When you think about the Radio City Rockettes, you probably picture those famous high kicks and sequined costumes. As a native New Yorker, it’s also almost synonymous with wintertime in the city, so I know for me, that’s instantly what I picture.
What you might not consider (because quite frankly, I never really considered it) is the army of makeup artists working backstage to create 80 identical faces, or the precise beauty routines that happen before every single show. And trust, pulling off a perfectly synchronized kick line and a perfectly blended contour is no small feat.
Well, that entire experience is about to get a major spotlight. Sephora announced it’s becoming the first-ever Official Beauty Retailer of the Radio City Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular. This partnership kicks off during the Rockettes’ 100th anniversary year, right before the 2025 Christmas Spectacular opens on November 6.
“We are excited to welcome Sephora as the first official beauty retailer of the Radio City Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular,” said Jessica Tuttle, Executive Vice President, Productions at MSG Entertainment, the parent company of the Rockettes. “This powerful partnership celebrates the athleticism and glamour of these incredible women, and we look forward to highlighting their beauty and strength through unique and compelling social content as we close out the Rockettes’ centennial year.”
For a dance company that’s been around since 1925, adding an official beauty partner is actually a pretty big deal. The Rockettes started as the “Missouri Rockets” in St. Louis before becoming the longest-running precision dance company in America. Through all those decades, the makeup and beauty work has been handled internally, making this Sephora partnership genuinely historic.
“This partnership marks an exciting chapter in our ongoing commitment to the intersection of performance and beauty and a celebration of our shared values,” said Jessica Stacey, SVP External Communications, Experiential and Marketing Partnerships at Sephora.
“With a social-first approach, we’re spotlighting the beauty that takes place both on and off the stage: the traditions, talent, inherent nostalgia, and sense of belonging that make the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular so iconic.”
The collaboration has several moving parts. Sephora is planning a social content series that will show off the Rockettes’ most famous beauty looks and take people behind the scenes to see what a typical day looks like for these dancers. Each Rockette is also getting her own custom-branded makeup trunk filled with Sephora products, specifically chosen to support the backstage routines that these women have perfected over the years. Plus, Sephora will host a meet-and-greet with some of the dancers at a New York City store location.
When you consider how both brands operate, this is a match made in partnership heaven. The Rockettes are all about looking identical on stage (you probably never noticed, but they all have the same height requirements, same makeup, same everything to get those precise moves). But beneath that uniformity is a story of discipline and individuality, and that’s the part Sephora is tapping into.
