The 92-Year-Old Rockette

January 12, 2015

It’s kind of hard to fathom the fact that the Radio City Rockettes have been around since 1925. I mean, just think about the periods of American history these leggy ladies have kicked their way through! Pretty surreal.

92-year-old Eleanor Leight can tell you what it was like to be a Rockette during the 1940s, when the dancers were paid just $45 a week despite packed performance schedules. During WWII, Leight traveled to Europe with the Rockettes to perform for the American troops.

Leight (eighth from the right) traveling to France with the Rockettes as part of the USO

Now, the retired Rockette spends her free time teaching a group of seniors who call themselves the Silver Steppers. And while she may not expect eye-high kicks from her dancers (most of them are in their 80s), she does uphold the same values of precision and hard work so central to the Rockette philosophy.

If Eleanor Leight is any indication of a dancer’s longevity, we’re in good shape. I mean, check out those still-fabulous legs! Get it, girl.