Rockettes Summer Intensive (6 - 9)

At the Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI), the dancers learned the importance of a foundation in ballet. With their previous ballet training our RSI dancers are able to pick up on our Radio City Christmas Spectacular choreography easier. And as Rockettes, we ALL have a strong foundation in ballet. It helped us get to where we are today - professional dancers.

Take a look behind the scenes of our Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI) dance program. Dancers learned how to do our famous eye-high kicks. They've spent hours practicing our kickline and our precision dance technique.

We love the chance to get a little silly on stage! At our Rockettes Summer Intensives (RSI), the dancers learn how we come together as a team to master our precision dance technique and have a little Rag Doll fun.

  

The dancers at our Rockettes Summer Intensive have been training in ballet, tap and jazz since they were young. Their variety of dance experience and backgrounds helps them master our unique precision style of choreography!

The Rockettes Summer Intensive was clearly a great experience for these young ladies. They had to bring their dance experience, creativity and discipline to bear for learning how the Rockettes do their dance. Again it isn't a matter of individual expressiveness, but expressiveness in the context of a very precise, en pointe choreography. The Rockettes are not only building its talent pipeline, but also promoting its breathtaking numbers to the community. These students look forward to watching the Christmas show, for example, and relishing the fact that they, too, performed those numbers.

Rockettes Summer Intensive (1 - 5)

In this video, you'll go behind the scenes of our summer dance program, Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI). Dancers from around the country travel to New York City to learn our Radio City Christmas Spectacular choreography!

Some of the dancers at our Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI) grew up dreaming of continuing their family legacy of being a Rockette! Hear their stories and see them learn choreography from our legendary Parade of the Wooden Soldiers number from the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Take a peek behind the scenes at our Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI) where dancers learned the importance of teamwork. Rockettes choreography relies on the entire group working in unison. These dancers worked together in groups and in pairs to master our precision dance technique.

During our Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI), dancers learn what it takes to be a Rockette! Take a look behind the scenes as the dancers learned our pre-show fitness routines and how we strengthen our bodies to be able to perform our choreography.

During our Rockettes Summer Intensive (RSI), dancers learn one of our signature precision tap numbers, Happy Feet. Not only did the dancers get to learn the choreography (and how we combine different styles of tap) but they got to sing along too. Multi-tasking!

My daughter is a member of a dance and tumbling troupe and a cheerleading squad, and I have a sense for how demanding numbers are to practice and perform.  The Rockettes are impressive for their precision and synchrony.  As one instructor said, these young ladies learn quickly that it's about sharp dancing and team dancing.

Clever Ensemble of Hosiery from Natali Cohen

From whimsical and sexy, to mathematical, poetic and musical, Natali Cohen is the creative mind behind Coline Design and this very clever ensemble of hosiery.  If I were a woman, I'd buy several of these.  Perhaps Cohen will have an offering for men at some point.  

The Art of Randy Monteith

Live Love Laugh

Broken Beyond Repair

The Dress

Cirrus

iLife

Exit Stage Left

Some business friends and I have had a long-running conversation thread on Twitter, and recently Lori tweeted Live, Love, Laugh.  I said that I loved the alliteration.  She and Ron came back with additional: Learn and Listen.  So when I saw that top piece by Randy Monteith, I had to tweet it to my friends and also had to check out his art, on Pinterest, for one.

Remembering Michael Jackson on June 25th

Michael Jackson died suddenly on June 25th 2009, and to remember the undisputed King of Pop I posted (with comments) my 10 favorite songs from his oeuvre on the 5th anniversary of his death:

The Jacksons don lavish costumes in this jazzy dance piece from 1976. Michael was only 18. 

Michael wails as the reprise, and wills the earth back to life, in this stirring 1995 song. 

Michael and Naomi get sexy in this sepia-hot music video of his 1992 hit. 

Michael died 5 years ago today. Soon thereafter I wrote a poem on the mournful irony of this song. 

Drama and dance cinch it in this Michael-gone-gangster at the 1993 American Music Awards. 

Just kickass bad, so 'nuff said.

Michael and his troupe rehearsed this zombie classic, in preparation for a July 2009 concert - This Is It - that never happened. 

Another awesome number from the "This Is It" rehearsals in 2009. 

Michael keeps his dancing simple, as he invokes Biblical themes onto the stage in Bucharest. 

If you haven't seen the "Step Up" films, go on YouTube. The 5th film is due in August, and JT & Co. should be in it. 

Lyrical Depth of `A Matter of Trust

Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will it's just a question of when
I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
Because it's always been a matter of trust

I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
I can't offer you proof
But you're going to face a moment of truth
It's hard when you're always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart of you must
It's a matter of trust

You can't go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God's sake don't shut me out

This time you've got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it
Whatever you choose
I won't hold back anything
And I'll walk a way a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It's make believe until it's only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust

I'm sure you're aware love
We've both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong

Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you've heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can't happen to us
Because it's always been a matter of trust

 `A Matter of Trust is not just an awesome rock song, but also one with lyrical depth.  So much of contemporary love songs are unimaginative and over-reliant on fleeting, formulaic appeal.  But Billy Joel rose above all that with his 1986 hit, and told a story about what love meant for him and his lover.  I especially love the thematic refrain, which I italicize above, where the song shifts to a more plaintive rhythm and tone.  A superb effort.

Art of the Woman

Read today

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Don't forget

I won't forget