Though it was Russell Markert who formed the original Rockettes (The Missouri Rockets) in 1925, the man who formed the first precision dance troupe was an English man named John Tiller. Tiller Girls 1891 In the 1880s, Tiller formed a dance school in Manchester, UK. In 1890 John was asked to present a quartet of children for the pantomime Robinson Crusoe at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Liverpool. He chose four of his best Manchester pupils, all aged about 10 years; Dolly Grey