LOCAL DANCER'S DREAMS COME TRUE - MY WEEK AS A ROCKETTE IN TRAINING

Thousands dream of one day  becoming a Radio City Rockette,
Just ask any little girl who goes to the Christmas Show Spectacular!!

Costumes sparkling , the beautiful dancers all in a row performing
on that grand stage of Radio City Music Hall..  it is but a dream.

Watching the elegance, poise, beauty and the totally
synchronized choreography, the famous Rockettes dance their way into
our dreams.

As a little girl clutching my Rockette teddy bear, I was
captivated when my parents brought me to my first Christmas show. I had
grown up in my moms dance studio Le Danse in Wayne N.J. and had been
surrounded by the world of dance for as long as I can remember.   I
started dance classes when I was 2 and a half. and later as I got
older  and improved, I began training as a competitive dancer in
my dance studio,

I  have always known that dance was my passion.

Last summer 2 senior dancers in my studio (Stephanie and
Sarina) auditioned for the RSI and made the cut. I attended the
performance showcase to see them perform along with my mom and Aunt
Patty  co directors of my studio Le Danse. I knew right there and
then that it was something that  I wanted to do.  

At the end of the showcase there was a question and answer
opportunity. I asked how old you would need to be to audition??
The answer : 14, so this past January 2 weeks after turning 14,  I
auditioned for the Rockette Summer  IntensiveI in NYC.

The day was very cold . I was nervous and very excited
knowing that I was one step closer to my dreams. The audition was hard , but
also fun and although I was the youngest and smallest one there, and
it was my very first audition,  I did my best. I

left feeling on top of the world. but I was nervous,anticipating
the outcome..would  I make it?/

Now would come the hard part .. the months of
waiting....

Finally in March my dream came true. I finally received an
email accepting me into the program.

I couldn't believe it! This was my first audition ever and I
actually made it!  I also found out that Stephanie and Sarina were also
accepted for a 2nd season in the Intensive and was happy for them too. I
would actually be following in their footsteps and was beyond excited for the
summer to come..!!

July came quickly and as  I confidently walked down 6th Ave
on my way to my week of RSI training I felt like the luckiest girl in the
world..

My hair in a bun lipstick on and ,rhinestone earrings in
place, dance bag on my shoulder, we waited on the line to go in for
 orientation. I couldn't help but feel that behind those golden
doors, special memories were about to be made..

With a hug and kiss from my mom the doors opened and  I
entered Radio City ready for day 1. What an amazing day it was.. we danced, re
auditioned for placement classes and took a tour of  fabulous Radio
City. After that, we started learning choreography for the showcase to be held at
weeks end.. At the end of the first day, I was tired , but more than
tired  I was also happy. We walked back to our car, me with my
taped feet and blisters from my character shoes,and  It  felt like I
was walking on air..

..Back at the parking garage, seeing my taped and bandaged
feet the parking guys asked what happened and when we  explained that I
was a Rockette in training, they smiled and ran quickly to  get our
car.

Each day the parking attendants on 51st St. ( now invested in
my journey) wished me good luck and a great day of dancing ,and we would
begin our walk to Radio City .The morning routine was that  we
stopped at Magnolia bakery for coffee for my mom and a treat  for
after lunch for me. Seeing my new Rockette dancebag, the woman at the bakery
asked me what it was like to be a Rockette in training? I smiled a big smile
and told her all about it. After that she greeted us with a big smile each
morning..

Each day at the Intensive consisted of classes in jazz and
tap. We quickly learned choreography and rehearsed  and rehearsed,
trying to perfect the routines and get all the choreography details perfect.
There was also ballet classes and seminars where we had the opportunity
to speak to real Rockettes and hear about their lives and carrers. Each
day I grew more excited knowing that I was improving  and because
I was so inspired by my teachers, I wanted to do my absolute best. I
even made a notebook and took down every correction and every single thing
I needed to practice for the next day.

.I quickly met  several great girls and soon became fast
friends with Paige and Tiffany . (My besties).   We became known
throughout the week as the 3 muskateers. We were the youngest
dancers there and bonded  from day one..

The instructors,choreographer, staff, interns, dance captains,
fellow dancers and Rockettes were in a word WONDERFUL!!  The love and
professionalism of these dancers is something to truely be admired and has
genuinely inspired me.

 The smile never left my face all week all day every day.

My respect for the dancers who trained us grew each day. I worked
tirelessly to make them proud and to get each tiny detail. I practiced every
night when I got home and soaked my feet in ice water before going to sleep
each night. By the end of the week I felt sharper and more confident in
the Rockette style (which is a lot harder than it looks) My stamina
increased, my pick up level increased, and my passion and love for
dance grew  even stronger.

On Friday at the end of the week we had the rehearsal and performance
showcase at NYU Skirball Center for the performing Arts,  My proud and
excited family and dance teacher there to support me and watch me
perform!! Before the show I had the unique opportunity to be interviewed for
the Rockette website on my weeks experiences and answered
questions about the program.  Seems word got around about my
decorated rockkete notebook and I was asked about that too.  This
 was an unexpected surprise and I had to pinch myself to believe it
was really happening!! Super excited after the interview, I quickly ran down
the stairs to get ready for the performance.

It was here!! Performance!!! time to dance!!

We danced three actual pieces of choreography , Happy
Feet, Irving Berlin and the classic Parade of the Wooden
Soldiers.. It felt amazing to be performing some of the same
dances that  the real Rockettes had performed. I really
was living my dream performing on stage in NYC .

After the show came the standing ovation from the audience, the
applause, and the many pictures taken on stage and in the lobby.. !!
Then sadly it was time for the many  hugs and tearful goodbyes
with all of my teachers and friends.

Emails and phone numbers exchanged, we promised to keep in
touch and made plans to come back to see the Christmas show together and
audition again in January...

  I honestly didn't want the week to end.. my heart
felt like it was about to burst. I was so sad to see this all come to
an end In the car after the celebration dinner, when I was driving home with my
mom ,the tears were falling down my face,A little bit of sad
tears but they were mixed with tears of happiness too because I know
in my heart that this was the best dance week of my young life and I
am looking forward to auditioning  again for next summer. I am so
 thankful for this opportunity to train with these amazing women and
will forever cherish this exceptional experience and the wonderful
memories and friendships made as well as  positive inpact it 
has had on me..