X-mas High Kicking It With The Rockettes...
And...Kick: Nick Verreos and The Rockettes, at FIDM/Grand Hope Park in August 2010Back in August, while The Rockettes were touring the country promoting their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show, they visited Los Angeles and made a pit stop at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising LA Campus. I had the pleasure of "hosting" them at a fun event titled "High Kicking With Nick", in which we had a VIP Costume Show, where four of The Rockettes showed--up close and personal--some of the marvelous and iconic costumes. I also got to do some High Kicks with them, as well as over 200 of our "closest" friends, at FIDM-adjacent Grand Hope Park.
Nokia Theater Fan: Nick Verreos inside the Nokia Theater, Radio City Christmas Spectacular Opening Night PerformanceWell, cut to last Friday and The Rockettes were BACK--to do their Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live. They were generous enough to invite myself and my NIKOLAKI partner David Paul to the "Opening Night". Believe it or not, I had NEVER seen an actual Rockettes Show, much less THE famous Christmas Spectacular so, of course, I canceled everything else I had that evening and headed to Downtown LA.
Happy Downtown LA Holidays: David Paul and Nick Verreos, L.A. Live Entertainment ComplexI hadn't been to the Staples/Nokia/"LA Live" Entertainment Complex in a while (not since I attended the World Championships of Figure Skating at the Staples in March 2009) and I certainly had never really gone there on a Friday Night...but KIDS: The place was CRAZY!! I guess I am LATE but I never knew that this has now become the new "Universal City Walk" of LA!
Walking into the nucleus of it all, there were all these new restaurants, bars/nightclubs, hundreds and hundreds of people walking around (NO ONE EVER used to be here in Downtown LA five years ago--and especially after 6PM!) and there was even a Skating Rink! Hello, Nick is HOME!!
Skating Under The Stars: Nick Verreos poses by The L.A. Live Skating Rink, Downtown LANow,let's get to the reason we were there: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show. One Word: AMAZING!!!!
It's one thing high-kicking with four of these leggy DIVAS in a park Downtown, but it's a WHOLE OTHER thing seeing ALL of them in their perfectly choreographed numbers on a HUGE stage like the Nokia Theater. Every section of the show was entertaining. I loved The "Nutcraker Suite" with Dancing Bears (how they can kick so high in all that fur??) and...
The famed Toy Soldier number, with its INCREDIBLE footwork, was one of my favorites as well. The section of the show where the Biblical Magi pay their visit to the newly born Jesus offering gifts was visually stunning; the intricately ornate costumes of The Three Wise Kings left us awestruck!
One of the highlights of the entire Radio City Christmas Spectacular was the Touring Through NYC Landmarks Bus Ride. This truly was UNBELIEVABLE: The way the Double-Decker bus turned and the changing views of the Big Apple, was fabulous! One almost felt as they were following them on another Double-Decker bus!!! I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but this really is a not-to-be-missed show! So if the Rockettes come to your town, in their candy-cane costumes, I think you know what to do!Happy High Kicking Holidays!!!
Click Below for a Video Sneak Peak I found on YouTube of the Rockettes "Nutcraker Suite" Dancing Bears (it's the CUTEST thing in the World!!!):