FOLIO
There’s one company of high-kicking entertainers that are all heart: The Rockettes. Set to come to Jacksonville for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, two of the Rockettes came to Jacksonville last month for a little early Christmas cheer.
Bedecked in a velvet dance outfit, with silver heels and high collars, showing off those famous legs, two of the Rockettes came to Nemours Children’s Clinic to sign autographs, pose for pictures and demonstrate dance kicks.
Rockettes go through an arduous selection process, with four or five rounds of auditions. They have to be proficient in jazz and tap-style dance. All Rockettes must be between 5’6” and 5’10 1/2” in their stockinged feet. They come from all over the U.S. and other countries as well.
The two kick-line beauties who visited the kids are both from Florida. Christina Elaine Cichra grew up in Alachua, with pre-college training at Gainesville’s Dancecenter. Ashley deZeeuw went to FSU, grew up in Orlando and danced for Disney and MGM.
Both girls have been Rockettes for a few years and they enjoy meeting the children at the Clinic and other places. Says deZeeuw, “Seeing their faces light up is pretty awesome.” Even though it was September, Cichra believes that “It’s never too early for Christmas cheer!”
When the Rockettes give back to the various communities they visit, they often choose dancers that are more or less local. It’s fairly unusual for a traveling company to be concerned about the communities they visit, but the Rockettes are an exception.
If you’d like to get a real Radio City experience, a big New York City spectacular with a small town heart, reserve your tickets by calling 632-3373 or go online to www.artistseriesjax.org. They’ll be performing from December 2- 12 at the Times-Union Center’s Moran Theatre.
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