Sphere in Las Vegas has announced that the Radio City Rockettes will be featured daily throughout the holiday season on the Exosphere, the fully programmable LED exterior of the venue.
The festive Christmas Spectacular activation debuted overnight, marking the first time the Exosphere has featured dancing wrapped 360 degrees around the venue. The content was developed in collaboration between Sphere Entertainment and MSG Entertainment, both part of the MSG family of companies.
Since it was first illuminated on July 4, the Exosphere captured worldwide attention for its impactful visuals. It is covered with nearly 580,000 square feet of fully programmable LED paneling, creating the largest LED screen in the world. The Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart, capable of displaying 256 million different colors.
There is a magic here that we’ve created with Sphere, and there is a magic that is created by the Rockettes every year in the Christmas Spectacular. There is nothing more artful than the Rockettes or more scientific than Sphere, so bringing these two together on the Exosphere in such a unique way is the essence of what we do here at Sphere – uniting art and science to bring wonder to the world. This is particularly exciting because it is the most complex combination of real-life footage and animated content we’ve created for the Exosphere to date.
Guy Barnett, SVP, Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment
Founded in 1925, the Radio City Rockettes are the longest-running precision dance company in America. The Rockettes are world-renowned for their unity, athleticism, and iconic precision style combining elements of ballet, jazz, and tap, and techniques of modern and contemporary dance. In addition to the iconic Christmas Spectacular, the Rockettes perform annually in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Christmas in Rockefeller Center tree lighting, and have appeared at the Tony Awards, the MTV VMAs, the NYC Pride Parade, and Saturday Night Live.
The activation began with the first Christmas ornament to be displayed on the Exosphere. The top of the vibrant red and gold ornament spun off, revealing, in a nod to the “12 Days of Christmas” number in the Christmas Spectacular, the Rockettes’ legs, rising to reveal more of them. They performed their iconic choreography at 125 feet tall, concluding with their beloved kickline as it rotated around the Exosphere. The Rockettes’ were transparent through the screen, showcasing their backs, marking the first time the technique has been utilized on the immersive digital canvas. To close off, the iconic Radio City Music Hall marquee could be seen.
In order to achieve continuous dancing, 15 Rockettes were captured performing in groups of five, giving the Sphere Studios team three clips that were composited together. Those composite clips were then multiplied and stitched together to stretch all the way around the Exosphere. The Rockettes’ footage was shot in New York specifically for the Exosphere. The content was conceptualized, developed, and created exclusively by Sphere Studios.
“We are all about precision,” said Danelle Morgan, Radio City Rockette, dance captain and assistant choreographer. “But with Sphere, we really need to make sure that every single thing – from the tip of our finger to the height of our signature eye-high kicks – is completely in sync because of the scale of the Exosphere. It’s such an honor to see the Rockettes on Sphere, spreading Christmas joy in Las Vegas while we perform in the Christmas Spectacular at our home in New York City.”
A staple of the holidays in New York City, the Christmas Spectacular stars The Rockettes and features nine show-stopping numbers throughout the 90-minute production. The show features intricate choreography and thrilling performances that leave audiences with a sense of wonder and amazement. Since it opened at Radio City in 1933, the Christmas Spectacular has brought holiday joy to more than 70 million people from around the world.
Tickets for the 2023 Christmas Spectacular start at $49 and can be purchased online here.
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