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Having taken ballet, tap and jazz dance classes since age three, Seattle native Amber Cameron assumed she would have to put dance aside to focus on a career when she began attending the University of Washington in the late 90s. It only took her a year to realize that there was nothing else she wanted to do other than dance. After graduating in 2001, Cameron moved New York City and soon landed roles in productions including touring versions of Cats and Crazy for You. By 2002, she had become a member of the Radio City Rockettes. The company’s performance schedule allows Cameron, 31, to enjoy a special homecoming this holiday season when she and her cast-mates bring the Radio City Christmas Spectacular to The Paramount Theatre, Dec. 12–Jan. 3. We caught up with Cameron earlier this fall to find out what’s it like to be in one of the most famous dance troupes on the planet.

How does it feel to be coming home to perform in Seattle?

I feel that words can’t even describe it. Just to come back home and actually be performing and getting to spend Christmas with my entire family and all my friends is a huge honor, especially since we’re performing at The Paramount Theatre. I grew up at that theater seeing a lot of productions, and it’s such a beautiful, historic place.

What’s it like to be a Rockette?

It is so many things. We have such a great history (the Rockettes were founded in 1925), so we have so many women who have done the show. We like to say, “Once a Rockette, always a Rockette.”
It is very strenuous. We do four, five, sometimes up to six shows a day, and we’ll rehearse six days a week once we start getting ready for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. We’ll rehearse for six or seven hours a day. It can be exhausting, but it all pays off, because you are a part of this historical group of women, and, I think, an icon in America.

How do you stay in shape to do all of this?

A lot of us do yoga. We take dance classes, we run and we exercise. But really, once you start the rehearsal process, it gets you whipped into shape pretty quickly. A lot of people don’t know this, but we consider ourselves athletes, and a lot of us take ice baths at the end of pretty much every day.

What are the secrets to those high kicks?

We are famous for the eye-high kicks, but we also do strut kicks and flick kicks. We do about 300 kicks per show, but I think the secrets have to do with keeping your body straight and tall. We try to make it look easy, but really, it’s tough to be so centered. You’re holding every muscle, because you are holding onto the girls next to you, and you can’t push the girls. We like to say, “Feel the fabric [of each other’s costumes],” because, even though we are hooked up, you have to hold your own body weight and be kicking all on your own as if those other girls weren’t there.

When you come back to Seattle, what are some of the places you like to visit?

We’ve been walking down to Pike Place Market and picking up fresh fruit. It’s sooo good. One of my girlfriends’ husbands was just amazed when he was here last summer and tried the nectarines. He’s trying to get me to bring back some of those nectarines, because they were so good. I want to spend time with friends and family. I have nieces and nephews that I can actually spend Christmas with. Usually, I only see them once or twice a year, so that’s what I’m excited about this year.

Contact STG Presents for tickets, showtimes and other information about the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.