I’ve never been much of a Christmas girl, the sole exception being all of the dance performances that enliven the holiday season. Here in New York, the Rockettes, with their eye-high kicks and red-lipped smiles, chip away at my Scrooge-like veneer. I’ll even tolerate Christmas music.
When I was a kid, my ballet teacher enchanted my class with the story of how she met her husband while they were both performing in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. So when Lululemon invited me to a dance class with the Rockettes celebrating the pair’s capsule collection, I jumped at the chance to get into the holiday spirit.
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Here’s what I was afraid would happen: I’d get overly confident, convince myself I have the same flexibility that I did at 14, and pull my hamstring (again). Luckily, in the capable hands of veteran Rockettes Sydney and Maya, who walked a class full of influencers, press, and various friends of the brand through the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers routine, no hammies were harmed. But in place of the red-striped trousers and Nutcracker hat, I wore an emerald-green tank top, black leggings, and pale pink tennis shoes from Lululemon, and my own black sports bra. (I declined to wear the tight white sports bra they offered me—a decision I’d come to regret when it came time for the jumping high kicks.) Even before the workout started, I felt like the endorphins were already flooding my brain. Oh, the power of swapping my oversized T-shirt and ragged shorts for a cute set.
Of course, no Rockette-led dance class is complete without learning the kickline, which sent the influencers scurrying to film themselves—and everyone else trying out the iconic battements. Nothing turns me off from taking dance classes quite like influencer-sponsored surveillance culture, but when at Radio City, do as the Rockettes do: put on a big smile and kick!
