Rockette from Richland gets her kicks in NYC at Christmastime
Ashley Kasunich Fritz has dreamed of being a professional dancer ever since her mother signed her up for dance class at age 3 at a North Hills dance studio.
Countless hours of practice in all types of dance followed, along with grueling strength and endurance training as she got older to keep her body in top physical condition.
Something about moving to music just clicked for the Richland native, to the point that she and her sister, Alissa, would make up dances to perform for the family in their living room.
“I just loved it,” she says.
So, after graduating from Point Park University with a degree in dance and theater in 2011, she auditioned for her dream job: one of Radio City Music Hall’s 84 highkicking Rockettes.
More than 800 dancers from across the country and Canada head to New York City each spring to try out at an open call audition to land a coveted spot with the precision dance company. Dancers must be at least 18 years old and stand between 5-foot 5 and 5-foot 10½ in their stocking feet.
Making it even more competitive is the fact many of the dancers are re-auditioning after years of performing in the annual Christmas Spectacular, which this year runs through Jan. 4. Since dancers are selected on merit, there’s no guarantee veteran Rockette performers will be rehired for new shows.
“Even veterans have to work on their technique,” says Fritz.
She’s an athlete
She auditioned for the first time with her college roommate, Amanda McCormick, as a sophomore. Both were cut right away, but the experience introduced the young dancers to “Rockette choreography,” which combines elements of ballet, jazz and tap with the techniques of modern and contemporary dance.
Fritz tried out five more times on Radio City’s famed Great Stage before she was asked to join the company in 2011 — and she has made the cut every year since. She credits a brutal off-season workout schedule that includes lots of squats, deadlifts, cardio and dance classes for keeping her on her toes.
“I equate it to being a professional athlete. You have to be able to perform at the highest level,” she says. “The work never stops. We’re always training and pushing ourselves to be better.”
There are 84 Rockettes, or two casts of 42 that take turns performing the rigorous holiday schedule. With nine numbers and just as many lightning-fast costume (and shoe) changes during the 90-minute high-energy performance, many would agree being a Rockette is one of the most demanding jobs in show business. They rehearse for six hours a day for six weeks leading up to the November premiere.
4 shows a day
Then, once the Spectacular starts, each dancer may do up to four shows a day during the holidays — and each one includes about 300 of the group’s eye-high precision kicks. That’s almost double the amount of weekly performances in typical Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, especially when you take into consideration the many special events and TV appearances the Rockettes make, including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Christmas tree lighting in Rockefeller Center.
Rockettes are responsible for doing their own makeup — Fritz is partial to Givenchy Le Rouge Holiday Red to create the perfect red lip — and slicking their hair into a classic French twist. (Each dancer goes through about 540 bobby pins each season.)
Fritz’s job is tougher still because since 2017 she has been one of six “swing” Rockettes who must know the choreography for every position on the line so she can step in if another dancer can’t perform.
“I’ve been thrown in right before and in the middle [of a performance],” she says with a laugh. “I have to know where everyone is on the stage all the time, and be cool under pressure!”
She’s a soldier
The 36 Rockettes on stage at any moment share the space with 75 other actors and singers. They also have to learn to dance their way around two camels, six sheep and a donkey for “The Living Nativity” number that’s been a staple, along with the iconic “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” dance, since the group’s debut at Radio City Music Hall in 1933. In the years since, the show has been seen by more than 70 million people.
This year, for the first time, the Spectacular included a sensory-friendly performance on Nov. 19, along with three American Sign Language performances.
At 35, Fritz is one of the older dancers doing about 100 shows per season, but technically there’s no age limit for a Rockette. All that matters is that they stay in shape, remain injuryand are able to make it look effortless as they dance as one.
“I feel like I’m in better shape now than when I was 22,” says Fritz, despite currently getting only one day a week to relax and put her feet up at the home she shares with her husband in Connecticut.
While being an “athlete in rhinestones” is definitely tiring, Fritz says she is living her dream.
“Part of me is still a little girl who wants to dance when I grow up,” she says.
Living her dream
“It’s just so great to share my story and experiences because there are so many people out there who have something they want to do, and shouldn’t feel like you can’t do it. If you keep working at it, perseverance pays off.”
Her favorite number, “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” isalso the show’s most iconic. Some 3,000-plus Rockettes have performed the dance with the same choreography and in the same costumes sincethe beginning.
“Every Rockette [in the show’s history] has done that number and when you talk to the audience, they always say it’s their favorite,” Fritz says. “It’s the epitome of teamwork because you have to give 100% with every muscle in your body. It’s so cool to have that tradition.”
Just as special are the “12 Days of Christmas” and “Rag Dolls” tap routines, because wireless microphones on their tap shoes let the audience feel the show along with hearing it.
As for being on one of the most famous stages in the world before 6,000 people? “I can’t believe it,” she says.
Tickets start at $65 for the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, which runs through Jan. 4 with multiple performances each day at Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., New York (10020). For tickets or more information go to www.rockettes.com.