The Radio City Rockettes first kicked to life in 1925 as the "Missouri Rockets" and made their show business debut in St. Louis, the realization of a long-time dream of their creator, Russell Markert.

"I had seen the John Tiller girls in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922," Markert once reminisced. "If I ever got a chance to get a group of American girls who would be taller and have longer legs and could do really complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks... they'd knock your socks off!"

At Radio City's opening night, on December 27, 1932, they did just that. The Rockettes, discovered and brought to New York by consummate showman S.L. (Roxy) Rothafel who first dubbed them the "Roxyettes," shared the stage with 17 diverse acts, among them the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham.

They were an instant sensation! Markert had created the quintessential American chorus line - an exciting precision dance company with great style, flair and glamour. Starting with just 16 women, the numbers grew over the years to what is now a 36-member Rockette kick line.

In 1933, Radio City Music Hall featured a new movie accompanied by a lavish stage production every week starring the Rockettes. Russell Markert's stringent requirements never varied, and he continued to stage and choreograph productions at the Music Hall until his retirement in 1971. His concept of the dance line was to achieve absolute precision and ultimate uniformity in their movements. The audience saw 36 Rockettes perform intricate routines, but always moving as "one dancer." Everything from- the costumes to the specific steps - was kept completely identical. The illusion of uniform height has always been maintained to this day by putting the tallest dancers in the center, and gradually decreasing the height with the shortest women at either end.