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A Few Clouds Rockettes visit Oceanside dance studio
All dancers want to be in the Rockettes, yet not every dancer gets to be a Rockette. But for 17 girls, that dream came true when two Rockettes, Tara Dunleavy and Eleni Gavalas, came to the Oceanside Dance Center to teach the dance students and promote the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
On Sept. 18, Dunleavy and Gavalas spent an hour at the dance studio, where they taught the girls, who ranged in age from 8 to 16, moves from the routine “Let Christmas Shine” and how to do the famous kickline.
“They did good,” said Tracy Platt, the owner of the dance center. “It was a very open level. We had a mix of ages, but they did really well. A lot of our kids couldn’t come because of school, but we did good with the turnout regardless.”
During the dance class, the girls learned behind-the-scenes secrets, like the fact that Rockettes range in height from 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 10 1/2, but they stand in descending height order with the tallest woman in the middle, which creates the optical illusion that they are all the same height. Dunleavy and Gavalas organized the girls in a similar way when they practiced the kickline.
“I really liked doing the kicks because we got to see how they actually do it,” said Emily Myer, 12. “It’s like their main thing, and it was really fun, and like different.”
Allyson Stuart, 13, agreed with that sentiment. “I thought it was really different than what we usually do,” she said. “I’ve seen them a couple of times now, so it’s really fun to like partake in it.”
The girls caught on to both dance routines very quickly. “They picked up so fast,” said Dunleavy. “They’re a joy. It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to come out and teach to kids. You know, we started the same way in local dance studios and look at us now. It’s nice to kind of let them know that they can get here too. It’s not an unreachable dream.”
After the practice was over, the girls asked the Rockettes questions, gave them hugs, and took many selfies with them. When one of the girls asked the Rockettes where they are from, Dunleavy said that she grew up in Queens, but she and her husband had just bought a house in Oceanside.
“We’re neighbors!” said Dunleavy.
“Welcome to our home,” said a woman in the crowd.
