Close X
Friday, November 8, 2024
ADVT 
National

Among The Rockettes At Radio City This Year Are 3 Alberta Sisters

Darpan News Desk, 02 Dec, 2015 01:48 PM
    NEW YORK — The world-famous Rockettes are supposed to look alike, but fans this Christmas might do a double take — and then a triple-take.
     
    Three long-legged, athletic sisters from the rural Alberta community of Lacombe — including two identical twins — are in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular lineup. Landing a job among this high-kicking chorus line is very special. Can three come from the same family?
     
    Meet Kristin, Lisa and Alison Jantzie, celebrating their fourth year as Rockettes together.
     
    "It's kind of wonderful to be onstage with your family," said Alison, dance captain in the recent Broadway show "Gigi" with Vanessa Hudgens. "We've kind of made this a tradition for ours, obviously."
     
    Kristin, in her 11th Christmas show, was the first to be a Rockette. She and her twin, Lisa, technically the oldest by a few minutes, got their first professional jobs at age 18 at the Tokyo Disney Resort.
     
    Kristin later auditioned for a touring production of the Rockettes in Los Angeles and got the job after showing her skills at tap, jazz and precision dance. Both of her sisters went to see her when the show went to Detroit in 2005.
     
    Lisa looked at the stage and, well, saw herself: "When you see somebody you know doing something, it kind of does open your eyes to the possibility."
     
    Kristin's sisters eventually joined her at Radio City Music Hall, but took their own routes. Lisa, who gravitates toward ballet, worked at the National Ballet of Canada and Alberta Ballet. She's in her sixth Rockette show, and she and Kristin were in the recent spring Rockettes show.
     
    Alison, the youngest, loves musical theatre and studied at the Randolph Academy in Toronto. She acted in regional productions of "Cats," ''High School Musical" and "Mary Poppins." She's in her fourth Radio City show.
     
    The sisters are split into two rotating, 40-person casts — with Kristin and Alison in one and Lisa in the other.
     
    Some weeks they'll perform 17 shows a week, and having some sibling love is both helpful and motivating.
     
    "It's always fun to look across the rehearsal hall and catch their eye and be like, 'OK, here we go, 5-6-7-8. Let's begin!'" said Alison.
     
    They live in New York now, no more than 20 minutes apart. Lisa and Kristin live in the same building, nine floors apart. They say being Rockettes together is a nice oasis from their competitive careers, which sometimes pits them against each other.
     
    The Jantzies — they have a brother who doesn't dance — credit their mother with encouraging their dreams without ever being a stage mom. None of the sisters recalls taking a vacation that wasn't dance-related.
     
    Now every year at Christmas, the Jantzie family gets together in New York to celebrate. The sisters will look out from the stage and see some familiar faces. "Sometimes our family will wear their holiday sweaters. So we can sometimes pick them out," Kristin said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear
    Toronto police say they have seized more than $12 million in counterfeit goods including Blue Jays jerseys, headphones and purses as part of an ongoing operation.

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear

    Winnipeg Man Pleads Guilty In Pair Of High-profile Sex Attacks, Reports Say

    Winnipeg Man Pleads Guilty In Pair Of High-profile Sex Attacks, Reports Say
    WINNIPEG — Published reports say a Winnipeg man has pleaded guilty to a pair of violent sexual assaults, including one on a teen who became a spokeswoman for the plight of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

    Winnipeg Man Pleads Guilty In Pair Of High-profile Sex Attacks, Reports Say

    Superior Court Grants Injunction That Will Postpone Quebec's Assisted Dying Law

    Superior Court Grants Injunction That Will Postpone Quebec's Assisted Dying Law
    Quebec Superior Court has granted an injunction that will postpone the implementation of a provincial law on assisted dying until at least February.

    Superior Court Grants Injunction That Will Postpone Quebec's Assisted Dying Law

    Nanaimo Pot Shops Face RCMP Crackdown As Three Dispensaries Raided

    Nanaimo Pot Shops Face RCMP Crackdown As Three Dispensaries Raided
    The warrants were served nearly three weeks after cease-and-desist letters were handed to the operators of 10 dispensaries, giving them seven days to close their doors or face possible charges.

    Nanaimo Pot Shops Face RCMP Crackdown As Three Dispensaries Raided

    Suspected Dog Poisonings Prompt Investigations By Two Ontario Police Forces

    Suspected Dog Poisonings Prompt Investigations By Two Ontario Police Forces
    TORONTO — Two Ontario police forces say they're investigating what they suspect to be deliberate attempts to poison dogs.

    Suspected Dog Poisonings Prompt Investigations By Two Ontario Police Forces

    Ontario Will Not Allow Any Community Outside Toronto To Have A Land Transfer Tax

    Ontario Will Not Allow Any Community Outside Toronto To Have A Land Transfer Tax
    TORONTO — The 444 municipalities across Ontario will not be given the same power as the city of Toronto to impose a land transfer tax.

    Ontario Will Not Allow Any Community Outside Toronto To Have A Land Transfer Tax