The Radio City Christmas Spectacular
You’ve been working hard, studying at EC New York English School, and you need to do something fun during break! New York City has the privilege of presenting the celebrated Radio City Christmas Spectacular every winter. If you’ve heard of this annual holiday show before, you know it is not just any old act. The show is hosted at the Radio City Music Hall, a declared city landmark in Midtown Manhattan and nicknamed the “Showplace of the Nation.” The Radio City Christmas Spectacular first premiered in December 1933 and is now going on its 80
The stars of the spectacular are the famous women’s precision dance troupe known as the Rockettes. The Rockettes’ dance style is a mixture of modern dance and classic ballet. They are often best known for their remarkable eye-high leg kicks performed in a chorus line and done in perfect unison. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes present five shows a day, seven days a week at Radio City Music Hall. The troupe also performs annually at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as the NBC Rockefeller Center Tree-Lighting Ceremony.
In addition to the Rockettes, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular also features over 140 performers, extravagant costumes, and a beautiful set. Though the act highlights traditional Christmas scenes, it has now modernized starting with a computer-animated 3D short film then leading to an original musical score inspired by The Nutcracker. This New York attraction brings in over two million viewers a year. This year’s show will be running until December 30th so there is still plenty of time to catch this glorious spectacle.
By Joy Chen