PORTLAND, Ore. — The Radio City Rockettes in New York City are a holiday tradition going back nearly 100 years. One of the new dancers hails from Portland
Sydney Mesher started training as a dancer at a young age.
“I just fell in love with it. It was something that was just natural to me. The joke is my parents said that I sort of danced before I could walk,” she recalled.
She studied dance in New York. As soon as Mesher graduated, the Rockettes signed her up. Now, she is a part of the team, kicking up her heels in perfect precision.
The schedule is grueling: six days a week with two to four 90-minute shows a day. For Mesher, that hard work is all worth it. This is a dream come true.
“It can be hard but what gets us through is each other. The women that I’m surrounded with in my dressing room and onstage. We have so much fun together and I look forward to being at work,” she said.
Mesher bring something new to the stage. She’s the first Rockette with a visible disability. Mesher was born without a left hand. It’s all she has ever known, and she’s not bothered by it.
As a Rockette, she needs little in the way of accommodation for her missing hand. But whatever she needs, she says the company’s been helpful.
“For instance, with the costume changes I have a dresser who helps me zip my dress where some girls do it themselves. Or my is costume is a little bit shorter on my left arm, so it doesn’t dangle,” Mesher explained.
But mostly, the show just goes on. In the Santa Claus routine, Mesher rings just one bell instead of two. As for being the first with a visible disability to be a Rockette, she’s happy to blaze the trail by just being herself.
“I’ve worked really hard to be here. I feel validated in being here and I would just like to be the new normal. But for it to be the new normal, I recognize that it needs to be acknowledged,” Mesher said.