Show Notes

• Growing up in mom’s dance studio
• Ballet school
• Sophie’s first role at Radio City
• Becoming a Rockette
• 5’6 –5’10.5”, and other requirements
• An iconic fixture in NYC
• 6 hours a day, 6 days a week: The rigor of Rockette rehearsal
• Backstage at the Christmas Spectacular
• 78 seconds
• Off-season
• Focus, and the correct path

Connect With Sophie Silnicki

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sophieseasilnicki

Summary

Sophie Silnicki has danced in productions of The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Swan Lake… and she is currently a Radio City Rockette! Join us as Sophie shares what it’s like to be part of this iconic New York City tradition – the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall!

Full Transcript

Brian:

Welcome to another episode of Life Excellence with Brian Bartes. Join me as I talk with amazing athletes, entrepreneurs, authors, entertainers, and others who have achieved excellence in their chosen field so you can learn their tools, techniques, and strategies for improving performance and achieving greater success.

Hey everyone, I’m super excited to have Sophie Silnicki on the show today. Sophie began her dance training at her mother’s dance studio in Fairmont, West Virginia, where she studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and acrobatics. She also trained at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School and later at the San Francisco Ballet School. Sophie has danced in productions of the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Don Quixote and Swan Lake. She danced the soloist role in the 2017 production of The Merry Widow at The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Sophie is currently a Radio City Rockette. In addition to performing the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, she also performed live on NBC with the Radio City Rockettes in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sophie has appeared in several television shows, including Law and Order and Blue Bloods, was featured in the music video, Carmen by Romeo Santos and will be dancing in the upcoming feature film Are You There? God, It’s Me Margaret. Welcome Sophie, and thanks so much for being on the show today.

Sophie:

Thank you so much, Brian. I’m so excited to talk to you today.

Brian:

I’m excited too Sophie. I have to tell you I’m like a kid on Christmas morning. I can’t wait for our listeners and viewers to learn all about the Christmas Spectacular and about your life as a Radio City Rockette. Let’s start out talking about growing up in a dance family. So your mom is a dancer, I presume. I know she owns a dance studio. So you were literally born into the business. Tell us what that was like and about your dance training growing up.

Sophie:

Exactly. My mom owns a dance studio in Fairmont, West Virginia, and my earliest memories ever since I can remember, I would just always be at her studio. When I was too young to dance, I would run her music. I would sit in her ballet class with all the older dancers, be playing the music for her, because I just loved being in the studio so much. But always from a young age, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do. So I grew up dancing:  ballet, tap, jazz, acro, everything like you’ve listed. And it was wonderful. I would go to dance competitions on the weekend and perform. I loved performing on stage. That was my all time favorite thing. I loved taking classes, but as soon as I got on stage, that was where I really…I really loved to dance. So when I got a little bit older, I decided I wanted to focus on ballet. We made the decision for me to then start training at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School (PBT). My grandparents, actually, would drive me in the mornings an hour and a half to Pittsburgh so I could train all day, and then they would drive me the hour and a half back to West Virginia. And I would take an 8:00 PM dance class at my mom’s studio. So I was kind of doing both, back and forth.

Brian:

How old were you when that was happening?

Sophie:

I was twelve years old when I first started going to PBT. I stayed there for five years. I would do that schedule and I owe it all to my grandparents and my mom for doing all of that for me to sacrifice so much for my dance training.

Brian:

So what was it about ballet that really attracted you to that? You obviously have a very diverse background and even today you’re dancing in a number of forms. Is that what you would call them—different dance techniques? What was it about ballet that you really liked?

Sophie:

Well, before going to PBT, I would do summer intensives in New York City at American Ballet Theater. Maybe my very first summer intensive, when I was really young, that’s when I fell in love with ballet. My mom was so wonderful at taking me to go see the ballet when I was so little. I was so little going to the theater. That’s how I fell in love with ballet. We would go see Broadway shows as well, but when I was young, I was like, I want to be a ballet dancer. I also really love the discipline of ballet. I really enjoyed that at a young age—training so hard in one specific art form. I thought that’s where my career was going to take me—into a ballet company. But then I was studying at PBT, and going back to my mom’s dance studio, I decided—when I was 16—I was going to enter to the Prix de Lausanne, which is an international ballet competition in Switzerland. It’s a very big competition. It’s a long process to get accepted to go. When I went, there were six Americans that went to this ballet competition. So I went to Switzerland, I had to perform a classical ballet variation as well as a contemporary piece. And from there, I got offered a scholarship to study at San Francisco Ballet School. That’s how I then transitioned into San Francisco Ballet. It’s such an amazing company, the dancers there are incredible. So I knew, and I think my mom knew as well, that if I wanted to get really wonderful ballet training, I should go away and study there. I was 17 when I moved to San Francisco.

Brian:

Also, that was a huge move. How was that moving from the east coast to the west coast?

