Kwigumbi elingaphantsi kweSt. Paul the Apostle Church, iibhloko ezimbalwa kwintshona yeColumbus Circle eManhattan, uJulie Branam ukhwaza ngaphezulu komculo.

Ndifuna ukubona iKrisimesi emyoli ukusuka esinqeni ukuhla! Branam-umlawuli kunye nomduli we- IKrisimesi ebalaseleyo eneeRocket City Rockettes kwaye naye wayekade eyiRockette — ehamba emva naphambi kwemiqolo yabadanisi. Andifuni mntu ukuba abone ukuba kunzima kangakanani!

Kungaphantsi kwenyanga ngaphambi kokuvula ebusuku KwiSikhululo soMculo seRadio City , ikhaya leeRocket, iziko laseNew York ukusukela ngo-1932 (nangona iqela lomdaniso elichanekileyo laqala ukusebenza njengeeRockets zaseMissouri eSaint Louis ngo-1925). IiRockette zenzela ngaphezulu kwesigidi sabantu ngexesha lokubaleka ebusika kweKrisimesi.

Izibalo ziyothusa: Ngemidlalo ye-195 ecwangcisiweyo ngeli xesha lonyaka, iRadio City ngamanye amaxesha ibamba ukuya kuthi ga kwimiboniso emihlanu ngosuku. Abadlali ababini be-40 abadanisi bathengisa umdlalo.

Ekuziqhelaniseni, nangona kunjalo, bonke badibene, banxibe iblukhwe emnyama kunye neetanki eziphezulu zeRockette, behleka iziqhulo nanjengoko bebambe iingalo zabo ziqinile, zikhenkcezisiwe.

Okwangoku, yiba nolungileyo kunye noluntu, u-Branam ubakhumbuza malunga neendawo zabo. Igubu (ukuziqhelanisa kukhatshwa yikhithi kunye nepiyano kwaye, ngamanye amaxesha, iintsimbi ezigudileyo) kudlala irimshot.

Ukuchaneka yikhadi lokufowuna leRocketet 'elinomtsalane, njengophawu lomfanekiso kunye nokwahlulwa kwiqela njengekhaba labo eliphezulu. Uphicotho-zincwadi lonyaka luvela kwichibi labasetyhini ekufuneka bahlangabezane neemfuno ezimbini: ubudala (ishumi elinesibhozo okanye ngaphezulu) kunye nokuphakama (5'6 kuye 5'10½). IiRocket, njengomthetho, zide kubadanisi-i-ballerinas inobude obuphakathi nje kwe-5'5. Kodwa inkohliso yokuba bonke baphakama ngokufanayo ifezekiswa ngomlingo omncinci weqonga: Ukuma okude embindini wemigca yabo ethe tye, kwaye abadanisi bacwangcisiwe, ngokwehla ngokulandelelana, ngaphandle. Elona lide liza kuthatha amanyathelo amancinanana, kwaye elifutshane liza nelona likhulu.

Kwaye umgca wokukhaba odumileyo, apho iiRockettes zidibanisa iingalo kwaye ziphosa imilenze yazo ngokungenakwenzeka emoyeni, zinomtsalane ngakumbi kunokuba kubonakala. Kufuphi, abanakuze bachukumise. Njengoko bekhaba beziqhelisa, iingalo zabo zijikeleza ngasemva. Abanye abadanisi bagcina izandla zabo zitywinwe, abanye bayifaka ibhola emanqindini.

Luxanduva lwakho ukuzibamba, u-Branam uyabakhumbuza.

Indawo yokuziqhelanisa igcwele izinto zonyango: imiqolo yeetape ezinemibala yeenyawo eziqaqambayo okanye ezinamadyungudyungu, iibhotile ze-hydrogen peroxide, iibhokisi ezizele ngamaconsi okhohlela, iiTums, isicoci sesandla, iPepto Bismol, iasprini, iKleenex, kunye nethontsi lamehlo. Kukho umqondiso wokudubula komkhuhlane kwibhodi yeendaba.

UNina Linhart, kwixesha lakhe lokuqala njengeRockette, ubonakalisa iimfuno zomdlalo. Baphefumla iibhanana kunye ne-guzzle Powerade: iintaba zeziqhamo ziyanyamalala kwaye iifriji ezigcweleyo zihamba zingenanto kwigumbi lokuphumla elingasemva leRocket eRadio City.

Ukuhlamba i-Ice yeyona nto intle, uLinhart unyanzelisa. Ekupheleni kosuku sithanda uthando bath bath ice.

