How to Get Your Child Dance Lessons in New York City from a Rockette

I wish I could take credit for the genius of having enrolled my daughter in a dance studio with a Rockette dance captain as an instructor, but if I'm honest I'd have to admit that it was pure luck. When she changed dance studios recently, the primary motivation was getting away from the old one, which put an inordinate amount of emphasis on the costumes worn during the annual recital, and very little on dance instruction. To be honest, any dance studio nearby that hired decent teachers and didn't use the word "costume" thirty seven times in the first conversation I had with them probably would have been fine for us. However, when I talked to the owner of New Jersey Dance Academy (in Roseland, New Jersey) I was thrilled to hear that one of the members of her faculty was a Rockette!

The Rockettes are the most famous dance troupe in the world (people who think Twyla Tharp is a country music singer know exactly who they are). They're also the most exclusive, with only 32 active spots for the shows at Radio City Music Hall (alternates and performers for road shows are also hired). To be a Rockette a dancer must meet certain rigid criteria: she must be between 5'6" and 5' 10" (this is because their dance routines require the illusion of absolute uniformity). She must excel at all forms of dance, including ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance, and she must sparkle with stage presence. When a dancer becomes one of the Rockettes, it's confirmation that she is truly elite. For the child who believes dance is her calling, there can be no better person to teach her.

In fact, since starting at this dance studio my daughter has determined that she wants to be a ballerina when she grows up, and is taking her dance instruction much more seriously. The studio recently organized a trip to Radio City to see the Christmas Spectacular courtesy of Kim Calore (known affectionately as Miss Kim), their resident Rockette, and my child was in awe of their high kicks. It made an impression on her that may truly shape the direction of her career.