Sophie:

Right. It was an adjustment because I lived by myself. I had a studio apartment by myself when I was 17. Also being so close with my family, it was a huge adjustment for all of us. I mean, I was never even away by myself for a summer. My mom would always come with me to study at summer intensive. So it was a big adjustment for all of us. But actually they flew out so much that it was like I wasn’t really by myself, they were always there. I think it made me grow up a lot living by myself at such a young age. The training was amazing and I’m so happy that that whole chapter happened.

Brian:

I was going to say, I’m sure that was a huge growth experience, not only for you personally, because of being on your own and having to fend for yourself, so to speak, but also the technical training that you probably got there, even though you had quite a bit of that before in Pittsburgh. And but I’m sure that was a new level for you from a technical standpoint.

Sophie:

Definitely. Also being in the same building with the company—the students would be on the second floor and then the company would rehearse on the fourth floor. Then some of us got to attend company rehearsals or [have] small parts in ballets. So that was a huge eye-opening experience and introduction into the whole professional ballet world being there.

Brian:

What was that like for you to have the professional ballerinas around you? One of the things that I talk a lot about is surrounding your self with success, and I think it’s such a great way to really elevate your game, elevate your profession, elevate whatever it is that you’re trying to do when you’re around people who are better than you. And obviously that was the case in San Francisco. How did that impact you?

Sophie:

Yes, especially even within my class, we had a small class. I was in level eight, which is the top level of the school. It goes one through eight in the school. The girls in my class were from all over the world and it was pretty much the top dancers that had been competing in ballet competitions that came to San Francisco. So already in my class, it was crazy the amount of talent. I think that just pushed you so much harder when you’re standing next to someone at the bar who’s working so hard, then you work twice as hard. Then being in a company setting and seeing firsthand the training of the company dancers, it’s amazing to put yourself in that room and see what it takes to be the best that you can be at something.

Brian:

At what point did you realize that you wanted to dance professionally? I should have asked that earlier because it probably had taken place already by the time you’re in San Francisco. But what sparked that for you?

Sophie:

When I was really young, like I said before, I would always see Broadway shows, ballets with my family and then, as well, when I was little, I really loved old Hollywood musicals. They’re my absolute favorite. That’s all I would watch when I was young. So I think just constantly being surrounded [by] and watching dance, and music, and the arts, I pretty much knew instantly. I can’t really remember a time where I didn’t think that’s what I wanted to do. I mean, I’m happy at such a young age to know like, okay, this is what I’m training for, for when I’m older, which is good. But definitely those old movie musicals with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire—I fell in love with them.

Brian:

Oh, that’s awesome. So how did you first learn about the Radio City Christmas Spectacular?

Sophie:

Actually when I was still at my mother’s dance studio. I was 11 years old, and we saw that there was going to be an audition at Radio City for young girls playing the part of Clara in the Christmas touring production. There’s a section in the show where the Nutcracker scene happens and a little girl comes out and plays a role of Clara, just a small section in the show. We went to Radio City, didn’t really have any expectations for the audition. There were girls lined around the block and I was like, okay, you’re just going to stay focused, go in, and we’ll see how it goes. Then I ended up getting the touring production and I did it for two years.

Being surrounded by the Rockettes when I was young, they would teach me numbers of the show. I remember them teaching me the opening number of Reindeer as like a little 11 year old backstage in the wings. So they were just so nice and welcoming to me, the whole company, that I knew, yes, I wanted to have a ballet career, train in ballet. But I also always knew in the back of my mind, I wanted to do theater and a huge goal was to be a Rockette. I just wanted to weave all of those together at some point.

Brian:

Oh, and that’s great how it’s all come together. So let’s talk about being a Rockette and transition into that. I know that’s just a part of who you are and we’ll talk about other aspects of your life, but I’m super excited about honing in on your life as a Radio City Rockette. How long have you been a Rockette?

Sophie:

After San Francisco, I was there until I was 19, I decided at that point that I wanted to start auditioning. I didn’t know if I wanted to be in another ballet company, but I also loved the idea of living in New York City. San Francisco is wonderful, but I really wanted to be in New York surrounded by arts and theater. So during the summer after I had completed my studies at San Francisco, I auditioned for a Broadway development lab. It was choreographed and directed by Susan Stroman, who I had seen multiple shows that she had produced and choreographed when I was younger. So I auditioned. They were looking for ballet dancers so I was like, okay, this is a good thing for me because I had just finished training. I ended up getting the Broadway development lab. It was with Tyler Peck from New York City Ballet. So I moved to New York and then was introduced into the whole theater community. Coming from ballet, which is so structured and serious, it was a very nice, refreshing scene to be with theater people. They were so welcoming. So I did that. And then the next season, I actually danced at Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. And I did the opera, The Merry Widow, which was also directed, choreographed by Susan Stroman, so I worked with her again. And within that cast there were so many retired Rockettes that I was with them in rehearsals. They kept saying, you should audition to be a Rockette, you should really try this. So I auditioned at Radio City and got the job.

Brian:

You think that was a sign? So you had talked earlier about being in the touring company and so obviously that was on your radar, that was a goal of yours. And was that a sign that maybe then was the time to do it?

