Tamia Strickland: Open-call auditions had been in April, and there’s a three-day-long audition course of. I bought by means of all three days after which bought invited to Conservatory Week, which is a weeklong program the place we practice with the Rockettes and the Ailey College [an educational institution that partners with the Rockettes on dancer development programs]. And the Dance Theatre of Harlem additionally comes and teaches us lessons, so we’re uncovered to all kinds of dance types over the week. And then there’s one other invite-only audition in August, which I additionally did. [Basically,] it was a summer-long course of to be right here.
SELF: Did you get a proposal the primary time you auditioned, or did you must undergo it a pair instances earlier than you made the lower?
Strickland: I auditioned twice, so this previous audition was my second time. Being a Rockette has all the time been a dream of mine, and I knew it was attainable if I simply stored going for it, pushing. Moreover, I like Christmas in New York, and I wished to be a part of that iconic Christmas custom for therefore many individuals. And in order that simply stored motivating me to maintain going, as a result of I knew sometime it was going to occur.
SELF: How did you all really feel whenever you bought the notification that you simply had been within the forged for this yr?
Strickland: Once I bought the cellphone name, I used to be speechless. I used to be like, “Uh, hello? Oh, sure, I’d like to.” And I instantly known as my mother. She began bawling, and I simply bear in mind feeling like, Oh, I did it! All that onerous work paid off, and I achieved one thing. Stepping on stage for the primary time, I used to be like, Wow. It was a dream come true, and I began tearing up somewhat bit in my reindeer costume.
Hannah Hawkins: Yeah, getting the decision is fairly magical. I keep in mind that I used to be shaking. I used to be with my husband in a drive-through line at a espresso store. He’s getting handed his espresso by means of the window, and I’m over there freaking out!
MacKenzie Howse: And there’s truly a separate audition for us as [veteran] Rockettes. It’s a one-day course of for us. Return isn’t assured, so it retains us on the prime of our sport. I really feel extra assured yearly that I’m going into it.