Viral Dance Audition Video Sparks Discussion
The internet was taken aback recently when former Rockette Alina Silver shared a throwback video of her audition for a prestigious dance company while seven and a half months pregnant. This clip quickly gained traction, amassing 11.7 million views across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Viewers were in awe, referring to her as “superhuman,” “the worst,” and “an example of female excellence.” One commenter expressed disbelief, recalling their own difficulties by saying, “I’m 0 weeks pregnant and I’m tripping at 2 feet when I’m walking. Being able to do that in heels while pregnant is a major legend.”
Silver, who danced with the Rockettes for 12 years, shared that the overwhelming support has really surprised her.
“I really didn’t expect this to take off,” the 43-year-old reflected, noting the kind comments from women who said, “Wow, you’re going girl!” She admitted it was nice to see such encouragement, adding that dancers tend to be very determined, and looking back, she sees her effort in a new light.
Now living on New York’s Upper West Side, Silver had released this video from almost a decade earlier after attending a concert. She mentioned the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Rockettes, with over 500 past and present members gathering at Radio City Music Hall for a special event.
“I just felt an extra sense of nostalgia, just the feeling of seeing women I grew up with,” she said.
The now-iconic video was a gift from the show’s director back in 2016, when Silver made the daring choice to audition just a month and a half before her first child’s due date.
“She told me, ‘I want you to show this to your daughter someday,’” Silver recalled fondly.
Having started dancing at the age of three, Silver joined the Rockettes in 2005 and became pregnant during the production of “The Christmas Spectacular” in 2015. She had hoped that delivering in August or July would allow her to return for the next season.
Because the Rockettes require annual auditions, she found herself auditioning again while heavily pregnant.
“It was literally a game-day decision, but I knew I had to show up if I wanted a contract,” she explained. Encouraged by her husband, she made the trek to Radio City for the audition in May and continued to pursue the opportunity.
Ironically, she felt quite calm during the audition, attributing that sense of peace to her motivation to do it for her baby. “What was so great about that audition, as you can see in the video, was that the Rockets were rooting for me,” she added.
Silver gave birth to her daughter Amanda, now nine and dancing at the Manhattan Youth Ballet, on August 1, 2016. Remarkably, she was back to rehearsing for her Christmas show just nine weeks later.
“That first day, I thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect this to be this hard.’ I was pumping every break,” she chuckled.
That season ended up being her last with the Rockettes as she chose to focus on expanding her family. She now has three children, including Molly, 7, and Bing, 4.
Additionally, Silver’s viral moment has caught the eye of Jason Kelce’s wife, Kylie, who spoke about it on her podcast. Kelce admired the height of Silver’s kicks and pointed out the bravery of wearing gray pants during such a demanding role. “Honestly, I think those gray leggings probably became more popular than I did,” Silver joked.
