Christmas comes early with dancing show on the Sphere

Christmas has come early to the Sphere in Las Vegas, with a dancing show that will run throughout the holiday season on its programmable LED exterior known as the Exosphere.

The exterior screen will show the Radio City Rockettes, who star in a Christmas show that runs annually at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The show is a collaboration between sister companies Sphere Entertainment and MSG Entertainment, which is responsible for the Rockettes.

The show begins with the first Christmas ornament to be displayed on the Exosphere. The top of the vibrant red and gold ornament begins to spin off, revealing the Rockettes’ legs, in a nod to the “12 Days of Christmas” number in their Christmas Spectacular. As the top of the ornament continues to rise, the Rockettes are revealed, at 38 metres tall performing precision choreography that concludes with their beloved kickline, while rotating around the Exosphere.

The creative is meant to be transparent, so the Rockettes backs are visible through Sphere, marking the first time the technique has been utilised on the immersive digital canvas. The ornament then closes, and the Radio City Music Hall marquee appears in vibrant neon, replicating the landmark venue in New York City.

In order to achieve the continuous dancing, 15 Rockettes were captured performing in groups of five, giving the Sphere Studios team three clips that were composited together. Those composite clips were then multiplied and stitched together to stretch all the way around the Exosphere. Animated elements, including the ornament and the Radio City Music Hall marquee were added, before a final touch of sparkle behind the dancers.

“There is a magic here that we’ve created with Sphere, and there is a magic that is created by the Rockettes every year in the Christmas Spectacular,” said Guy Barnett, senior vice president of brand strategy and creative development at Sphere Entertainment. “There is nothing more artful than the Rockettes or more scientific than Sphere, so bringing these two together on the Exosphere in such a unique way is the essence of what we do here at Sphere – uniting art and science to bring wonder to the world. This is particularly exciting because it is the most complex combination of real-life footage and animated content we’ve created for the Exosphere to date.”

“Showcasing the Rockettes precision choreography in such a big way on Sphere is a new first for the iconic dance company,” said Jessica Tuttle, senior vice president of productions at MSG Entertainment. “This unique activation brings together two brands in the MSG family of companies – one that has been bringing joy to a million fans in New York City annually for 90 years, and one that began enchanting audiences worldwide earlier this year. Having the Rockettes appear as the first live performers to be dancing on the Exosphere is another example of how the Christmas Spectacular continues to push the boundaries of entertainment.”