03/10/2011

Rockettes 75th Anniversary Book

Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan is one of America’s most iconic venues. When you add the distinctive high-kicking precision dance routine of the world-famous Rockettes, you have the makings of a dream photographic assignment.

The project was to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular in a photographic book.

The challenge of the assignment was that images of the group are ubiquitous, especially the eye-high leg kick that they perform in perfect unison in a chorus line of their best-known routine. With access to the entire archive of vintage Rockette costumes we posed various lines of dancers in key locations throughout the historic venue .

Even for those nostalgia-bound fans, their image has been modernized without losing the charm of the Rockettes or Radio City Music Hall; they enhance each other. In a slight departure for me, this was a predominantly location photographic assignment with only a few photo illustrations. Except for two, what you see in the images is what was shot.

all images ©James Porto 2011