Sitting in her dressing room and glittering in her costume’s ruby-like sparkles, Bronson pulls out a photograph of herself as a beaming girl with a Rockette crouched next to her.
“I was fortunate enough to [see the Christmas Spectacular] when I was eight years old. I immediately fell in love!” says Bronson, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. “I got to meet a Rockette. She was my inspiration and to this day I keep up with her. [Becoming one] was my dream. Every time I put on a costume like this, I’m, like, ‘Oh my god I’m a Rockette!'”
From November until New Year’s, Bronson and the troupe will perform up to four shows each day. But despite the strenuous schedule, she never tires of the spectacle.
“It’s such an honour when it’s someone’s first time seeing the show or their 60th time. We have families who see the show [as] their Christmas tradition. That wasn’t my experience but what an awesome opportunity to be a part of someone else’s.”
The BBC recently sat down with Bronson to ask how she spends Christmas in the city, when she’s not high-kicking across stage. Here are this Rockette’s favourite ways to feel the New York City Christmas spirit.
The Rockettes live and breathe Christmas for months, but what is the official start of the Christmas season for New York City?
