Community Corner

Malverne Dancer Selected for Radio City Rockettes

A Malverne resident’s dreams are coming true.

Kristen Grace Smith, 20, a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes School and Sacred Heart Academy, was recently offered a position with the Radio City Rockettes. 

Smith, who was a dance student at Tap To Pointe Dance Centre in Malverne for a number of years, will be performing with the Nashville company and will be perform at the Grand Ole Opry, a legendary weekly country music stage concert in Nashville.

Find out what's happening in Malverne-Lynbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It’s wonderful, this is something she’s really wanted all her life,” said Kristen’s mother, Lorraine. “She’s work very, very hard.”

In 2010, Smith was selected to participate in the Rockettes summer intensive, which "gives students the opportunity to train at the highest level of the Rockettes technique" and she later performed at Radio City Music Hall. Smith was then featured in a documentary series chronicling the experience of girls who participated in a Rockettes program.

Find out what's happening in Malverne-Lynbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To be selected for the position of a Rockette, Smith had to go through a very selective audition, with hundreds of women trying out. When she got the call, the family could barely contain their excitement.

Smith will be leaving this Sunday to start training in Myrtle Beach before heading to Nashville. Her first show is on November 16.

“We’re so proud and thrilled,” Lorraine said. “It’s gratifying to see somebody that has worked so hard and really dedicated herself to following her dream, that she now has the opportunity to realize her dream.”

Related Stories


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here