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BARBARA L. FREDRICKSENSixteen Florida dance students, including two from Hernando County, have a dream come true and get to perform with the famed Radio City Music Hall Rockettes on Dec. 29 in Tampa.
Vanessa Bowers knows exactly how she feels about what's happening.
"This is like a dream come true to me," said the 11-year-old.
She's talking about her gig as a Junior Rockette in the opening number of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular on Dec. 29 at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. For that one night, the Holiday student will be one of 16 Florida girls, ages 10 to 13, who will share a stage with the world-famous Rockettes precision dance troupe.
"I have always wanted to be a pointe dancer or a Rockette," Vanessa said. "I became a pointe dancer last year and a Rockette this year. It has been exciting."
The Junior Rockettes were chosen in October from 60 applicants who tried out before two former Rockettes and two judges from the sponsoring company, WMTX-FM 100.7 radio station. Two of the dancers are from Hernando County: Maria Victoria Herrera, 11, and Tracy Colleran, 13. "I was nervous because this was the first time I had auditioned with dance," Elizabeth Mathieson, 12, said. "I just knew, whatever happened, it was good experience for me."
Vanessa and Elizabeth are among the six girls from Sell's Broadway Dance Center in New Port Richey who were chosen to high-kick their way across the Tampa Bay stage.
"This is the first time Radio City Music Hall has done anything like this," said Lois Alston, a former Rockette who taught the juniors their routine. The 71-year-old New York company fitted the girls with their red velvet and white feather costumes, white gloves and Santa Claus hats - which they get to keep. If it works out as hoped, there may be other Junior Rockette lines in the future.
Tampa is one of only eight U.S. cities this year to get the Radio City Christmas Spectacular outside of its home stage at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Five different companies are doing the show in Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Milwaukee, Nashville, Detroit and Phoenix, and also in Branson, Mo., where it's closing after a 10-year holiday run.
The show is similar to the New York version, but not a replica. For example, New York has a 36-member dance line, where the road shows have only 18. The Tampa company is doing 53 shows, sometimes as many as four a day.
"Twelve of us tried out from this school, and half of us made it," said Colleen Hanlon, a 12-year-old middle schooler whose parents drive her from Inverness to the Sells' school on State Road 54 five a days a week for dance lessons. Like several of her fellow students, she wants to be a professional dancer when she gets older.
Margaret Atkinson, 12, looks at the Junior Rockette experience as a chance "to learn the choreography of professional dancers."
Indeed, Radio City Music Hall supplied instructor Alston with recorded music, video and choreography that melds with the production.
"I put it together according to what I thought they wanted," Ms. Alston said.
The youngest Junior Rockette, 10-year-old Sarah Holding, would be just as happy reading her favorite author, Judy Blume, or writing, but is still excited about performing on the large Tampa Bay stage.
For Selina DiPronio, the best part of being a Junior Rockette is getting to perform with her best friends.
The worst part?
"A lot of times, we got only three breaks out of five hours of rehearsals," she said.
WHAT: Junior Rockettes in Radio City Christmas Spectacular
WHERE: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 29
TICKETS: $20-$57.50, plus fees from $7.50 to $9.50. Online at tbpac.org or call (813) 229-7827.