Radio City Rockettes rehearsing for 2024 Christmas Spectacular
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Christmas is just over two months away but the iconic Radio City Rockettes are already hard at work preparing for this year's spectacular.
The first slate of shows gets underway on November 8, which is just three weeks away.
The iconic group has welcomed 17 new dancers to the team of 84 this year -- including some homegrown talent from New Jersey.
Kayla Shu is one of those new recruits from Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
"Watching in the audience it's so beautiful, the lines are straight but being in the room, noticing how much detail it takes, how much precision it takes, that's something I could not have expected," Shu said.
The dancers are rehearsing six hours a day, six days a week. And getting plenty of rest and taking ice baths is a must.
"We really are phenomenaldancers, trained and athletes, our level is like any other sports team and I take pride in that," said Tara Tubridy.
Tubridy is from Whitestone, Queens, and this is her 19th season as a Rockette. She is a mom to three little girls.
"They do tell all of their friends and teachers 'my mommy is a Rockette' and sometimes I don't think people believe them," Tubridy said.
Nothing in the 90-minute show is random.
"We really are a piece of graph paper and so is the stage, every two feet there is either a solid line or dashed line," said director Julie Branam.
Each season, the ladies rehearse a minimum of 216 hours and during the show, they'll have eight costume changes -- with just 78 seconds for one.
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