Sophie:

Yes, definitely. I think moving to New York, I really was like, okay, I think this is the moment where I need to start to transition and see if this is even a possibility to audition, and so I auditioned. Radio City holds an audition in April, an open audition that I went to and it was two days of callbacks. There were, maybe, 600 girls and then there was 30 of us left by the end of the two days. They just said, you’ll hear a call maybe sometime in the summer. Then a few months passed and I got a call that said, Radio City is doing a summer intensive invitational week for dancers to train like a Rockette. They said, will you please come, we’re interested, will you please come and take the week of training? So I went to New York, trained for the week. And then at the end of the week, we had a performance at the Skirball Center at NYU and onstage they offered me the contract as a real Rockette. So that was really a great moment.

Brian:

Oh, that’s awesome. And it seems like, I read that every year, something like 800 or 900 women try out and there are maybe a handful, or maybe as many as I think, ten or twelve people that actually get invited to join the Rockettes. That’s an incredibly low number, first of all, for the number of people trying out. And I can’t even imagine what it’s like, but it seems like a really cutthroat process. What was that like, what was going on it as you were trying out, as you were in the summer intensive program?

Sophie:

It’s a whole process to audition. I always liked to tell myself, I have low expectations, so I don’t want to make myself disappointed if something doesn’t happen. But the two days of auditioning at Radio City, it’s a lot of information that they’re throwing at you, because this job is so, of course, precise, they want to see if you’re able to do that and think quickly and be able to pick up choreography extremely fast. So that whole process already is a lot to go through. Then training for the summer intensive there were quite a lot of girls that were at this invitational and any one of them had a shot at possibly getting this contract. So the whole week it was a lot of making sure that you were really on top of everything and proving that you could figure anything out—I know choreography, and pretty much know what you were doing. There are so many girls who, their dream when they’re young is to be Rockette—it was definitely mine as well. So it was a very rewarding thing to get the contract. I believe my first year, there were seven new Rockettes.

Brian:

Oh my goodness. Wow. And how many people tried out that year? Do you know?

Sophie:

I think anywhere from around maybe 600 or a little bit over, but then they had summer intensive throughout the whole summer back then. Right now it’s a little bit different because of COVID—that’s not happening—but when I was doing that, they would have an RSI (Rockettes Summer Intensive) and there were a lot of girls that would attend that. So it was, that’s the only big [inaudible].

Brian:

One thing I wondered, is the summer intensive required in order to try out?

Sophie:

It’s not, especially now because that really no longer exists. Auditioning for the Rockettes is a little bit different now because of COVID. But it helped—I think they wanted to see you as much as possible to see, first of all, like how eager you were to get the job, if you would commit to training more. And then just the more that they saw you and the more that they knew you could handle this job the better option you had to actually get offered the contract.

Brian:

I always wondered, I’ve seen movies where they have auditions and there are hundreds of people on stage and maybe half a dozen judges, or however many there are. And I always thought, that must be incredibly difficult. How do you pick three people out of 600 people, or ten people, even, out of so many people? From your standpoint, how was the audition similar to what you were used to—because obviously you had done other auditions before. How was auditioning to become a Rockette, maybe a little different?

Sophie:

Specifically to audition to be a Rockette, you have to be a really well-trained dancer. Sometimes for other auditions, they’re looking for different things or they’re looking for dancers who can sing or have a certain look. But to be a Rockette, you just have to be first, dancer and the audition is very technical, which some of those things I think I’m stronger at. So I had a little bit of a better advantage going into the Rockette auditioning, knowing my ballet foundation. Because ballet is so important to be a Rockette just because of all the technique that’s involved in it. Definitely for the Rockette audition you have to be able to tap. There is a whole tap section and then there’s a little bit more of a ballet moment of choreography and then very precise combinations that you have to go through. So definitely a very well-versed dancer.

Brian:

And then there are other requirements too, right? I think there’s a height requirement, age requirement.

Sophie:

You have to be between 5’-6” and 5’-10.5” to be a Rockette. So I’m 5’-6.5” so I just made it. I’m the least tall of the Rockettes.

Brian:

Did you have to put a little bit of extra padding in your shoes?

Sophie:

I was a little nervous. I don’t know…am I too short? But actually once I’m now doing the job, my last two seasons I’ve been the seventh one in from the end. So I’m actually a little bit taller than I thought, which is good.

Brian:

How many Rockettes are there?

Sophie:

There are 80 Rockettes total, there are two casts of 34 Rockettes, or sorry, 36 Rockettes, and then swings. But this year we are adding a few more just because with COVID, if someone happens to get sick, we need to have a few more options in case we need to put someone in.

Brian:

Right. So the swings are the alternates, and that’s the number that’s being expanded, the number of alternates?

Sophie:

Correct.

Brian:

And so onstage at any given time, there are 36. And then once you become a Rockette, are you sort of in for life, for as long as you want to be? Or how does that work?

Sophie:

We actually have to re-audition every year.

Brian:

Oh my goodness.

Sophie:

You definitely have to stay well-trained in the off-season. We all came back the beginning of August and re-auditioned. So that was a little bit of a stressful time period. Especially because they haven’t seen us in a year and a half. We get our own separate call, we’re not involved with the open call. If you are a returning Rockette, we have our own separate audition so that you can get re-evaluated.

