dream. Her love of the Rockettes goes back to watching the famous precision dance team every year on TV with her family in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She would make her family record it and she'd replay it for hours afterward.

Minear first saw the Rockettes perform the "Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall in New York when she was 15. For two summers before, she had trained in the Rockettes' summer intensive program in the city.

"I was like, 'This is everything I've dreamed of and more' and ever since then I just couldn't wait to one day hopefully make that dream come true," Minear said of the first time she saw the holiday show.

"I will never forget when the curtain came up for the first number of the show, 'Sleigh Ride,' and the music started playing with the orchestra, and I just instantly burst into tears," said Minear, speaking by phone Oct. 26 during a break from rehearsal.

"This is the coolest thing I've ever seen," she said, telling her mother. "That's what I wanna do."

Hard work and auditions

Minear took a lot of open dance classes at various studios in New York over the last two years, training in ballet, tap and jazz with the singular goal of becoming a Rockette. The Rockettes Conservatory is led by Rockettes dance captains who train invited dancers in the troupe's signature precision dance styles.

Minear auditioned three times for the famed dance troupe, once in April 2022 for an open call, and twice this year, in April and August, which was by invitation only.

Last summer, after having auditioned twice, she was invited to take part in a no-cost Rockettes Summer Conservatory, an intensive training program led by Rockettes dance captains who train invited dancers in the precision styles.

After working her tail off in the program, Minear auditioned for the Rockettes for a third time in August. It turned out to be the charm.

Minear learned on Aug. 16 that she was one of 84 women who had made the elite Rockettes line. She captured the breakthrough moment by striking a stylish, triumphant pose in all-black dancewear in front of Radio City Music Hall's iconic marquee.

"i’ve dreamt of this moment my entire life and i can’t believe it’s real I’M A RADIO CITY ROCKETTE!!!!! ❤️dreams really do come true & grateful doesn’t even begin to describe it!!!! i’m so incredibly excited for this new journey!!!! christmas is coming!!!!!!" she wrote on Facebook and Instagram.

Amid all the congratulations, Alice Duey of Martell School of Dance in Akron said: "Oh Abby!! I couldn't be happier for you. high kickin for joy over here. You have truly earned this. And yes, dreams really do come true."

Dance studies in Akron, Munroe Falls

Minear started dancing at age 5, studying at Martell for 10 years and at Meneer School of Dance in Munroe Falls her junior and senior years of high school.

"Both studios gave me early, well-rounded dance training that prepared me to move to New York and pursue this as a career," Minear said.

"Actually, I always knew when I took my first dance class that I wanted to pursue this as a career," she said of becoming a Rockette.

When she started rehearsals for the "Christmas Spectacular" Oct. 4 in a basement studio at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan, Minear knew from her training with the Rockettes that she was in great company.

"It's really special now that I get to dance alongside some of the women that I've admired for so long," Minear said of her fellow Rockettes. "All the Rockettes, once we started rehearsal, it really does feel like a family."

Every Rockette tries out each season for the job, no matter how many years they've danced with the company. Individual Rockettes may dance up to four "Christmas Spectacular" shows a day.

The troupe rehearses six hours a day, six days a week for six weeks leading up to the Nov. 17 opening of the "Christmas Spectacular," which runs through Jan. 1.

The 84 Rockette dancers include two lines of 36 women each as well as 12 swings. The heights of the women in the famed line range from 5'5" to 5'10½", with Minear on the shorter side at 5'6½".

"The first thing that we do in rehearsal is get into our lineup order, which is kind of like our home where we'll be kicking for the season in the line," she said.

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Why the Rockettes?

It's inspiring to see a line of women such as the Rockettes dancing together, Minear said.

"I just wanted to be a part of that legacy," she said. "For me, I always had a very clear dream and intention for what I wanted."

Heading into the magic of the holiday season, the dancer said there's nothing like Christmas in New York.

"I think that the Rockettes really are Christmas in New York City," Minear said. "And to be able to dance at Radio City Music Hall, I think is just such a dream."

Minear's parents, Jenny and Chris, and sister Sarah will be at Radio City Music Hall for her big opening night.

"I'm really excited to have them in the audience and get to see me because it's really just as much their dream as it has been mine and I'm really grateful for their support," Minear said.

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Background on Rockettes

The 90-minute "Christmas Spectacular" features nine show-stopping numbers with intricate choreography. The show will again include the fan favorite "Dance of the Frost Fairies," a lyrical number reimagined last year that features the Rockettes as fantastical winged fairies performing alongside fairy drones that fly high above the audience

The "Christmas Spectacular," produced by Radio City Music Hall operator MSG Entertainment, has been a New York Christmas tradition since 1933. Today’s show still features beloved numbers including “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and the “Living Nativity,” which have been performed since its inception.

The troupe, originally known as the “Roxyettes,” performed a routine to the song “With a Feather in Your Cap” on opening night for Radio City Music Hall in late 1932. In 1934, the they officially became the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.

Radio City Music Hall is the largest indoor theatre in the world with a marquee that's a full city block long. More than 70 million people from around the world have seen the "Christmas Spectacular" since it opened at Radio City 90 years ago.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron dancer living childhood dream as Rockette in New York City