It is a classic holiday tradition for many families is to go to Radio City Music Hall in New York City to see the Christmas Spectacular. The iconic Rockettes have been part of the show for a very long time and take on new challenges every year. This year, the show opened up with the girls dancing as Santa’s reindeer, and Santa appeared to hop into his sleigh for a very special show at Radio City that he could not miss. The audience put their 3D glasses on to join Santa on his journey to Radio City, and along the way he spreads some Christmas cheer all over New York City.

The Rockettes then take over to do a very precise and complicated dance to “12 Days of Christmas.” Being a dancer, I knew most of the combinations the Rockettes were doing, and I have to say they had some very advanced steps in the dance that takes years of practice to perfect. Santa comes on to talk about loving the classics and introduces the Nutcracker. The young girl that played Clara was on point shoes, which takes years of ballet to make your ankles strong enough the pull yourself over the box in the shoe. The dancing bears from all over the world make it fun for the young children to show them that their toys might come alive on Christmas night too!

Santa comes back out to thank Clara and her bears for the wonderful performance and talks about his favorite toy in the workshop. A screen rises to reveal the set of the classic Wooden Solider performance that the Rockettes work on to perfect. Their precision is remarkable because not everyone can walk with straight legs for a long time. Of course they had the always classic falling on top of each other like the domino effect. I would not want to be the last person in line, even though there was a pillow set up. Next came the newly established tourist bus scene through New York. The Rockettes come out in their winter coats and hats to travel to Central Park to watch some ice skaters. The bus comes back on stage to take the Rockettes to their final stop in Times Square. The girls take off their coats and hats to reveal either a dazzling green or sparkling red dress. The dancing just keeps going and they finish off big.

Santa comes back on to give the audience a new twist on a classic at Radio City. Santa is in a mall taking pictures and talking with all the little boys and girls about what they want for Christmas. One special little girl named Kayla comes along with her mother. Kayla asked Santa for a rather violent video game and her mother tells Santa that she wants her daughter to go outside and enjoy something else besides video games. The mother-daughter duo run off for more Christmas shopping and Santa finds himself in a pickle. He wants to go help Kayla and her mother resolve their gift problem, but there are still more children in line waiting for Santa. All of a sudden, a few Santas start popping up and dancing. Santa’s helpers have come to the rescue! Soon there are thousands of Santas dancing and ringing big brass bells. The song ends and a new scene outside of the mall begins.

The real Santa finds Kayla and her mother and asked them to come to find Kayla’s perfect gift in Santa’s workshop. They all travel to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole to meet some of the elves and Mrs. Claus. Santa gives Kayla a Christmas themed interactive video game, which is also the next 3D part of the show. Kayla and her mom must defeat the evil humbugs with their magic to get back Santa’s toys. Kayla and her mom control the Rockettes to defeat evil gingerbread men and a gigantic ice monster to final overthrow the king of humbugs! Kayla and her mother win the game and realize that the true meaning of this gift was to bring them closer together.

The show is finally coming to a close with the Rockettes’ grand finale. They close off with a gentle dance that represents snow. The most magical part of this performance was the floating snowflakes that traveled over the audience. They were controlled by remote controllers and added a surprise twist to this dance. The very last performance in the spectacular is also the Nativity Scene. Kayla’s mother is the narrator for the Nativity and tells the story of Jesus Christ being born in the city of Bethlehem. The live animals are always a very nice touch, and the singing is always amazing.

Overall the show lived up to its name of the Christmas Spectacular. It tied the traditions and the 3D parts very well. I truly enjoyed the show, understanding how much work and thought goes into a performance. It seemed that everyone enjoyed the show. One woman got up during one of the songs and sang along for a little while. The young children loved seeing Santa and having him talk to them. It was truly a special performance that my family and I will remember forever.