Brian:

Okay. So is it safe to say that if you’re sort of on the same level that you were when you left last year, that you’ll continue on?

Sophie:

The majority…they rehire, not always. If you’ve maintained your training, and if you’ve had a good season and everything went well, then you’re pretty much…you’re, hoping to get the job again.

Brian:

Okay. And so this season for you is which season?

Sophie:

Third season.

Brian:

Okay, awesome. Oh, that’s so cool. Sophie, when I think of Christmas time in New York City, which is just so magical, there are a few things that come immediately to mind. One is the FAO Schwartz Toy Store on Fifth Avenue. And I don’t even know if that’s still there. I was there years ago. I had heard that it closed and maybe it re-opened, but that’s certainly one.

Sophie:

I know, right. So when my mom would bring me to New York every summer, that was one of the very first stops—we would go to FAO Schwartz, I loved FAO Schwartz as a kid. It closed on Fifth Avenue, which was so disappointing, but it actually re-opened a few years ago, almost right next to Radio City. It’s right in Rockefeller Plaza now.

Brian:

Wow, so it’s moved. Oh cool. And then the second thing is, of course, the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, but the third thing is the Radio City Rockettes. Now in researching a little bit for this show, I know that the Rockettes have been around since 1925, and I think started in New York in 1932, and have performed at Radio City—and this is the most amazing part—have performed at Radio City Music Hall and the very stage where you’ll soon be performing, since 1935. How does it feel to be part of such an iconic fixture in New York, and really in America, the Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes—and you’re one of those Rockettes.

Sophie:

It’s quite amazing to be part of such an incredible legacy. Within the show, the Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers and The Living Nativity, they have been in the show every single year since the Christmas Spectacular opened. So to perform those numbers that the very first Rockettes did is quite an honor. And it’s the same exact costume design. So it’s quite a legacy to be a part of and it’s such [inaudible] sisterhood and bond that we all share. And once you’ve been a Radio City Rockette, you’re sort of a part of that whole family. It’s such an honor to be a part of and work for such a wonderful company. When you mention to people—I’ll say I never lead with it—I say, oh, I’m a dancer. And then they say, where do you dance? I’m a Rockette at Radio City. And they instantly tell me a story about going to see the Rockettes at Christmas or how much that’s a part of their holiday tradition, which I think is so wonderful for so many people.

Brian:

You mentioned two of the numbers. Do the…and I was going to ask you about that…are the numbers almost all the same, or do some change, or does the maybe the arrangement change? How does that all work?

Sophie:

Each year it’s slightly different. I know this year we’re going to have quite a few changes, which I’m excited to see. I start rehearsals very soon. So I’m excited to get into that whole process. Two years ago we had a brand new finale. Coming in as a new Rockette, there was a brand new finale added to the show called Christmas Lights. But for the majority [of the show], it stays the same. I know this coming Christmas, we’re adding a number that used to be in the show, it’s called Snow. I’m very excited to be a part of that, I love the costumes, [they] are beautiful. I’m excited to learn that new number. The majority, it stays the same. My very favorite number is the top of the show, it’s called Sleigh Ride and the Rockettes are addressed as reindeer. As a young girl, that was always my favorite number to watch. When I first put on that costume, I started crying, I was like, I can’t believe I’m wearing this, that’s one of my favorite numbers.

Brian:

Oh, that’s so cool. Let’s talk about the rigor of being a Rockette, because I know it’s hard work. Our show is called Life Excellence and I love studying excellence in every form, however it’s manifested. Certainly for you as a dancer, forgetting about the Rockettes, but, and then also, the Radio City Rockettes, is certainly excellence displayed. I know that doesn’t come easily. It comes through hard work. I’d like to talk about that a little bit. How—and I have a million questions, of course I won’t ask all million, but I’ll ask a few—how long is the season? You mentioned that you’re getting ready to start rehearsals. When does that start? And then how long, when do the performances take place?

Sophie:

I start rehearsals September 25th which is soon. And it, we open this year…

Brian

That’s tomorrow, isn’t it? That’s pretty soon!

Sophie:

We open the show at Radio City [the] beginning of November and it runs through the first weekend in January. But within that season, we can perform—there’s two casts—we each perform up to one hundred shows. It could be four shows a day, which is such a crazy show schedule. [That] means that you have to be in such good shape, maintain your health and everything. Also the rehearsal process is a very rigorous process. We rehearse six hours a day, six days a week leading up to the show. We also have onsite a whole athletic training department. So after each day of rehearsal, we have huge ice bath tubs that we just pretty much submerge into to keep the inflammation down. And if anything happens, they’re there for us to really make sure that we can stay healthy. But also leading up to rehearsals, which I’ve been doing this whole summer, you really have to make sure that you’re prepared for all of this. I love to run to get my stamina up, as well as constantly taking ballet classes or giving myself my own ballet bar, training and really making sure that I’m ready for the season ahead.

