Russell Markert first formed the then "Missouri Rockets" in 1925. Samuel Roxy Rothafel brought them to his New York-based Roxy Theater and christened them the Roxy-ettes. He left that venue to start Radio City Music Hall, and the group finally transitioned to its now-famous name.
During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed as many as five shows a day, every day of the week, throughout their 77-year history. Their seminal Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a holiday highlight in New York, while touring Rockettes present the seasonal program throughout the United States and Canada.
The Rockettes pay dues to the American Guild of Variety Artists union. They were the subjects of a strike in 1967 concerning better working conditions. The strike was resolved a month later.
The first African-American member joined the Rockettes in 1987. Before that time, the lack of diversity was explained as causing distraction from the identical chorus line concept.