Radio City Rockettes celebrate 100th anniversary with street renaming ceremony in Midtown Manhattan
The Radio City Rockettes celebrated 100 years of history and holiday magic Friday.
Sixth Avenue was shut down for a street renaming ceremony outside Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan. A double-decker bus filled with current and former Rockettes helped unveil the new street sign reading "Rockettes Way."
"Stopping traffic in New York City is amazing," said Jessica Tuttle, senior vice president of MSG Entertainment. "We were able to rename Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Avenue, to Rockettes Way to celebrate 100th anniversary."
The history of the Radio City Rockettes
The Rockettes were founded in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri, before relocating to New York City in 1932.
For a century, they've performed through wars, recessions and countless holiday seasons, always keeping the Christmas spirit alive.
"[It was] revolutionary that women, well, A, could show their ankles, and B, like, kick together. It was just a brand new idea," former Rockette Naomi Kakuk said.
The dancers are known for their precision, discipline and dazzling style.
Over the decades, the costumes too have evolved from full-length skirts to more modern, sparkly designs.
"It is iconic to this country, especially to the city and to Christmas, really," Kakuk said.
What's new for the 2025 Christmas Spectacular
To celebrate this year's 100th anniversary, the show is full of surprises, including a cutting-edge sound system modeled after the one inside the Las Vegas Sphere.
"We have live mics in our tap shoes," current Rockette Laura Jakowenko said. "You're going to hear crystal clear tap steps, notes, every single instrument, no matter where you're sitting in the house. There are 7,000 speakers."
Jakowenko has been dancing with the group for 12 years and has performed in thousands of shows.
"We do up to four shows a day, so we are kicking a lot, but you know, this is what we train all year for," she said.
Rockettes Way now serves as a permanent tribute to the company, and kicking off to the 2025 Christmas Spectacular - celebrating a century of high kicks, and holiday magic.
The 2025 Christmas Spectacular opened Thursday and runs through Jan. 5.