For a dancer, being a Radio City Rockette is a dream.
A dream, Tampa native Caitie Russell can now say, is a reality.
Russell started dancing at Mary Jo's Performing Arts Academy in Tampa when she was just 5 years old. But it was there that she immediately found her love of being on stage.
"I remember I went on stage and I ran off and I told my mom, that was so much fun, and I tried to run back on the stage, and so my mom was like, this is what she was meant to do," explained Russell.
Russell is in her third season of being a famous Rockette. But getting here took a lot of hard work. The women train for six hours a day, six days a week, leading up to the Holiday shows, and perform up to four shows a day.
"My dance teacher, Mary Jo, she would always say, growing up, reach for the moon. If you miss, you'll land among the stars. And that always resonated with me because I was like, well, I obviously want to get to the moon. I mean, that's the number one goal, right? But there are times where you do miss, and I actually missed this job two times. It took me three tries to get it. So I think it's those little lessons that we learn of it's okay, if you fail, how do you get back up and try again," explained Russell. "I think knowing that you can make your dreams a reality is a really big thing. And when people try to tell you no or tell you it's not time yet, you kind of have to look them in the eye and say, no, I'm gonna do it on my own time. And I think that was a really important message."
Russell is a full-time dancer and will even come back to teach some masterclasses at her home dance studio.