Brian:

Is that something that’s left to you to do on your own, or are there guidelines for that? Because obviously if you have a September through—or really October through December, you go into January a little bit, but then a long off-season, it’s really incumbent on you, because you have to try out again, so you certainly want to be prepared. But just beyond that, you really want to keep your talent level high. You obviously want to stay fit and healthy. Are there guidelines that you’re given, or every dancer does that on, on his or her own?

Sophie

If you’re planning on doing the show for another season they leave it up to you to continue to train and make sure that you’re in your best possible dancer shape in order to do the show, or really for any job for that matter. During the season because we are rehearsing so much and running the show so many times a day, you’re definitely fully in Rockette mode training. Then in the off-season, that’s really left up to you to maintain that and keep yourself prepared. When we re-audition, you can see if you’ve continued your training throughout the off-season.

Brian:

How much attention is devoted to health? I mean, it seems, obviously, dancers are fit. I marvel when I was watching some videos and think, I want to look like that. I want to look like a dancer. I don’t want to do what it takes to look like that, but I want to look like a dancer. Obviously health is a huge part of it, especially when you’re performing. Because if you’re performing, I don’t know what the numbers are, but if you’re doing four performances a day, you’re probably burning…I don’t know, a few…it’s a 90 minute show…you’re burning a few thousand calories. How does the Rockette organization or the administration…do they coach you on health and how you need to nourish your body to make sure that you’re positioned for that kind of rigor?

Sophie:

Yes, we have a training day where they go through all these guidelines to really help prepare you for the whole season. And then actually when we’re in season, the Rockettes, we get catered in between every show. So we have things provided for us. We have a Rockette lounge, which is at the top floor of Radio City Music Hall. After each show, we all go up there and there are options for us to eat and have in between shows. They take very good care of us. They know how hard the job is, so they have things for us. We have resources at Radio City that make sure that you’re staying healthy and give you a plan to follow. Personally I, this started after I left ballet schools, but I decided to actually follow a vegan diet—mostly vegan. I just find that I perform better. I feel healthier following that diet, but you still have to make sure that you’re getting enough to not wear your body down during the season because it can be a lot.

Brian:

Well, so I think you probably needed to devote even more attention to that because if you have a specific diet, like a vegan diet, then you have to be even more conscious of making sure that you’re getting enough calories, getting the right vitamins and nutrients and staying healthy.

Sophie:

Yes, definitely.

Brian:

So let’s move into the performance itself. I have attended a lot of concerts. I love Broadway musicals. I love plays. I like all music. So I’ve attended classical concerts and rock concerts. I’ve only been backstage one time and it was right before the performance of Swan Lake at the Detroit Opera House. And it was so cool. And again, for somebody who studies excellence, it was just really a unique glimpse into dance. And so I was backstage and there were three things that really stood out for me. The first thing—and this was before the performance, and I don’t even know if I was supposed to be back there. I don’t remember who took me back there, but I did, I mean, I had somebody with me. I didn’t just sneak back there on my own. But three things really stood out for me and made a huge impression. And this was several years ago. The first was how busy it was. There were so many people backstage and there really, I mean, it’s a big stage area, big backstage, but not that big. And it was filled with sets and people, so it was busy. It was frenzied. People seem to be moving around very quickly. And then the second thing was, I couldn’t believe how filled it was with costumes. There were costumes all over the place and shoes. And it was Swan Lake so you can probably visualize what that looked like—and just rows and rows and rows and rows of shoes. And then the third thing was, I was able to see some of the performers and some of the dancers, and it struck me how made-up they were. So the make-up seemed…like the lipstick was very vibrant and there was a lot of make-up. And I hadn’t really thought about that before, but I guess not everybody’s sitting in the first ten rows and has that proximity. And so  is that the reason for that, so that it can get projected so everybody really sees what the dancers look like? And so I was interested in hearing about that and how that experience that I had compares to the Christmas Spectacular.

Sophie:

Right, it’s very similar to what all you just described. Backstage at Radio City is absolutely amazing. So we like to say we’re just as choreographed off-stage as we are on stage. Everyone has a path that they have to follow the entire show because you have so many changes within the show. When you’re not on stage there is really absolutely no time to rest, you’re changing. And there are two Rockettes to one dresser. So we all have our own dresser that’s in charge of getting our costumes exactly ready.

There are different levels to the stage. At Radio City, the whole stage is an elevator system. For different numbers, we may rise up from the orchestra pit so that means that you have to, during the show, travel down two flights of stairs, change costumes, and then you’re lifted up on the elevator, and then you may exit stage right but then have to go under the stage to re-enter stage left. So there’s a lot of traffic going on backstage, which is absolutely amazing to witness. And you see costumes going everywhere, people moving their tracks, as well as the set and scenery, the entire crew, and they also have their path. They do the same thing every show with what needs to happen, on what queue. But it’s definitely an entire village backstage that’s making that show happen.

Brian:

So the choreography backstage is every bit is detailed and intense as the choreography on stage.

