00:02I'm Lucy Fink. I'm a video producer at Refinery29, but every so often I like to try other people's jobs.
00:09Today I'm at Radio City Music Hall, and I'm going to see if I have what it takes to be
00:12a Radio City Rockette.
00:14This is Lucy for Hire.
00:21My name is Katie Walker, and I am a Radio City Rockette.
00:24It is a job, but it's also our childhood dream, so it's amazing coming here.
00:29We do rehearse six hours a day, six days a week, nonstop.
00:33We'll do up to 500 kicks in one day, and we do 16 shows a week sometimes.
00:37So it's very athletic, and it's just very rewarding to have this job.
00:41Your first challenge today is learn to stretch like your Rockette.
00:45Katie and the Rockettes walked me through their classic routine, which they call dynamic stretching.
00:49It's very active and includes things like heel flips, lunges, scoops, grapevines, and more.
00:56And roll up. Feel warm? Your heart rate up? Everything warmed up and engaged? All right.
01:05Your second challenge is to learn the choreography.
01:08So we're going to be dancing in these two lines, and we'll have like the upstage line.
01:13We'll do something, and then we'll kind of follow them.
01:15Turn your right foot slightly to the side. Pop up onto your left toe.
01:20If you look in the mirror, it should almost look like you have two legs that meet and make one
01:24leg.
01:24They go one, two, we go three, four, five, lift it six, ball change seven, eight.
01:33Is this going to go really fast? We'll just keep it slow.
01:37Talking about our famous eye-high kicks, we're going to do eight of them right now.
01:41The prep for your jump kick is just a little like jump down, and you're jumping with both feet together.
01:47You're going to kick your right leg first.
01:50It's eye-high because what? It's toe-to-eye-high.
01:53So you want to think of looking forward and seeing your toe at eye-high each time.
02:00Sometimes you do this now.
02:02Is eye-high if I go down?
02:05You want to try a few hooked up? Yeah.
02:07Okay, we'll do eight.
02:08I just have to say this is a dream pose.
02:12I feel like I'm a professional rockette at this moment.
02:16Let's kick.
02:18One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one.
02:27And then you're going to come back to your right bevel and drop your arms.
02:30Is anyone else a little light-headed?
02:33Seriously?
02:34Then we tried it all together.
02:37One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one, two, three, four, five, and a seven.
02:48Not bad!
02:49Awesome!
02:51How do you feel about it?
02:52I feel good.
02:53I feel like I'll let it marinate.
02:54Yeah.
02:55Leave it for a little bit.
02:55We'll come back to it once we're all ready to do the show.
02:58That's what we always do.
02:59If I forget my moves, I'm just going to...
03:01When the Rockettes went to get changed, I did a bit more practicing on my own.
03:05One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
03:09And once I had it down, it was time to look the part.
03:12Hi, I'm Sophie Holloway and I'm a Radio City Rockette.
03:14So we're in one of the dressing rooms right now and obviously this is where we all come
03:18to do our hair and makeup and our preparations for the show.
03:21Your third challenge is to do your hair like a rocket.
03:24We're going to start by slicking back our hair nice and tight.
03:29Just comb the hair out and kind of like into like a low ponytail.
03:33Then once we get to that stage, you're going to grab it with one hand, pull the hair across
03:38and pin it in nice and tight on the side.
03:41Oh no.
03:42Did you drop it?
03:43I dropped it all.
03:44Doing the classic Rockette French twist is a lot harder than you'd think.
03:49With Sophie's help, I finally got it right.
03:51After all, teamwork makes the dream work.
03:54Final challenge, makeup like a rocket.
03:57The classic Rockette look is always a false lash and a beautiful red lip.
04:01I like to do obviously a base and then a nice little bronze cheekbone.
04:06So everybody uses different colors suiting their skin tone and eye color and whatnot.
04:10How many years have the Rockettes been around?
04:12Since 1933.
04:14Wow.
04:14So a long time.
04:15Have you ever put a false lash on before?
04:17I have and I have to say I'm not that good at it.
04:19I'm struggling just to open the package.
04:23That's it.
04:24Yes!
04:25Those are some bold lashes.
04:28Time for the iconic red lipstick and some finishing touches.
04:31So beautiful.
04:32Alright.
04:34You're a Rockette now.
04:35I'm a Rockette.
04:36Are we ready to do some dancing?
04:37I'm ready.
04:38Let's go be Rockettes.
04:40Woo!
04:44Ready to go for it with music?
04:45Yeah.
04:46Alright.
04:46Final number.
04:48Ahh!
05:19After my big debut, I got a backstage tour, saw all of the colorful costumes, and even
05:24got to meet a few other stars of the show.
05:27All in all, I must say it's not as easy as it looks, but I had so much fun being
05:31a Rockette
05:32for the day.
05:32Next time, I'll be on the big stage.
05:35Dreams really do come true.
05:45Thanks for watching our video.
05:47Click here to watch another video on Refinery's channel, and right here to subscribe to Refinery
05:5129 on YouTube.
05:53Bye!
05:55Bye!
06:01Did you post it?
06:02Did you post it?
06:02Did you post it?
06:02Did you post it?
Comments