2 Philadelphia-area Rockettes share magical experience of Radio City Christmas Spectacular

For the past 90 years, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been a holiday staple in New York City.

The show features some of the most iconic, recognizable dancers of all time: The Rockettes.

If you're seeing the show this season, keep your eyes peeled for two local women on that famous stage!

"I was 10 years old, and I grew up dancing in Pennsylvania," said Taylor Shimko from Yardley, Bucks County, recalling the first time she saw The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

"My dance teacher brought me to see the show and I was in awe with The Rockettes. I turned to her and said, 'I want to do that.' And she said, 'I think you might. I think you have a chance.' It's really been a dream come true."

This is now Shimko's 14th season as a Rockette.

"This is a legacy, and this is something that we're so proud of," Shimko said.

Alicia Lundgren spent four years performing with Philadanco.

This is now her ninth season as a Rockette.

"I've been so lucky and so happy to have had the opportunity to dance with all these wonderful women on the line," Lundgren says.

Shimko and Lundgren are two out of 84 Rockettes on the legendary kick line that sells out Radio City Music Hall's 6,000 seats for the holiday season.

For each of their more than 200 shows, they have nine different looks.

"We have costume changes that all happen on stage level, and one is as fast as 78 seconds," Shimko says.

The Rockettes rehearse for six hours a day, six days a week, for six weeks leading up to the show's opening.

"A lot of times we call ourselves athletes dripping in rhinestones," Lundgren says.

"We are working so hard during the holiday season," Shimko added.

Their most intricate number, the iconic Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, has been in the show since it opened in 1933.

"It takes a lot of teamwork and everyone being really in it," Shimko says.

"And strong," Lundgren adds. "We need a lot of strength."

"It's really a thrill," Shimko says.

"And it's one of a kind too," says Lundgren.

If you want to see the two talented dancers perform, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been extended through January 4.