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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

11/22

2002

72

tli)11

LORI WEISS-
Special to the Jewish News

F

or many of us, lessons in ballet and tap were a part of
growing up.
Whether it was Sylvia Lee or Julie Adler or even the
multi-purpose room at Einstein Elementary in Oak Park,
the little pink tutus and slippers, the rehearsals and recitals allowed
us to live the dreams we played out so many times as we twirled
around in our mother's closets.
And while for most us, ballet turned into ballroom just before bar mitz-
vah season, if you think back, there were always a few girls who seemed
destined to take center stage — girls like Huntington Woods' Erin Bonich.
For Erin, the dream was bigger than a recital at Masonic Temple.
She wanted to become a Radio City Rockette.
"I don't remember a time when Erin didn't want to perform," says
her mother, Sheri Bonich. "She was always the kind of kid that
would say, 'Look at me, look at me now!' She'd do shows for the
neighbors. She'd do flips as my husband and I walked down the
street holding her hand."
After years of training at Julianna's Academy of Dance in Clawson
and competitions around the country, Erin Bonich's dream is about
to come true. This month, the 2001 University of Michigan grad
will join the touring company of the Radio City Christmas
Spectacular, kicking up her heels in Branson, Mo., and Phoenix,. Ariz.
"I had tried out for the Rockettes when I was 17. You had to be
18, but I just had to try anyway," she says.
And, while she was eliminated because of her age, the experience
only strengthened her determination. When she reached her senior
year of college, she was ready to audition all over again.
"It's extremely hard," Bonich recalls. "They have your picture and
resume in front of them. They teach you the combination very quick-
ly and then call peopk-out three at a time to perform. Then you just
have to wait as they call out the next three and the next three.
"They watch not only how you dance, but how you walk off, your
facial expression. It's even ,more mentally challenging than the dance."
It's a stressful experience — not only for the dancers, but also for
the mothers backstage.
"You watch them make cuts and you wait to see if your kid made
it," Sheri Bonich says. "It was too much of a strain on me!"
"My mom couldn't take the pressure again," says her daughter, "so
after New York and Chicago, my boyfriend went with me."
While _they say the - third time is the charm, it took four tries before
Erin Bonich got a place in the fabled chorus line.
"She got the call and we all lost it. We were jumping up and
down," Sheri Bonich remembers. "Erin kept trying to quiet us down
so she could hear what they were saying."

.

,

December Dilemma

So what does a nice Jewish girl think about dancing around in a red
and white Christmas costume?
For Erin Bonich, and for many Jewish girls before her, it's all about
their craft and being part of a tradition that dates back 75 years.
Los Angeles native Rhonda Kaufman is in her second season with
the show. After performing in Atlanta and Cleveland last year, she
faced that question time and time again.

Top to bottom:

Erin Bonich of
Huntington Woods:
"I had tried out for the
Rockettes when I was
17. You had to be 18,
but I just had to try
anyway"

Rhonda Kaufman:
"I separate out the
religious aspects of the
show and just focus on
my dancing because
that's what I love to do."