Sophie:

Exactly. There’s a moment in the show from Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers to New York at Christmas, which is our fastest costume change. I believe it’s 78 seconds. So that is a lot for all 36 Rockettes to do. And Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers, we have those really long, stiff white pants, the soldier hat, the jacket, gloves. And within those 78 seconds, we have to change to a Rockette sparkle, either red or green dress with different heels, a coat, different gloves, earrings, there’s so many details that all have to happen, but we all have it mapped out. I’ll know on a certain moment in the music, like when my shoes have to be on and if they’re not on, then I know I’m going to have to really hurry up or I’m not going to make the change. So while one Rockette is putting on her shoes, the other one’s getting her coat on and the dresser’s helping each one at different moments. So it’s definitely a very choreographed section to make sure we all get back on stage in time.

Brian:

So you’re moving literally for every second of the 90 minutes of the show it sounds like. Are the costumes unique for each number? So do you change after every number?

Sophie:

Yes. After every number we change and they’re very much tailored to every single Rockette. So it’s just your costume alone. And we have our whole costume fittings, the costume [inaudible] is amazing at Radio City and they make sure everything fits you perfectly. There’s definitely a lot of costume changes within the show.

Brian:

And how many numbers are there in the show? Does that vary?

Sophie:

We’re actually adding a number this year, so there’s going to be one more. So I believe…there was also…we have ensemble members as well, they are in between Rockette numbers. So there’s definitely a lot of different changes, we may now have nine or ten changes, which within 90 minutes, is a lot. Then being on-stage for possibly an eight to twelve minute number, then changing and getting right back out there.

Brian:

And the shoes are all different too, I’m assuming that’s part of the costume.

Sophie:

Yes.

Brian:

Okay. Are there shoes that are more comfortable than others?

Sophie:

The Rockettes, we wear LaDucas, which a lot of Broadway show performers wear LaDucas as well. They are a character shoe that is very soft and forms to your feet so you can dance very easily in them, but they can be anywhere from two and a half to three and a half inches high—the heel. So that’s an added challenge, dancing with three and a half inch heels on while you’re kicking on stage, but yes, each number. And the shoes are also tailored to you. We start the show in a LaDuca boot for reindeer, and then we transition into tap shoes, and then we go back into a different heel. So as many costume changes there are, there are shoe changes as well.

Brian:

Oh my goodness. There’s a lot to that. I don’t think people realize…you don’t even think about that when you’re sitting in the audience. You’re enjoying the number and it goes dark for a minute or maybe not even that long, and then you’re back on and you’re back to enjoying the performance, but I don’t think most people have any appreciation, really, for what happens during that minute ,or maybe 20 seconds, that it takes to change and come back on stage. So this is your third season, and I’m wondering how do you feel coming into your third season compared to when you were starting your first season? How is it similar for you and maybe how is it different now that you’re a veteran, so to speak.

Sophie:

Coming in now, I know exactly what to expect for the most part. Of course there will be some changes, but going in my first season, I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t really know everything that would come with it. Now I’m fully prepared as to what’s to come, but also after having a year off of COVID, we are all just so excited to be back in a room together and performing. I can’t even imagine the first show we have, I think we’re all going to be so emotional to be back on stage. I’m really looking forward to the season. Being my third season, I feel calm and ready to go into the whole holiday season.

Brian:

How is the dynamic between the veterans and the newbies? So we talked a little bit earlier about your time in San Francisco and how wonderful it was for you to see professional dancers and to be around them and learn from them, and learning in the summer intensive about the Rockette numbers. Tell us a little bit about that, the dynamic among the dancers, and I guess not just the veterans versus the newbies, but in general, but then also from that perspective.

Sophie:

Yes. Going in as a new Rockette, I was a little bit nervous because I knew all of these people that had done it for a long time, and that they’ve done the show so many times they know everything. But they were so welcoming coming in and they really help you get through the season. My very first season, I was standing next to two veteran Rockettes and they were just so, so nice, so helpful. If you needed anything or had a question, they were there for you. That’s what Radio City is so good about, that the whole company just really works as a team, because the Rockettes—there aren’t any soloist artists, we’re all doing the same thing on stage. So you really feel like each one of us have each other’s back, which is wonderful when you’re performing with a group of 36 women on stage. It’s a very nice thing to be a part of. No matter if you’ve done the show for—I think there are some Rockettes that have done it for 20 seasons now, which is absolutely incredible. And then if you’re just coming in for a few years, we start rehearsals with everyone, re-learning everything. So we start each day as a blank page with re-doing the numbers. And also each year you may be in a different spot, we call it a track. So your show slightly changes. You’re never really in the same spot for the most part. It’s pretty much re-learning everything each year, which is nice. We all start on the same page and re-learn each number together.

Brian:

Well, it seems like there’s so much. I’m visualizing the kick line and the synchronicity. I would think that on some level that extends into being off-stage and working together when you need to be in sync to that—like perfectly in sync on stage. And that’s probably not the only example of that. I’m sure there are others, but that’s the one that comes immediately to mind—that it really is probably essential that you have a bond off-stage too, to be able to make that happen.

