I‘ve been a Rockette for five years, and it truly is my dream job. I first saw the Christmas Spectacular as a 3 year old with my family. We made it our holiday tradition to see the show every year, and it is such an honor to be a part of that tradition for other people. I’m so grateful and feel very lucky to be doing what I love. There is no feeling like performing on the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall every night.
Dancing has always been my passion. I started my dance training at a local studio when I was 2½ years old. I begged my parents to let me take dance, and they had to search to find a studio that would take me at such a young age.
I continued to take ballet, tap, jazz and modern while I was growing up on Long Island, NY. I spent most of my free time dancing and loved every second of it! Starting in middle school, I spent my summers attending intensives at the Joffrey School of Ballet, American Dance Theater Workshop and BOCES Cultural Arts Center. I continued my classical training throughout high school, while I also danced on my high school’s dance team. I went on to double major in Dance and Psychology at Skidmore College. I’m so thankful that my family has always been extremely supportive of my dance career.
“There is no feeling like performing on the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall every night” —Rockette Courtney
Outside of dance, I’ve always loved to draw and paint. My mom is an artist, and growing up, we would work on art projects together. She taught my sister and me different techniques with water color, pen and ink, oil paints and papier-mâché. I always loved art class in school; I even took fashion design, pottery and portfolio composition in high school.
When I was in college, I studied oil portraiture and art history in Florence, Italy for a semester. It was an amazing learning experience and an incredible opportunity to see masterpieces up close, like Michelangelo’s “David,” the Sistine Chapel and the “Pietà.” Now, I try to keep a sketch pad and draw whenever I have free time. It helps to zen me out when I’m not on stage. Recently, my mom, sister and I took a still life sketch class at NYU. It was awesome to be drawing together again.
I love having another creative outlet, besides dance, to express myself.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
With 48 dancers spanning the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall, see how Rockette Courtney and her fellow cast members prepare for the ‘Here Comes Santa Claus‘ number.