Rockettes 100 - No. 1 The Original Rockettes, The Missouri Rockets
- Lauryn Johnson
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Russell Market was a chorus dancer at the Missouri Theater. The owner of the theater asked him to come up with a specialty dance troupe so he began auditioning local girls. In 1925 he had formed a group of 16 women between between 5’2″and 5’6 ½”, and called them the “Missouri Rockets.” They made their debut that year in St. Louis performing before feature films at the Missouri Theater on Grand Avenue
In 1928, the Missouri Rockets traveled to New York City to perform in the Broadway show Rain or Shine where the caught the eye of showbiz impresario Roxy Rothafel. Who began booking them to perform in MYC on a frequent basis, although they were still based in Missouri.
By the early 1930s, Russell Market was overseeing three separate dance troupes performing around the city. Soon the Missouri Rockets would become something even bigger and greater….
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