在线英语听力室_免费在线英语听力学习网站

纽约“火箭女郎”开启圣诞季

When the holiday season arrives in the United States, the most synchronized¹ high-kick dancers in New York take the stage at Radio City Music Hall.

每当圣诞季来临时，舞蹈演员们便登上纽约无线电城音乐厅的舞台。这支名为“火箭女郎”的舞蹈团全部由女性成员组成。这些舞蹈演员向VOA记者展示了成为纽约最著名舞蹈团的成员需要具备什么条件。

“The Rockettes” — an all-ladies troupe² — have been entertaining New Yorkers and tourists from around the world since they were founded in 1925. All the dancers have backgrounds in ballet, jazz and tap. And they’re required to be tall, between 168 and 179 centimeters (5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 10.5 inches).

自1925年，“火箭女郎”舞蹈团就一直在为“纽约客”和来自世界各地的游客献上演出。这些舞蹈演员有跳芭蕾舞、爵士舞和踢踏舞的经历，她们必须身材高挑，身高在168厘米到179厘米之间。

One Rockette, Jackie Aitken, has been dancing she was 4 years old. She remembers coming to New York as a teenager for the “Rockettes Experience” — a day that included a backstage tour and mini-class with one of the Rockettes.

 “火箭女郎”杰基?艾特肯说： “从四岁起我就一直在跳舞。在青少年时，我和我的舞蹈团一起来到了纽约，花了一天时间体验‘火箭女郎’的生活，那天我到后台，与‘无线电城火箭女郎’的一位成员一起上了堂迷你课程。

“I remember thinking, 'Wow!' – looking up to these girls, just thinking how amazing they are,” Aitken said.

我还记得当时我在想：‘喔，看这些大姐姐们，看她们多么迷人’。

Holiday staple³

The Rockettes’ performance is a holiday staple in New York City.

“火箭女郎”的表演是纽约节日的重头戏。

Every winter, American families take their children to the city to see the group perform. Many of the adults remember the experience as children themselves. But even before the first performance of the season, the group must endure six weeks of grueling rehearsals⁴.

美国民众携家带口来到纽约就为了看她们的表演。很多成年人还记得他们童年时看“火箭女郎”表演的经历。“火箭女郎”为了演出必须要经历六周的艰苦排练。

“It's a lot of work for the Rockettes,” said Julie Branam, choreographer⁵ of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. “There are eight production numbers. We have a lot to do, and we have two casts working at the same time. So we have 80 Rockettes in the room that are all learning the choreography.”

“圣诞奇观”舞蹈指导茱莉?伯拉纳姆说：“有8个特别节目要排练。我们可有的忙了，我们有两套人马同时练习。所以现在有80名‘火箭女郎’在这个房间里学习舞蹈和走位，我们正在争取把每个环节都做到尽善尽美。”

1,500 high-leg kicks

The Rockettes rehearse six hours per day, six days a week. After that, for two weeks, they prepare onstage in costume and with the orchestra. During the holiday season, from November through the beginning of January, the group performs up to six shows per day.

 “火箭女郎”每天排练六小时，一周六天。之后两周，她们会进入彩排阶段，到时她们会穿上演出服、在管弦乐团的伴奏声中翩翩起舞。在从11月到1月初的圣诞季期间，舞团每天将奉献6场演出，

That's 1,500 high-leg kicks per person, per day.

也就是每名演员每天要做1500次高踢腿动作。

“When I auditioned⁶ for the Rockettes, it became clear right away that this was going to be a very challenging job,” said Kristin Jantzie, a veteran Rockette of 10 years. “It looks very easy on stage, but there is so much practice and precision that goes into the job.”

 “火箭女郎”克里斯汀?扬齐说：“当我参加‘火箭女郎’面试的时候，我很快就清楚这将是份非常有挑战性的工作。这份工作要求‘台上一分钟，台下十年功’，还力求精准。”

Courtney Rottenberger, a fellow performer, has been a Rockette for four years.

扬齐成为“火箭女郎”已经十年了，库特尼?罗滕博格加入这个舞团也已经四年了。她想尽可能长时间地留在舞台上。

“I'd love to be a Rockette for as many years as I can be,” Rottenberger said. “And after my Rockette career is over, I’d love to be a mother. I have a degree in psychology⁷, so I'd like to revisit that.”

罗滕博格说：“我想一直做‘火箭女郎’，做到我跳不动了为止。之后我想成为一个母亲，而且我还有个心理学的学位，以后可能会从事那方面的工作。”

Rottenberger’s parents brought her to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes when she was 3 years old. If she has a daughter of her own, she might want to do the same for her, just in case she wants to become a Rockette, too.

当库特尼三岁的时候，她的父母带她到无线电城音乐厅看“火箭女郎”的演出。库特尼表示如果她也有了女儿，也会带女儿做同样的事情，说不定她也想成为一名“火箭女郎”呢。