They’re getting a kick out of technology.
When the Rockettes‘ Christmas Spectacular debuts for the holiday season on Friday, the leggy icons will share the spotlight with a flock of new cast members: eight wing-propelled drones that are made to look like fairies.
They’ll be be part of an immersive number called “The Dance of the Frost Fairies” that’s meant to give the audience the feeling of being inside of a snowflake.
“It’s really about the magic of the first snowfall,” director and choreographer Julie Branam told The Post.
The Rockettes will be wearing new, winged costumes for the occasion. Designing them was a challenge. The wings needed to be small enough so they didn’t impede the dancer’s movement in the athletically challenging and highly technical — but still dramatic — performance. Branam said it took costume designer Gregg Barnes about four or five tries to perfect the sparkly appendages. Each of the costumes worn by the 36 dancers is unique — just as no two snowflakes are alike — but they all have intricate twinkling patterns.
The Rockettes pose in their new frost fairy costumes. From left to right: Valeria Yamin, Courtney Crain, Courtney File, Jackie Aitken and JoJo Carmichael.Annie Wermiel/NY Post“The costumes are something completely special to us,” Rockette Valeria Yamin told The Post.
In the new number, the Rockettes emerge on stage one by one, twirling as frost fairies.
The frost fairy drones join the Rockettes during the performance. MSG Entertainment
The Rockettes sparkle in the “Dance of the Frost Fairies” number.Angela Cranford/MSG EntertainmenThen the drones make their debut, fluttering around the theater as images are projected on the wall. Made of an ultralight fabric painted to mimic the sparkly Rockettes, they weigh just 1.05 ounces each. But they’re surprisingly large, at 14 inches long with a wingspan of three feet.
“They’re a way to bring in more technology to the show, to up our game and find new things that keep up with the times,” Branam, who has been directing the festive favorite since 2014, said of the tiny dancers.
But the effect is more magical than ultramodern.
“They fly like actual fairies,” Yamin said. “It’s such a whimsical experience.”
It took a few tries for the costume designer to perfect the wings, which were designed to be light and small enough to not get in the way of the choreography. Above: The wings are modeled by Rockette JoJo Carmichael.Annie Wermiel/NY Post
Rockettes Valeria Yamin (from left), Courtney Crain, Courtney File, JoJo Carmichael and Jackie Aitken show off their new costumes. Annie Wermiel/NY Post
