Radio City Rockettes Join `A Country Christmas' With a 2001 Edition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Business Wire, March 30, 2001

Business/Entertainment Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2001

America's No. 1 Show Comes to Nashville

Direct from New York's Radio City Music Hall

The eye-high kicks of the internationally acclaimed Radio City Rockettes will be part of the Opryland Hotel's celebration of "A Country Christmas" in 2001 and 2002.

Fifty-two presentations of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular are scheduled in the 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House from Nov. 22-Dec. 30, 2001. Tickets for evening and matinee performances go on sale May 1.

"When the Opryland Hotel created `A Country Christmas' in 1984, Nashville had no winter tourism to speak of. As the winter travel season continues to develop, we constantly seek ways to make it bigger and better...and it doesn't get much grander than the Rockettes and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular," said Dave Jones, president of the Opryland Hospitality Group.

This is a banner year for the world's most famous precision dance troupe because it is marking its 75th year in the entertainment industry. The Christmas Spectacular that the Rockettes will perform in Nashville debuted in 1933 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, one year after that famous venue opened its doors.

The legendary "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," choreographed by the Rockettes' founder, Russell Markert, premiered that year, as did the remarkable "Living Nativity." Both numbers still are favorite scenes in the show.

The production originally was a holiday "gift" to movie audiences. Its current 90-minute format was begun in 1979 and met with immediate acclaim. According to Amusement Business, it is now America's #1 show based on both ticket sales and attendance. Its popularity led to presentations of the show around the world. In 2000, more than 2.1 million people saw The Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York as well as cities stretching from Chicago to Mexico City.

"The Rockettes are icons of American entertainment, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a tremendous, family-oriented event. We are very proud--and very excited--to present the Rockettes to Nashvillians and to bring even more visitors to our city," Jones said.

In addition to the Rockettes, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular features dazzling lighting, elaborate costuming and scenery, and a cast and crew of almost 100 (including Santa Claus). Much-anticipated traditional scenes such as "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" are seamlessly blended with contemporary numbers, including "Christmas in New York."

The Rockettes first kicked to life in 1925 as the "Missouri Rockets" and made their show business debut in St. Louis. They helped open the Radio City Music Hall on Dec. 27, 1932, sharing the stage with 17 diverse acts that included the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham.

Founder Russell Markert's concept of the dance line was to achieve absolute precision. The audience sees the Rockettes performing intricate routines, but they always move as one dancer. Since 1932, more than 3,000 women have danced as Rockettes. Each has been proficient in tap, jazz, ballet and modern dance, and all have been between 5' 5 1/2" and 5' 10 1/2" tall.

"A Country Christmas" began as a two-week event, and it has grown to cover the entire Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Its components include outdoor decorative displays featuring two million lights, extensive decor throughout the hotel's almost nine acres of indoor gardens, musical presentations and an art, antique and craft fair. "A Country Christmas" attracts approximately a million visitors to the Opryland Hotel each year.

The Opryland Hotel is part of Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE:GET), a diversified entertainment company whose businesses operate in two groups: Hospitality & Attractions, and Music, Media and Entertainment. It is headquartered in Nashville, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.