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Adrienne Oehlers Master's Thesis.pdf (1.03 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Spectacular Women: The Radio City Rockettes from 1925 to 1971

Oehlers, Adrienne M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503321546482266

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Theatre.
The Radio City Rockettes are one of the most famous dance troupes in the United States, having performed at Radio City Music Hall since 1932. This thesis serves as the first stand-alone, expansive history about who they are, what they represent, and how they developed under the leadership of founder Russell Markert (1899-1990). This study will trace how the Rockettes began as an emblem of modernity and developed into a symbol of nostalgia under the leadership of one man from their Missouri inception in 1925 through his retirement in 1971. Intrinsically linked to the design and vision of Radio City Music Hall, the company was a symbol of American ingenuity and national pride. As an embodiment of industry, precision dance was first introduced by the British Tiller Girls, and codified by Markert into a technique that Rockettes still carry on today. Besides their iconic status, Rockettes also benefitted from the familial environment of Radio City Music Hall and paternal affections of Markert, both which contributed to a workplace that offered stability, safety, and a dependable income to the women who sought an independent life in the dance world. This line of thirty-six dancers who perform as one unit will reach its centennial anniversary in 2025, and their longevity demands a closer look at why they remain beloved despite fluctuations in popularity and what they have represented to the American people throughout the decades.
Jennifer Schlueter, PhD (Advisor)
Shilarna Stokes, PhD (Committee Member)
101 p.
Dance; Theater History; Theater Studies
Radio City Rockettes; Radio City; Russell Markert; precision dance; mass ornament; women dancers; dance; dance theatre; popular culture

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Oehlers, A. M. (2017). Spectacular Women: The Radio City Rockettes from 1925 to 1971 [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503321546482266

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Oehlers, Adrienne. Spectacular Women: The Radio City Rockettes from 1925 to 1971. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503321546482266.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Oehlers, Adrienne. "Spectacular Women: The Radio City Rockettes from 1925 to 1971." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503321546482266

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1503321546482266
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.