Since New York's Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, the name Rockettes has been associated with long chorus lines of high-kicking, long-legged female dancers. Many who have never been to New York or seen the famous Rockettes have imitated them in talent shows or on-the-spot picture poses. Their widespread fame is a tribute to the public fascination with the controlled excellence of their dancing (see entry under 1900s—The Way We Lived in volume 1).

The Rockettes originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1925. Their original name was the Missouri Rockets. They were the brainchild of producer Russell Markert (1899–1990), who was inspired by watching the precision dancing of the Ziegfeld Follies (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) of 1922. Markert's group was soon discovered by New York theater owner Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel (c. 1881–c. 1936), who changed the group's name to the Roxyettes and signed the dancers to perform...