How This Dancer Landed Her Dream Job as a Rockette
Though some of us were told as little ones that we could do anything we wanted with our lives if we really put our minds to it, there are still some jobs that seem so far out of reach that no amount of vision boarding could help bring them to fruition. At the top of that list? Joining the Radio City Rockettes. (You thought I was going to say rocket scientist, didn't you?)
For those of us who are not coordination-inclined, watching 36 leggy ladies kick in stunning synchronicity is enough to make your brain hurt. How do they move so precisely, with every pinky and crystal embellishment in step?
Samantha Berger, who has been a Rockette for the past fifteen years, says the answer is seven hours a day of rehearsals—for seven weeks. Plus, ya know, years of training, raw talent, and yes, some height requirements. But not every road to that iconic line is the same.
Berger, who was born in Guam but grew up in Virginia, was recognized for her arabesques at a young age. By age eight, she was training at an advanced school in tap, ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. But, Berger, now 33, never dreamed of becoming a Rockette—which she doesn't say with faux humility. Despite watching the troupe perform on TV at the Macy's Day Parade every year, that particular ambition never occurred to her because girls like her were never on the line.
"I didn’t really see anyone that looked like me when I'd watch the Rockettes on TV," she says. "It definitely wasn’t as diverse as it is now, and obviously we’re growing. But, it's hard when you’re a kid, especially when you’re a dancer. You’re looking for the person that looks like you, that you’re going to be able to relate to, so it deterred me from thinking that could be a dream for me."
Still, every Thanksgiving, she'd sit down with her mom while the Rockettes high-kicked to "Let Christmas Shine," and her mother would insist, "Sam, I see you there." Now, Berger says: "At the end of the day, always listen to your mom because they’re always right, clearly."
Ultimately, after she graduated high school, Berger did make it to New York—home of Radio City Music Hall, home to the Rockettes—and at 19, she heeded her mother's advice.
"The audition process is intense. It’s long and there are…a lot of women, so that intimidating factor for anyone would be crazy," Berger says, explaining that before you even walk into the room, you take off your heels to get measured. You then have to be between five-foot-six and five-foot-10-and-a-half inches to be a Rockette, she explains. (If, like me, you always assumed Rockettes were the exact same height, it's actually an optical illusion. The tallest women are placed in the center of the kick line, with the shortest on the end, so that when they're curved towards the stage, they appear identical. Christmas magic).
Although traditionally new Rockettes are put through a "bootcamp" where they learn not only the routines, but how to be in sync with one another, Berger was thrown right in to extensive rehearsals. "Lucky me," she jokes, adding that with a precision dance team, "You use your brain in such a different way." And now, while she's been doing the gig for so many years she no longer gets nervous, she does admit it's tiring. "Everything is so over-rehearsed because it has to be, but I always remind myself that there are people in the audience who are seeing this for the first time."
Those holiday enthusiasts who make a yearly pilgrimage to Radio City may experience something different this year. Yes, the epic nativity scene with live camels will continue—as will the moment 36 women jump into heavily starched pants for the Dance of the Wooden Soldiers, a scene that has been a part of the show since it debuted in 1933. But Berges says one thing is slowly starting to evolve.
"This year feels like the most exciting. For the first time we have 13 brand new Rockettes. When I started, the most we had was three new girls at a time, and these women are extremely diverse, and that’s why I’m so happy... it feels like it’s finally happening. I'm seeing what I wanted to see as a kid when I was watching TV."
While from the cheap seats, it might be difficult to discern this, Berger insists: "People paint a picture of what the Rockettes are, and us all looking the exact same, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. And I’m glad to be a part of the process of getting more people represented."
Of course, this slowly turning tide has been met with praise, but Berger says: "You get it from both sides—people who are happy it’s becoming more diverse, and those who are like ‘Wow, that’s... a big change.’ It’s the nature of the job, but now I see the little girls in the audience dancing, and it reminds me of me dancing when I was a kid watching it all on TV."
Berger is passionate about seeing positive change for the line, not just for the industry, but for herself and her fellow dancers, given how much of their lives revolve around that stage.
"What people don’t understand is we basically live at the theater. We’re doing 17 shows a week, including Christmas, so we’re not necessarily with our parents or with our family. That's exhausting. Sometimes it's sad, but we have such a sisterhood. We’re so unbelievably close. A lot of us have been in each other’s weddings, watched each other's babies be born, so when you get tired, you remember those moments."
As for post-show self-care, despite her career being different than most of ours, her routine is basically the same. "I should say I go home at night, take an ice bath and stretch, but that would be a total lie. I’m such a homebody. I kick my feet up for a solid hour, I put on my candles, I read, and I have a glass of wine."
And as the season starts coming to a close, Berger is already looking towards 2020.
"Every year you have to re-audition to make sure you're still in the same Rockette shape, and that you remember all the details," she says. "They want to keep us on our toes. I’ve been doing it for 15 years, and I don’t plan on stopping, as long as my body holds up. There is no age cap, after all."
If you find yourself in New York and are hankering to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, you can get tickets here.
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