The Rockettes' involvement with Donald Trump's swearing-in has been complicated at best. The troupe's inauguration performance was announced just before Christmas (opens in new tab), which came as a surprise to the dancers (opens in new tab), who learned of the news along with the rest of the world.
While their participation was, after some initial back-and-forth, fully voluntary, many Rockettes felt their brand's alignment with the divisive president-elect put them in a compromising position, and that they didn't have an outlet to express their dissent.
After one Rockette spoke out to MarieClaire.com (opens in new tab) about the turmoil behind the scenes, Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan called a meeting (opens in new tab) with the dancers to discuss the performance and the controversy surrounding it, in which he messaged that they should tolerate intolerance and appreciate the opportunity for what it is. "This is a great national event," he said.
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In an interesting twist, the Rockettes did not take the inauguration stage today as many expected. They also did not perform in the inauguration parade. Instead, they danced at the Liberty and Freedom Balls, the official inaugural balls taking place in the capitol tonight.
"The Rockettes were only ever scheduled at the Liberty and Freedom Ball," an MSG spokesperson said in a statement to MarieClaire.com.
Watch the Rockettes' performances here:
The Radio City Rockettes! pic.twitter.com/ww76KpJa98January 21, 2017
If you look closely the @Rockettes are kicking "HELP US" in Morse Code. #InauguralBall pic.twitter.com/fHUbOrdtrhJanuary 21, 2017
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