An Early 'Christmas Spectacular' Comes to Old Greenwich

It was ‘a little bit of Christmas right this very minute’ for a legions of youngsters at the Rosie’s Frozen Yogurt in Old Greenwich Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of students who were dropping by for an after-school sweet treat were given an early holiday surprise when members of the Radio City Rockettes visited and shared some of the secrets of their holiday trade.

Rockettes Sarah Grooms, originally from Columbus OH, and Kim Nassif, a New MIlford, CT native, enraptured the youngsters as they spoke of their six-day a week, eight-hour day rehearsals in preparation of the Christmas spectacular show at Radio City Music Hall that debuts Nov. 13 and continues through Jan. 3. (Their rehearsals begin on Friday.) They also participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the tree-lighting at Rockefeller Center.

Their effervescent personalities easily engaged girls and boys alike who wanted to know about their training, their rehearsal and show schedules, costume changes and personal lives as Christmas music blared from the speakers of the shop on Sound Beach Avenue.

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“This is great,” said shop owner Cindy ‘Rosie’ Steinberg.

Eastern Middle School sixth-grader Brooke Mulshine stopped by with classmates Heidi McGannon and McMillan Graham for an after-school snack.

“This was a chance of a lifetime,” Brooke said. “It’s awesome,” added Heidi who with McMillan study hip-hop dance. Heidi has seen the Rockettes perform their Christmas Spectacular and with America’s Got Talent television show. “This is such a positive coincidence.”

For Meg De Caro’s youngsters, seven-year-old Amy, and Mary, age 5, the bashful girls posed with Grooms and Nassif for an iPhoto moment. The youngsters took their cues from the Rockettes on how to pose with their left foot poised forward and hands on their hips.

“We went to see them last year and we will go again this year,” said Meg DeCaro, who lives in Cos Cob.

Nassif, who’s been a member of the fabled troupe for 14 years after being selected as one of six in a tryout of 500 candidates, said the dancers have just 80 seconds to change costumes during the holiday show.

Grooms had aspired to be a Rockette after beginning dance lessons at the age of 3. She was chosen as a Rockette at age 18 — the minimum age — and has been with the troupe for nine years. She aspired to be a Rockette after seeing pictures of her dance teacher — who was a Rockette, in the holiday costumes that dazzle thousands every year.

Before their visit in Old Greenwich, Grooms and Nassif visited The New Canaan Inn, an independent seniors living facility in New Canaan, in partnership with Patch, where dozens of seniors delighted in chatting with the dancers and posing for photos.

Performances of the 2015 Radio City Christmas Spectacular begin Nov. 13, and run through Jan. 3, at Radio City Music Hall.

For ticket information, log onto radiocitychristmas.com or check out the Rockettes on their Facebook page.

Photos: Rockettes Sarah Grooms and Kim Nassif pose with students at Rosie’s Frozen Yogurt in Old Greenwich on Sept. 29, including youngsters Amy and Mary DeCaro of Cos Cob. Credits: Barbara Heins.