Dancers compete for chance to be Radio City Rockette

LAS VEGAS - Linda Haberman scans the room filled with dancers in colorful leotards, searching for the select few who can make eye-high kicks look easy and perform intricate routines in unison.

A girl in neon green catches her eye. Kicks are good, so is the smile. Could she be the next Radio City Rockette?

''You have to be able to pick up quickly,'' said Haberman, director of choreography for the Rockettes' Christmas show.

Some 79 young dancers showed up Friday at a Las Vegas dance studio, hoping to earn a spot on the Rockette line-up. By the end of the day, only nine were left.

''You have to be able to do exactly what we're asking,'' Haberman told the dancers. ''That's what the Rockettes are about.''

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Radio City Rockettes - and every dancer at the audition here wants to be a part of the occasion.

''There's a lot of girls here,'' said Karin Townson, 23, who performs in the show ''Footloose'' at the Rio hotel-casino. ''You're trying to blend in as opposed to standing out.''

Rockettes have to be from 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 10 inches tall and be skilled in jazz, tap and ballet. Plus they must be able to put on a bright smile while performing complicated routines.

Haberman and her assistants have seen 750 dancers during this year's audition tour that included New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Fla., Pittsburgh and Toronto. Las Vegas was the last stop and, for some of the girls, the last chance to make this year's cut.

Haberman said some dancers who weren't accepted in one city traveled to the next audition, hoping one more chance would make the difference.

Of the 750 dancers, only 145 were called back. Those that make it through a final audition will perform in this year's Radio City Christmas Spectacular in six cities - New York, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Branson, Mo. and Mexico City.

In Las Vegas, dancers filled the waiting room at the Fern Adair Conservatory of Arts. Some stretched and practiced dance moves, others waited quietly for their names to be called.

In just minutes, the dancers were expected to memorize routines as a piano player banged out Christmas music. The ones who were slow to learn the steps or didn't have good technique were cut quickly.

Others were eliminated because they lacked stage presence.

''Let's go over it one more time,'' Haberman yelled to the dancers after teaching them a routine. ''You have to be very, very special to be a Rockette.''

The Rockettes began as the ''Missouri Rockets'' in 1925, debuting in St. Louis. They first performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1932.

Since then, more than 2,000 women have danced as Rockettes.

''It's the excitement and power behind so many people working together as a unit,'' Haberman said.

It took Bonnie Skilton six tries to finally make it through an entire audition. She went to several cities in the past five years, hoping for her big break.

''I am ecstatic,'' Skilton, 28, said after she was chosen for the final audition. ''When I was little I used to hang posters of them up on my fridge.''