U-Elaine Winslow-Redmond ukhumbula ukuba mangaphi amanxeba awawabonayo njenge Rockette esebenza e Las Vegas pha kwiminyaka yoo 1990s: Zaziyizihloko zethisisi yakhe yokuthweswa isidanga kwimithambo yomzimba kunye nesondlo kwiYunivesithi yase Columbia. Ngoku umlawuli weRocketet woqeqesho lweembaleki kunye nokuba sempilweni, uWinslow-Redmond waseka inkqubo yoqeqesho kwezemidlalo yenkampani yomdaniso kwi2004, eye yalinciphisa kakhulu inani labantu abonzakeleyo-ukusuka ngaphezulu kwama-300 ukuya ngaphantsi kwe-100 ngexesha ngalinye. Ugxininisa kuthintelo kakhulu, ukuba alukho ngaphezulu, kunonophelo lwasemva kokonzakala. Amandla oqeqesho yinxalenye enye, okunye kukutya.

Ndigxininisa kakhulu ii-carbohydrate, utshilo. IiRocket zifuna amandla: Onke amantombazana am anjengokubuyela kwikota ekhatywayo.

I-Rockette nganye yenza iintsuku ezintandathu ngeveki kwimiboniso ephantse ibe li-100 ngexesha lonyaka.

Ngentsasa ndihlala ndicofa iinyawo zam, ukuba kunokwenzeka, utshilo uLinhart. Esona sikhalazo sixhaphakileyo, uyachaza, ngamadyungudyungu: kuye kwafuneka ndiqhekeze izihlangu ezisibhozo ezintsha ... Amantombazana amaninzi sele ephule izihlangu zawo, amagqala amagqala ukusuka kumaxesha adlulileyo.

Phakathi koluhlu lwezihlangu iiRockettes azinxibayo notshintsho lwesinxibo ngasinye, esinye sisihlangu setephu esinesithende esifihliweyo apho imakrofoni igcinwe khona ukuze ibambe ngcono kwaye yonyuse isandi seenyawo zabo. Kude kube izihlangu ze-mic-heeled zenzelwe ngokukodwa iqela ngeminyaka yoo-1990, iiRocket zadanisa ukurekhoda kwangaphambili iitepu zabo.

Umsebenzi wokuqala kaNicole Baker yayinguRockette, kwaye ngoku ukwishumi elinanye leminyaka.

Yeyona nto inzima endakha ndayenza, utshilo, kodwa ngokucacileyo ngumsebenzi awuthandayo: Ubuyela kuvavanyo, kwaye enze, minyaka le. Ubomi obude ayiqhelekanga apha. IiRocket ezininzi zidanisa phakathi ukuya kwiminyaka engamashumi amathathu — kwaye ezinye, ezinje ngeBranam okanye iWinslow-Redmond, zide zilandele ikhondo lenkampani engaphaya.

Okwangoku, yonke iRockette kufuneka izibonakalise ngokutsha kuvavanyo lonyaka. Ngaphezulu kwabafazi abangama-500 badibanisa yonke intwasahlobo, kodwa ngama-80 nje kuphela asikiweyo ukuze enze eRadio City.

KuBranam, omsebenzi wakhe kunye neeRockettes waqala ngo-1988 weKrisimesi oMangalisayo, umboniso kunye nabadanisi bawo bayaqhubeka bephucuka kwaye bephucuka, bonke ngelixa behlonipha isithethe sokudanisa esichanekileyo esaqala ngomsunguli weRockettes uRussell Markert.

Inombolo enye, iParade yamajoni okhuni, isala ukusuka kumdlalo wokuqala we-1932 kwiRadio City, eyabhalwa nguMarkert ngeempahla ezenziwe nguVincent Minnelli. Nangona ingenawo umgca wokukhaba, yenye yezona ndlela zibalaseleyo zokubonisa, enemigca yabadanisi abahamba ngokuchaneka kwemathematika emva koko bawe, njengee-Dominos, kwi-slow-motion.

Isithuba sibaluleke kakhulu, utshilo u-Baker malunga naloo nto-kunye nazo zonke-iinkqubo zeRocket. Ekuziqhelaniseni, uthungelwano olushinyeneyo lweetape ezinemibala luphawula umgangatho: Basebenzisa iigridi yokoqobo ukugqibezela amanyathelo abo.

