Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Dancers kick into high gear for Rockettes audition

Every year, hundreds of girls from across the country audition for a spot in one of the most famous dance companies in the United States, the Radio City Rockettes.  This year, several Point Park girls will have a chance to add their gams to the prestigious kickline when they attend the company’s New York City auditions on April 30.  For sophomore dance major Jillian Campbell, this will be her third time auditioning for the legendary troupe.  “I actually realized from coming to Point Park and auditioning for the Rockette Summer Intensive last year that it was something I was really interested in,” said Campbell in an interview in the Village Park on Monday.  “I just keep falling in love with it and the style of it.  Hopefully I can keep growing with the intensive [next year].” Like many other dancers who wish to join the line, Campbell prepared for her audition by attending the Rockette Summer Intensive, a one-week dance camp where dancers learn the ins- and-outs of Rockette style.  Campbell was one of the girls invited to attend the Rockette Invitational Week last summer, the most difficult week of the camp where dancers learn the full choreography of Rockette routines.  Like Campbell, senior dance major Meghan Manning also attended the Rockette Summer Intensive.  As a three-time veteran of Rockette auditions, Manning realized she wanted to be part of the famous line after seeing the Rockettes perform in their New York City Christmas Spectacular.“I always used to get up and watch them in the Thanksgiving Day parade, but when I saw them in New York I just got chills,” said Manning in an interview in Village Park on Monday.Manning’s training brings her further and further with each audition. She made it twice to the final round, but she has not yet been offered a job.In order to be considered for the Rockettes, dancers must measure at a height between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 ½ inches without their heels on, be extremely physically fit and be proficient in many dance styles, including jazz, tap and ballet.The training is rigorous. According to the Rockettes website, a Rockette performing in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular will rehearse six days a week for six hours a day. Because the company’s precision is what makes it so legendary, dancers who audition for the Rockettes must learn to process details very quickly and apply them to their own movement.  Every detail of the Rockette movement is meticulously choreographed, from the placement of the hands on the back to the tilt of the dancers’ heads.Missing just one detail could cause a dancer to be cut from the audition, so the dancers must stay focused throughout the entire process.  According to Manning, there are six to eight rounds in all for a dancer who makes it through the entire audition.  That much precision puts pressure on dancers, as Campbell learned during her first audition experience.“It was really intimidating because I didn’t really know what to expect and they were very intense,” Campbell said. “Basically, if we were to mess up even in the slightest amount, we would be cut.”Manning developed her own strategy to stay on top of details. She has attended both Rockette auditions before this year: the first audition in April or May and the second one in August. This year, she hopes to make it through all of the rounds of the May audition. A dancer must make it through six to eight rounds of auditions in order to become a Rockette, according to Manning.“The first audition, which is this one, is where they teach you the combination,” said Manning in an interview in the Village Park on Monday.  “And then they usually have another one in August where they do the same combos. Usually, I make it not as far in May. This time I’m going to try to make it really far for the first audition.” If either Campbell or Manning gains a spot in the prestigious Rockette kick line this year, they would join the many Point Park graduates who have followed their dreams to become Radio City Rockettes.

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