There's a lot different this year in general, but when it comes to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, viewers struggle to get past a few changes. From Matthew Morrison's Grinch performance to the augmented reality balloons, there's a lot different — and people are taking to social media to air their upset. But another major change that people aren't happy about is the Rockettes performance without their famous kickline.
The dancers are famous for their high kicks, but they left that out this year, and onlookers were not pleased. Several took to Twitter, claiming Thanksgiving Day was ruined because of it, while others guessed that they were forced to change their routine due to masks. The Rockettes have been American icons for almost a century and have graced hundreds of stages across the country, even going overseas a time or two.
Appearing at Radio City Music Hall time-and-time again, the famous line of dancers is historical at this point. They've performed at numerous memorable events like the inauguration of the 43rd U.S. president, George W. Bush. They joined the USO, which allowed them to travel abroad and perform there to entertain troops. According to Rockettes' official website, Russell Markert was the "father figure" in the 1920s until he retired in 1971.
The group was inspired by a British dance troupe formed by John Tiller. Originally, to qualify as a Rockette, one had to be between 5'2 and 5'6, but today women can be anywhere between 5'6 and 5'10. They must be proficient in tap, modern, jazz and ballet. The group also started with just 16 performers, but today there's a line of 36.
By 2000, the group celebrated its 75th anniversary, and already 2,500 women have performed as one of the famed dancers. By 2010, the Rockettes grew to a new fame level, being more in the public eye than ever before. Now, they've become a holiday tradition between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and when they left out their famed high-kick, families were not thrilled. However, the official Twitter page of The Rockettes did announce that they will plan to do their famous kickline on Dec. 2 on NBC for the tree lighting. Below is a list of reactions that people had to this year's Thanksgiving change.