By: Chrysa Smith

rockettes1Kick up your heels this holiday season with the most flexible ladies this side of your exercise class. That is, the Rockettes.

For some 80+ years, the tradition continues to amaze and delight people with their perfect formations and toe-tapping performances that are just not seen anywhere else. Or are they?

Well apparently, the linear ladies are not just concentrated in New York. There is a Midwest troop that marches mid-country. And it’s great news for those who can’t make it to NYC.  In fact, I learned about it from my zumba instructor, whose future daughter-in-law made the troop based out of Houston, and she was headed there to catch a show this weekend.

While the Christmas Show at Radio City is Rockette-centric, the other wow factor is the technology. A few years back, MaryFran and I were stopped dead in our tracks on the streets of the Big Apple, presented with discount tickets to see the show. On a whim, we took the offer and saw one of the most delightful ways to stir up the Christmas spirit.

Equipped with 3D glasses, the performance combined the Rockettes with a bit of 3D technology, making Santa and his reindeer fly right past you. It was great. So this year, I was expecting a similar show and was at first, a bit disappointed that no glasses were handed out—-just a red Santa hat. But it didn’t take long and the visuals began to impress and amaze me.

If you’ve been to a show, one of the things you can count on, besides the perfectly aligned ladies, is a scene with a double-decker tour bus. This time, the background took you through a very realistic tour of the sights of the city. It was so real, it brought back some great memories of working in and wandering the streets of the city. The visuals not only sat behind the screen, but on the walls and up above you. And, as in the past, I’m still amazes when the dancers enter the bus in one costume and come out dressed in another. How do they do that?

It was topped off by a winter number, where snowflakes not only fell onto video screens around the theater, but clear bubbles with snowflakes contained within, floated out over the audience in a very snowflake-like falling. If you can make it to NYC, do see the show. And check websites like TravelZoo and other discount sites for deals. The further out from Christmas you go, the better. I wound up with orchestra seats for $50—-the price of a few hotdogs from the corner vendor (well almost).