RSVP / ORANGE COUNTY : Rockette Science : Life for Troupe Members Isn’t as Easy as It Seems, but It Does Have Its Pluses, They Say at Post-Performance Party

It wasn’t hard to spot the Rockettes among the approximately 100 guests who attended a cast party for the legendary Radio City precision dance troupe: They were the tall, leggy, beautiful women toting makeup bags.

The Rockettes and Susan Anton, the statuesque star of “The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular” that opened Tuesday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, stood out among the crowd attending the post-performance bash at Diva restaurant in Costa Mesa. The center’s board of directors staged the party as a thank-you to supporters of the Costa Mesa theater.

Getting Their Kicks

Fresh from kicking up their heels in Segerstrom Hall, the Rockettes arrived at Diva to nibble on tortellini and chicken stuffed with fontina cheese while describing life on the road as a Rockette.

Anton, who exceeds the Rockettes’ height limit of 5-foot-9 by several inches, admitted she’d never seriously hoped to be a Rockette, despite singing a song expressing otherwise during the show.

“We fudged that a little bit. The truth is I’m much too tall,” said Anton, with husband Jeff Lester in tow.

Anton has nevertheless found herself among the Rockettes on their first nationwide tour, singing several numbers during the performance while clad in glittering gowns. The Rockettes are visiting 44 cities through 1994.

Rockette Lori Mello, a dark-haired beauty, explained how the Rockettes form their perfect kick lines.

“We use a lot of peripheral vision,” she said. “And when we’re in a line, we lightly touch the middle of the other girl’s back” to keep the formation straight.

Before putting on a new show, the Rockettes practice about eight hours a day, six days a week for three weeks until the days right before the opening performance. Then they put in three or four 11- and 12-hour days, Mello said.

The Rockettes have learned the value of teamwork. During the “Rockettes in Diamonds” number, when they kicked up their heels in sparkling black and silver showgirl outfits, the dancers had to contend with falling beads.

“They were all over the stage,” Mello said. “It was like a battlefield. We just kept kicking them out of the way for each other.”

Everybody’s a Star

Rockettes not only must perform high kicks, but also be proficient in tap, jazz, ballet and modern dance. They even have to sing.

Melinda Jackson and Michael Kessler, the featured husband-and-wife dance team that performed a romantic undersea ballet with the Rockettes, keep in shape by doing ballet and yoga and by swimming.

“You also have to have your head together,” said Jackson, who said a healthy body and mind are crucial to their demanding dance routines.

Rockettes know they share the limelight with other members.

“Even if you want to shine, you have to shine in the group,” said Deanna Fiscus-Ford, a Rockette who sported a massive 40-pound Spanish gown during the “Bolero” number. “We’re 24 women with all of these different emotions,” but that has to be put aside for the performance.

Yet being a Rockette does bring notability.

“All of a sudden you have a title,” Fiscus-Ford said. “People are impressed. They should be, because it’s hard work.”

Among the impressed guests were Dr. Gordon Fishman and his wife, Rita.

“We’ve seen the Rockettes perform in New York, and it’s just as wonderful here,” he said. “The girls are just as beautiful.”

“They’ve got the curves in all the right places,” Rita said.

Other party-goers were: Mary Dell Barkouras, Michael Schulman, Ed McGrath, Christopher Vietch, Betty Beldon Palmer, Elaine Redfield, Kent and Nancy Snyder, and Susan Strader.