ROCKETTE LAUNCH
Dance troupe diversity rises with new hires
It’s not a lily-white lineup anymore. The Rockettes are kicking up their diversity: adding three new African-American women, a second Latina and a “differently-abled” dancer with one hand.
Casting a wider net, the troupe held its first “open call” auditions in Chicago and Atlanta in a decade, as well as at Radio City. Of the nearly 950 women who tried out this year, 13 were hired for the 2019 Christmas Spectacular — the most rookies in nearly two decades, a spokeswoman said.
Before the show opens on Nov. 8 (running through Jan. 5), meet some of the newest Rockettes.
LaTarika Pierce
Ten — that’s how many times LaTarika Pierce auditioned for the Rockettes since 2014. The last five tries, she made it through all three rounds of cuts. But only last month did she get her invitation to join the iconic crew.
“I just cried, and slid onto the floor,” the 27year-old recalled.
Hailing from Orange, N.J., Pierce — who started dancing relatively late, at age 14 — earned a business degree at Montclair State University in 2015. But soon after starting an accounting job, she decided, “I can’t do this.”
She threw herself into her love of dance, working at a Manhattan studio in exchange for free classes.
As one of six black women — three in each of the two casts of 36 plus four substitutes — Pierce hopes audiences embrace women of color as part of a cohesive whole: “It’s important to see a group of strong, inspiring, confident women working together, no matter what color.”
Sydney Mesher
Born without a left hand, Sydney Mesher says she is breaking the barrier against body types that don’t fit the stereotype.
“I don’t consider myself disabled,” the 22-yearold said. “I don’t want to be known as the dancer with one hand. I want to be known as a really good dancer who happens to have one hand.”
Growing up in Portland, Ore., Mesher’s early wiggling to music prompted her parents to start her on dance lessons.
With “amazing support” from family and friends, she overcame schoolyard bullying about her physical appearance, and brushed off initial shocked reactions. Once, before a recital at age 8 or 9, a stagehand screamed, “Oh my God, you don’t have a hand!” she told Health magazine. But Mesher does not feel compelled to wear a prosthetic: “I was able to embrace who I am and celebrate it because I know I am different.”
Megan Garcia
This 22-year-old Latina from Naperville, Ill., got a surprise at the Rockettes’ summer program for 60 wannabes in training when a manager announced she was hired on the spot. “I wanted to be a professional dancer my entire life,” Megan Garcia said. “It was a dream come true.”
Samantha Butts
Samantha Butts has danced for 19 of her 22 years, but the Columbus, Ohio, transplant didn’t think about joining the Rockettes until her best friend did. “She talked about the sisterhood and the legacy,” Butts said. A graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, the biracial dancer (below) calls herself a “strong, proud African-American.”
Regan Hutsell
At 18, Regan Hutsell is a baby in the 80-person troupe, which includes some women in their 40’s. One of three daughters of a black mom and white dad — both doctors — she grew up in Texas. Now she’s in the same city as her big sister, a dancer with the New York City Ballet. “If each Rockette inspires only one person,” she said, “that’s 80 little girls inspired.”