Century of sparkle: The Rockettes and the sweet art of becoming a kid again

"The precision of the Wooden Soldiers remains hypnotican ode to discipline so perfect it borders on transcendence. The many Santas burst in next, creating a gleeful avalanche of red velvet and holiday chaos that feels oddly cathartic. Their sheer abundance turns the entire hall into a snow globe of delight. It is impossible not to laugh. It is impossible not to feel something open. Then the snow begins."

"The sparkle settles onto the audience as softly as relief. The grandeur of the hall matters here. It always has. Few venues in New York still know how to cradle a moment. Radio City does. Its gold archways and cinematic sweep give the evening a sense of ceremony, a reminder that beauty carries weight, and joywhen offered at this scalebecomes a communal act of faith."

"The ride through the animated streets of New York nearly brings a lump to the throat. The city flashes by in candy-colored motion, bustling with taxis, skyscrapers, and winter lights, as if the Rockettes are guiding us through our own private love letter to the place we call home. Something in the air shifts. The show stops feeling like a performance and begins to feel like a promise that things, finally, are looking"

The Rockettes' centennial Christmas Spectacular restores a sense of communal wonder through precise choreography, lavish visuals, and nostalgic scenes. The Wooden Soldiers deliver hypnotic discipline that approaches the transcendent, while an army of Santas creates a gleeful, cathartic avalanche of red velvet and holiday chaos. Simulated snowfall and glitter transform Radio City Music Hall into a tender hallucination of childhood that settles on the audience like relief. The hall's gold archways and cinematic sweep provide gravity and ceremony, making joy feel like a communal act of faith. The animated New York sequences evoke affectionate hometown pride and a palpable sense of promise.

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