Rockettes Bring in Another All-White Christmas
I want to be a Rockette.
There I said it.
OK, I really don’t, but what if I did.
They probably wouldn’t take me because A) I’m a dude B) I’m only 5’ 9” C) I’m not graceful.
It’s really that third one that kills the dream. However, I do have one thing clearly in my favor: I’m Caucasian.
With another Christmas in the books, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular once again entertained millions of American spectators. And of the 36 world-famous Rockettes, the majority were once again white.
For an elitist group that didn’t even allow African-Americans to qualify for the dance line until 1987, I find this pretty surprising.
Over Christmas break my wife was watching the Rockettes on TV. (Yes, I swear she put it on the telly!) I couldn’t help but notice that they were all white. The show takes place in New York City for God’s sake, one of the most – if not THE most – culturally diverse places in the universe.
By my count there was one African-American and one Asian on stage.
That is NOT representative of NYC or the attending audiences.
The Rockettes already limit their talent pool by only accepting woman who are between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 1/2 inches. Can only white woman sustain 400 high leg kicks per show? I doubt it.
For those of us who are not a 5’ 9” woman, there is still hope.
The Rockettes offer a Rockette-for-a-day fantasy camp at Radio City Music Hall in NY. For $108 you can prep for the April tryouts. There’s also a week-long boot camp in the summer. In fact, this is how approximately 30 Rockettes have been “discovered.”
Do you smell a reality show?
According to a New York Times article from 1987:
Civil-rights officials have denounced the lack of diversity in the Rockettes as an offensive anachronism, especially for such a visible symbol of a multiracial city.
Has anything really changed?
Maybe I’m colorblind. Maybe I happened to catch an all-white day. Someone tell me I’m wrong. I’d love nothing more.
ELIEZER ( LOUIS ) Kestenbaum was also arrested with the rabbi of spinka as being a part of the money laundering team. Kestenbaum is the president of the ODA …
Nancy said this on December 27, 2007 6:51 am