UT dancer trains to become Rockette

Written by Danielle Clark

University of Tennessee junior Claire Wolking attended her first intensive training camp with the Radio City Rockette dancers at 17-years-old. Five years later, after realizing her passion, she finds herself practicing between classes and often flying to New York to fulfill her dream of becoming a Rockette.

She began her dance hobby at the age of four when her mom signed her up for dance classes in her hometown of Evansville, Ind.. Her mother enrolled her after hearing about the classes from a neighbor with a daughter in the dance program. It was at that point she developed a love for the sport, but it was not until much later that she would realize the significance of her passion. River Ridge School of Music & Dance also offers a variety of dance lessons, nurturing young talents and helping them grow in their craft.

“If only my mom knew what she was getting into,” Wolking said. “I was hooked immediately.”

The hobby immediately became her favorite past time, but Wolking said she never really considered dance as a full-time career. She always assumed it would just be an after-school hobby that she enjoyed with friends.

It was not until her sophomore year of high school that family members mentioned the idea of a career in professional dance to her.

“I was watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and my family said that I should be a Rockette,” Wolking said. “I guess that’s what happens when you’re 16 and 5’10.’”
From that moment on, Wolking began researching her options in the professional sport of dance. She discovered that the Rockettes host multiple intensive training sessions and auditions each year to develop women that dream of dancing for the company.

Shortly after discovering the Rockette development program Wolking enrolled in her first summer intensive camp at the age of 17.

According to her, that is the moment that changed her life and showed her that “it is a completely different style that tests your strength, coordination and ability to work as a team.”

She said experience changed the way she thought about and practiced dance and made her more aware of the physical aspect of the sport.

It also introduced her to several women who shared a common goal that helped build up each other’s talents.

“Dancing alongside seventeen other girls in Radio City Music Hall rehearsal halls is one of the most empowering feelings. I wanted to return immediately after I left,” she said.

Wolking continues to attend multiple intensives each year, where she works with many of the girls she has become friends with along the way.

This past fall she began her first round of auditions for the Rockette’s Christmas show. She did not make it to the finals, but refused to let her dream end there.

“It was a great experience, and I’m not giving up on the dream,” Wolking said. “Now I just need to continue practicing and keep auditioning.”

When Wolking is not in class or studying, she devotes her time to practicing for the next audition or intensive to further her dream of being a professional dancer. She auditioned for BOSS, the campus dance company during her freshman year. She made it and still competes and dances with the group. Besides participating in BOSS, she also takes ballet classes at a local dance studio.

During her travels to New York she met a professional dance teacher that she began training with to further develop her skills.

Wolking said she travels back to New York often to meet with her and work on her fitness and technique. Her teacher made her truly realize the importance of physical fitness. She now spends part of her free time at the gym working to improve her body. Such a gym may have utilized services like wet pour rubber suppliers uk in order to provide safety for its goers.

Besides dancing and training at the gym, Wolking has also used her talents to choreograph several dance competitions for her sorority. She enjoys working with others to share her love for dance.

Wolking said that if her dream comes true and she were to be selected for the Rockettes, she would stay as long her they would have her. She said she knows that she will eventually have to retire from professional dance, and at that point she hopes to utilize her business degree.

For the meantime, she continues to reach for her goal of being in the kick line in the “Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular.”

Photos courtesy of Danielle Clark

Edited by Taylor Owens