Sophie:

Definitely. During the whole holiday season, we’re together the whole time, so it really becomes your Radio City family. And on Thanksgiving and Christmas we’re doing shows all day at Radio City, so we have a dinner and we can bring our family to Radio City. It’s just a cast dinner and it’s very nice. We all become a family during the holiday season. And now, even when I’m off-season, some of my closest friends are in the show. Once you’ve done the show, you start to gravitate to all those people that have been a part of this. It’s really nice to have that whole community.

Brian:

One of the things that I wondered about…so you’re doing a hundred shows in a year and the first show—especially because last season didn’t happen so it’s two years since you’ve done a show—I imagine the first show is different than the 20th show. And I wonder what it looks like when you get to the 98th show and the 99th show. Can you talk a little bit about that? I’ve heard other performers, musicians and performers…if you think of tour bands or individuals that tour, they have that same dynamic where they might be on the road for a year and they’re performing the same show every night for a year. What’s that like for you?

Sophie:

It’s a lot to continue to do the same thing for so many shows, but we have dance captains who are in charge of watching the show and giving us notes after every show. So they really maintain the quality of the show, making sure that you’re still doing exactly what you did at the very first show, like you said, the same thing on the 99th show. So that really maintains the whole structure of the show through the season. But yes, it’s a lot to keep repeating, but because I love performing on stage so much it’s exciting for me to do it every time. Having friends or family come to the show, that’s another thing that you always look forward to. If you’re doing a four show day and on the fourth show, you have a friend in the audience, that really helps get you through the show. But it can be taxing throughout the season, as you start to get into those really long days and you’ve done quite a few of them. I always have to keep reminding myself that, in the off-season, this is what you wanted so much and you couldn’t wait to get back on stage, and now you’re here. You just have to keep reminding yourself, this is what you wanted to do. For me, it really never gets old. Maybe in a few years from now I’ll think differently, but I just love each time the curtain goes up. I’m like, okay, this is amazing, this is always what I wanted to do.

Brian:

Well there’s really an emotional part to it and a mental part. I heard somebody address this and I thought it was really well put. I forget who it was, but he said that even though it’s his 95th show for the 6,000 people in the audience at Radio City Music Hall, it’s probably the only time that they’re going to see the Christmas Spectacular that year, or for this person who is a rock musician, the same thing—the audience coming to his show is there for the first time, the only time of that tour, most of them. And so that’s something that really helped him to want to be just as fresh that time as he was the first time or the fifth time, once he got the kinks worked out. And I thought that was really, really helpful.

Sophie:

Yes, like you said, it’s your 90th time, but it’s their first time witnessing it, and it may be their first time ever seeing the Christmas Spectacular. And I think the energy of the audience is really what the performers feed off of. I love that exchange of feeling the excitement of the audience. And when you look out into the 6,000 people staring back, it’s so wonderful to see the joy or hear the applause at the end of the number. That’s what really keeps you going and keeps the spark and the magic of each show, I suppose.

Brian:

Absolutely. Sophie, what’s something that most people don’t know about the Rockettes? Can you let us in—and we won’t tell anybody—but can you let us in on maybe an inside secret or two?

Sophie:

What is really fascinating is that the stage of Radio City, from above, it almost looks like a grid. So that’s how we maintain how precise the formations are. So we have a number line that’s at the front of the stage and on center, it starts with zero and then it goes all the way out to 36. And then we also have colored lines. We have dotted lines and straight lines. So at any point in the show, you have to know exactly what number you’re on and what color line you’re on. You can also be in the alley of two colored lines. So learning the show, not only are you learning the choreography, but you’re having to do math in your head and figure out traveling, do I have to go four numbers over two numbers back, just so that from the front, it looks as precise as possible. So that is one of the biggest challenges of doing the show—knowing exactly where you are at every moment on stage. And teaching that in the rehearsal room is one of the longest processes. To get everything to look so precise is that we’re, all of us, in our head knowing exactly where we are on stage.

Brian:

That’s fascinating. There’s so much to it. You’ve added now another element. So you need to know the choreography of the dances themselves. You need to know what to do when off-stage, and now you’ve added something else, which is just knowing where you are on stage. It’s incredibly complicated. I find it all really, really fascinating. And I appreciate you giving us that glimpse into the Rockettes. Let’s transition a little bit and tell us what you do during the off-season. So you talked about staying in shape. And so I’m interested from that standpoint and a little more about how you do that, but also after the Christmas Spectacular ends, what do you do professionally and vocationally?

Sophie:

When I’m off season, I love to take dance classes throughout the city. There are Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center, which are two professional places that you can go and take open class, where teachers from around the world will teach. It’s wonderful. You can be in a class with someone from the ballet and someone who’s currently in a Broadway show. It’s a wonderful thing to just step into a class and be surrounded by such amazing professionals. So I love to do that. And then, like I mentioned earlier, my mother owns a dance studio in West Virginia so I will go home and I choreograph for her. She has a competition company that travels and competes throughout the country. So I will help, we’ll collaborate together. My mom and I, those are some of my favorite moments when we’re in the studio together and it is 2:00 AM and we’re still working on a production number. We love to do that together to create pieces and then teach it to our studio and then go away and compete with them. So I do that with her. And then lately, for the past few years, I’ve also started to do a little bit of work in TV and film, which I absolutely love. I didn’t know if I was ever going to take that path, but being in New York, there are so many things filming here and I find it so fascinating to be on sets and see what goes into making a TV show or making a movie. So I’ve been able to do a few little roles, either playing a dancer or something else, which has been [inaudible].

