While there are many other Christmas events happening in Toronto, The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular provides the kind of family entertainment that is not only free of political correctness, but it truly deserves the 'spectacular' in its title. The routines are a visual delight, and an artistic achievement of considerable height through its truly amazing routines, which also sometimes bring not just smiles to our faces, but offer us a few truly fine belly laughs. The music is the kind we can all identify with at this time of year and help to cheer us through the season.

The Rockettes, 18 in all, settled in Toronto in mid-September. They were joined by about 100 other performers consisting of singers, male and female dancers, Santa and Mrs. Claus, numerous Elves, and children performers taking various parts. It is very obvious that they have been busy practicing their routines to bring perfection to the very first appearance of the Rockettes in Canada. Two Canadian members of the high-kicking precision dancers have been popping up around downtown Toronto in red, fur-trimmed costumes that show off their long, slender legs, to promote the Rockettes presence. They were even part of the decorating of the Holt Renfrew Christmas windows.

The Rockettes have been entertaining people since the chorus line dance group's birth in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925. When Radio City Music Hall opened its doors in New York on December 27, 1932, they were there and New Yorkers embraced the tall dancers with their unique precision routines and never let them return to St. Louis.

A Rockette is no ordinary dancer. She has to be between 5'6" and 5'10" tall, and excel in tap, ballet and modern dance. A Rockette's timing instinct has to be perfect because a routine like The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers is so precise that the whole group has to move as if one. It is one of the great marvels of chorus line dancing that has never been equalled, and is wholly an American B and now B a North American style of dance performance.

The two Canadian Rockettes, both from Ontario, are not new at the game. Krista Saab has been a Rockette for three years since her move to the Big Apple with her husband, a financial analyst. They met while they worked as entertainers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. She graduated from the theatre program at Ryerson and hails from Brampton. Jovelyne Levesque is from Windsor. She joined the Detroit company of the Rockettes two years ago, but was asked to join the Toronto group. Both dancers began their dancing careers at age three, and both know that eventually they will have to give up the strenuous work, which at the moment means they will be performing 84 shows during the seven-week run at the Hummingbird. Levesque is studying accounting at the University of Windsor when not dancing, while Krista works in the promotional field, but also studies French.

The Wooden Soldiers routine is one of the staples of the Christmas Spectacular, no matter where performed. The other is the finale of the 11 scenes in the program, The Living Nativity. It is staged slightly differently each year, but is based on St. Francis of Assisi's original staging of such a scene in 1223 for the people of Greccio, Italy. At the time, the Saint realized that Christmas had lost some of its meaning to the people of his day. It seems this is not a modern phenomenon. So, in 1223 St. Francis came upon the idea of re-enacting the nativity on Christmas Eve. He managed to have real animals in his scene. So, be prepared for a group of real sheep, a donkey and three camels to make their appearance on the Hummingbird stage as well. Such songs as "Silent Night", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "The First Noël", "We Three Kings", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" will give added meaning to the Nativity Scene.

Every musical number in the first 10 scenes is as familiar to us as the Christmas tree and the stocking on the fireplace. It's a delightful, warm-hearted, funny, and colorful experience that will surely bring the glow of Christmas to anyone in attendance. This spectacular show, aimed at the whole family, is on my not-to-be-missed list that I have compiled for my friends and family.

[The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at the Hummingbird Centre,
Toronto, until Dec. 31]