Nearly every dancer has envisioned themselves participating in the world-famous Radio City Rockettes kick line. Very few dancers ever have the opportunity.
Just Dance! Senior Company Member Jade Boerman was able to knock that off her bucket list in July 2019 when she participated in the Rockettes Summer Intensive. Jade earned a partial scholarship and automatic entry during a New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) regional event where Joe Lanteri said he could see Jade as a Rockette.
“It was really different than anything I have ever done because we really only had one hour of class – and it was faculty from Alvin Ailey who taught a Horton technique class. The rest of our time was spent learning and cleaning choreography for the showcase.”
The summer intensive offers aspiring professional dancers the opportunity to train with the Rockettes and a Rockettes director/choreographer. Classes are held eight hours a day and the intensive culminates in a Showcase at a New York City theater.
“Honestly, after this intensive I am starting to consider a career in professional dancing and would love to dance with the Rockettes! It’s a pretty big dream but dancing with the Rockettes as opposed to freelance auditioning for shows would be amazing because it’s a really stable career that supports dancers even through the off season.”
Jade’s Thoughts on The Rockettes Summer Intensives
Most Surprising: The most surprising thing was probably either learning about the opportunities the Rockettes offer their dancers year round or how bad my feet hurt on the second day!
Favorite Part: I think my favorite part was just having the opportunity to get more experience dancing in heels because there aren’t many classes in that style here in Charleston.
What I Learned: I learned a lot about picking up small details in a short amount of time which I’m excited to use in other classes in the future.
Down Time in NYC
Jade traveled to NYC with her mom and was able to spend time there with Just Dance! Alum Abby Haynes. The dance schedule was packed and exhausting, so it didn’t leave much time for fun in the city, but they did catch a show at the Joyce Theatre (Freddie Falls in Love), eat at some good restaurants and shop.