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Those girls -- all 300 of them -- didn't know what they were signing up for, and neither did Wisconsin native Melissa Hillmer.

Sure, the line wrapped around the Radio City Music Hall building, and none were under the delusion that they were all going to be selected. But they dared themselves to dream anyway.

Hillmer was one of the fortunate ones -- her dream was fulfilled, and from that first audition, she's become part of the legend and lore of the world-famous Rockettes, the dance team known for it's distinct choreography, razor-fine synchronization and ... well, legs.

But keeping those legs in such fabulous shape -- that's the part she didn't realize would take so much work and dedication, Hillmer told The Daily Times during a recent phone interview.

"Obviously, you have to be in good condition to do over 300 kicks a day, and the Rockettes symbolize strength and an athletic lifestyle," she said. "There were some days, obviously in my first day, where it did feel like my legs were going to fall off. We all train in tap, dance and ballet, but there's no training that can prepare you for the style and precision of Rockettes dancing.

"It never gets easy. Your stamina gets better, and like any other team, we have an off-season as well. And if you're going to make it through six days a week, six hours a day of dancing when the season starts again, you have to keep up your strength and conditioning with dance classes, yoga and exercise."

Come the holiday season, however, all of that hard work pays off -- because once the tree is erected in Rockefeller Center and Santa sets up shop at Macy's and the cab drivers add a little holiday rhythm to their incessant honking, it's time for the Rockettes to shine. Not that they take the rest of the year off, but the annual "Radio City Christmas Spectacular," the touring version of which stops by Thompson-Boling Arena in downtown Knoxville on Monday, is a show like no other.

The "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" premiered in 1933 as a blend of lavish holiday production and the latest Hollywood films. These days, the only film shown is the introduction, which features Santa circling some of the Big Apple's most famous landmarks before touching down outside Radio City Music Hall, where he serves as the show's host.

The live-action portion of the program is a dazzling array of lights, music, special effects, holiday cheer -- and, of course, dancing. The Rockettes are the stars of the show, as well they should be; after all, the team's traditions date back to 1925, when it was first formed as the Missouri Rockets in the Midwestern city of St. Louis.

The group's founder was convinced a troupe of taller girls with long legs who could dance and perform eye-high kicks would be a certain crowd-pleaser, and he was correct. The troupe soon relocated to New York, moving from the Roxy Theatre to Radio City Music Hall, where they performed at the theater's opening night in 1932 and have been there ever since.

"I remember growing up, and on Thanksgiving my mom would always yell for me -- 'Melissa! The Rockettes are in the Macy's Parade!'" Hillmer said. "I daydreamed, like any other girl does, but I didn't think it was possible -- they were in New York, and I was in Wisconsin."

Her dance career soon took her from the Milwaukee Ballet to New York, however. Her mother accompanied her to her two-day Rockettes audition, and after being cast, Hillmer was put to work. She's danced in the troupe's "Christmas Across America" shows and has been a part of the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" for four years now.

And yes -- she meets the height requirement.

"You definitely have to be between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10-and-a-half, and they actually measure you with a metal ruler built into the door at Radio City," she said. "But it's a rumor that they measure your leg length. That is not true."

Although performing on stage at Radio City is rewarding, taking the show on the road, Hillmer said, may be even more so, at least for her. After all, for the million visitors who make the trip to see it every year in Manhattan, there are countless others who never have the opportunity. Taking it to them, she added, is gratifying.

"To be able to bring dreams and a great family tradition show to cities across America is just wonderful," she said. "And I've gotten to meet a lot of the older generation -- women who were Rockettes in the 1940s and so on. A lot of women have come through and danced on that stage, and it is like a sorority -- once a Rockette, always a Rockette."

And even though the show doesn't leave Hillmer and her fellow dancers much free time for their own personal holiday enjoyment, partaking in the delight of crowds who come to the show, she said, is almost as inspiring.

"Our work is our enjoyment as well," she said. "Everyone loves it -- even the guys. I think the gentlemen are quite surprised, even if they're dragged along to see it. They thoroughly enjoy the show just as much as the women, even if they gave up football to come.

"They expect us to parade around in pretty costumes, but it's so much more, especially with all of the technology and special effects -- we have one of largest LED walls in the U.S. right now. There's just something for everybody.

"And, of course, the legs don't hurt," she added with a laugh. "If that's what the gentlemen like, then we're famous for that as well."