Brian:

Oh, that’s awesome and very different. I know you have a part in a movie coming up, a dance roll, so between television shows and videos that you’ve been involved with and movies, that’s a different way to use your talent, but also have a little bit of variation, which must be really interesting from your standpoint. Challenges you in a little different way too.

Sophie:

Down the road, I would love being part of the process of creating something, and I love choreographing. Hopefully as I get older, I would love to transition into being more behind the table and possibly assisting with things or creating things in the future.

Brian:

Awesome. Sophie, you’re obviously a very accomplished dancer, and I was thinking about it and there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dancers in the world. What is it that sets a dancer like you apart from those who haven’t achieved the same level that you have?

Sophie:

To be a successful dancer in this industry, you have to have, first off, a really solid training at a young age, or even if you’re older, you just really have to hone in on your training and be well versed in anything. You don’t know what may be thrown at you at an audition. I’ve gone to a ballet call and then at the end they asked who could do acro and thank goodness, I could, because growing up, I trained with my mother in acro. That’s what got me that job. So being prepared for anything that may be thrown at you in an audition and also just being really focused. You can’t really let yourself go. During all of COVID there were challenging times, but I knew if I wanted to continue this once we got out of it—I know we’re still in the middle—but I had to continue to train, and mentally that can be a bit hard. You just have to really push yourself. Growing up at my mother’s dance studio, at a very young age, she really instilled that in me. I really owe that all to my mom for directing me on the correct path and keeping me focused. She knew exactly what it would take for me to be successful. And now, thank goodness that she pushed me in all of those things so I can be where I am today.

Brian:

I feel like you were born to dance, Sophie. Would your mom dance when she was pregnant with you in the womb and play Broadway musicals? And was she intentional about that?

Sophie:

Yes, and she was always very clear that I could do whatever I wanted, but I fell in love with dance. I know that she was teaching right before she had me. So I was in the studio at dance conventions before I was even born.

Brian:

It’s definitely your calling. Sophie, I read an article recently just coincidentally in the Wall Street Journal about George Balanchine. I don’t know if you know that name, but he was a ballet choreographer who co-founded the New York City Ballet. And he’s been deceased now for about 20 years, I think. But there was a quote in the article and he was quoted as having said, I don’t want people who want to dance. I want people who have to dance. Is that something that resonates with you? And what’s the difference in your opinion, between those two kinds of people?

Sophie:

Absolutely. That completely embodies how I feel. There are people who dance as a hobby or they love to dance, but maybe not as driven to continue. I feel like when I’m dancing or training that there’s no other option, like this is what I have to do. That’s what really brings me the most joy. And I really love the process that goes into training so hard, and that goes with ballet as well. It’s so difficult mentally and physically, but the reward is so wonderful. Performing on stage is my absolute favorite. I love the feeling of that. I can’t really imagine my life not dancing or performing and if that is taken away from me, it feels like I’m incomplete, not doing what I love to do constantly. I feel like I have to dance, not just because I love it, but [because] I have to do it.

Brian:

Oh, that’s awesome. Well, I love that you get to, and that thousands and thousands of people get to see you do that. I really appreciate that. And finally, Sophie, just one last question, you’re in a position where obviously you have influence over young dancers, either their students in a class at your mom’s dance studio, or they see you perform on stage at Radio City Music Hall or on television or in a movie. What advice do you have for young dancers? And then beyond that, really for anyone who has a dream or aspires to achieve excellence?

Sophie:

To really stay focused and not let anyone tell you that you might not be able to achieve this. When I was at ballet school, it started to get a little bit rough. Towards the end, I knew I wasn’t going to be in that company. And I was thinking, am I even going to make it as a ballet dancer? I had some people telling me, your shoulders are too broad to be in a ballet company, or there’s a lot of body image things that you have to overcome as a dancer. I didn’t let that tear me down. You have to just rise above and keep training. But if you really believe in what you’re doing, you can make it happen. You just have to stay focused and find your correct path. And thank goodness that path led me to where I am right now, that I didn’t let anything that anyone said stop me from doing that.

Brian:

That’s awesome. That’s great advice. I really appreciate you sharing that. Sophie, thank you so much for investing time on the show today. Best of luck to you and the rest of the Rockettes and this year’s Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes.

Sophie:

Thank you so much, it was wonderful talking.

Brian:

Oh, it’s been great talking with you. I really appreciate it. Thanks for listening to or watching today’s episode of Life Excellence. If you enjoyed the show, as much as I did, please subscribe. Tell your friends about it and write a quick post on Facebook or Instagram telling everybody about the show today—it was Sophie Silnicki. Until next time, dream big dreams and make each day your masterpiece.