Okwenzekayo kwinqanaba akukho nje ukuba kwenzeka ntoni kulo, wongeza uLinhart. Abadanisi banemizuzwana engama-78 kuphela ukuba batshintshe isinxibo sabo samajoni baye eNew York kwiimpahla zeKrisimesi: bechitha ibhulukhwe yeebhatyi ezifakiweyo, iminqwazi emide emnyama yeebhendi ezimhlophe ezimhlophe, izidlele ezibomvu zivakala ngezihlangu namacici amatsha. Umdanisi ngamnye uya kwindawo enye e-offstage ngalo lonke ixesha, kwaye wabelana ngesinxibo kunye nenye iRockette ngendlela efanelekileyo.

Ngobusuku bokuvula ngo-Novemba, iRadio City Music Hall yayigcwele ngabantu abadala bexhokonxa iproccyo yabo ngeelekese zeplastikhi kwaye abantwana bekha iincindi zeelekese kwizinti ngelixa benxibe iminqwazi eqinileyo, yeelfin eza nabo. Ngumdlalo weqonga we-Art Deco oneminyaka engama-83 edlala le nkcubeko yeKrisimesi-eneneni, iiRockettes ezenziwa kubusuku bokuvula iRadio City- kwaye ziyahambelana. IHolo loMculo likhanya ngumoya weholide.

Nangona iiRockettes ziinkwenkwezi ezingenakuphikiswa zomboniso, uSanta ngumbalisi wayo. Ngomxube wamandulo-iParade yamajoni okhuni, itafile yokugqibela yonyaka kunye nebalaseleyo yokuZalwa kukaYesu-kunye nentsha-inani le-balletic snowflake, edibanisa iKrisimesi emhlophe kunye ne-Let It Snow-i-Christmas Spectacular ilandela iqhinga elibi, nangona lihamba ngeendlela ezininzi.

USanta, encediswa yimigca yeenkomo zeRockette, ushiya iNorth Pole esiya kwisiXeko saseNew York, apho adibana khona nabantwana ababini, uBen okholwayo oyinyaniso kunye nomntakwabo omdala oneminyaka eli-14 ubudala uPatrick, kwimall. Ubonisa uphawu lwakhe olukhethekileyo lomlingo weKrisimesi kunye nomkhosi omncinci weRockette Santas, indlela eqinisekileyo yokwenyani egcwele izisu kunye neentsimbi zokukhala, kwaye iphinda ivele njengeSalvation Army Santa ngaphandle kwesikhululo sikaloliwe, apho ibasa khona eNorth Pole bakhethe isipho sodade wabo omncinci-unodoli ongu-Raggedy Ann, okhethwe phakathi kwefloppy, umgca we-can-can of Raggedy-Ann Rockettes.

(USanta, kufanelekile ukuba uqaphele, uphucule ukusuka kuluhlu olusekwe kwisikhumba lwabantwana abakhohlakeleyo nabamnandi ukuya kugcinwa kwithebhulethi yakhe.)

UBen noPatrick babuyela ekhaya ukuya kufunda amabali eVangeli eKrisimesi kunye, kunye nemveliso yokuthambisa izilwanyana yezilwanyana ezinesidima kwinqanaba lonke: iinkamela ezintathu, iigusha ezintandathu, kunye nedonki enye. Nkqu nezilwanyana ziyanceda ukugcina isithethe-inkamela enye, uTed, sele ikule mboniso ngaphezulu kweminyaka engama-20. Yeyona ndlela izolileyo yasebusuku, kodwa iimpahla zayo ezininzi ezilayishwe zezona zinzima kakhulu kulo mboniso. Nokuba uphumle ngokucacileyo, iiRocket zisebenza.

Ngaphezulu kwemizuzu engama-90, umhlaba uyawa, kwaye ngamanye amaxesha kwanamashumi eminyaka angenelelayo, nawo.

Ngaphandle, emva komboniso, kukho ikhephu kwi6th Avenue: iisepha amagwebu adubula ngaphezulu kwendlela kunye nesitalato esivela ngaphezulu kwe-neon marquee edumileyo. Abantwana kunye nabantu abadala bazolula izandla zabo ukuze babambe iingubo ezimanzi ezimhlophe xa zihamba phantsi. Enye intombazana encinci iqokelela ngokwaneleyo ikhephu lokuzakhela iindevu ezimhlophe kwaye iwele phantsi iinwele zayo. Ukumangaliswa, ukonwaba, ukubhabha ebusweni babantu-kuphela ngoku, ngokungafaniyo kwindawo yemidlalo emnyama, kuyabonakala.

Njengazo zonke izinto ezenziwa ziiRocket, ziziphumo eziveliswa ngumsebenzi onzima, kodwa ngeziphumo ezivakalayo, kwaye zijongeka, njengomlingo.