When you see the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes on your TV screens kicking their way through the holiday season, spare a thought for Jennifer Jones—the first African American Rockette, who broke the color barrier back in 1987.

For decades, the Rockettes were known for their uniformity, not their diversity. Jones didn’t initially set out to change that, but she did. Now she’s written a book, Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette, that tells her story. She’ll talk about it, and her career, in an event in the Sarasota Art Museum’s Quotable Series, at 1 p.m. Dec. 6. We asked Jones a few questions in advance. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you want to become a Rockette? Was it just an early love of dance?

"I did not know who the Rockettes were when I auditioned for them. I just had a love of dance since I was a little girl. My parents were big Broadway goers; when The Wiz came to Broadway, they took my sister and me to see it five times. That’s when I got to see that someone who looked like me could do that.

"But at a young age, you don’t know the ins and outs of the business. When I went to the Rockettes audition, I was trying to get the nerves out of my system. I did not know their history; I was just going to show my skills in tap, ballet and jazz. I had never been inside of Radio City Music Hall, so that was a whole other aspect to it. I was completely unprepared."

So how did that audition go?

"At the end, the stage manager tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘We will give you a callback.’ When I went to the callback, I was prepared. I learned that you just do your best, then let it go.

"A few months went by, and then I got a call from Violet Holmes [a dancer-choreographer who led the Rockettes], offering me the Super Bowl halftime show. I was so nervous I asked if I could call her back! And half an hour later, I accepted the job.

"When I was accepted, I wasn’t told I was the first Black woman [to join]. I learned that on the 11 o’clock news."

Was there resistance to you, from the organization or the other dancers? How about audiences?

"I did feel pushback from people. There was a lot to deal with. Some people were resistant to having me on the line, plus I was working with precision choreography, which I had never done before. What I leaned into was the ladies who did want me on the line, and who did want me to be the most perfect Rockette possible. I ended up being a Rockette for 15 years.

"I was alone [as a Black Rockette] for four or five years; then they hired one or two. They did a big hiring in the mid-2000s. Now, I think there are maybe 100 of us alumni of color we have been able to count.

"As far as audiences, Radio City Music Hall is so big, you can’t really see much beyond the first rows. I did receive mail, some saying that I was ruining their family traditions and they would never come see the Christmas show again. But I also received mail from Black people saying they were coming to see it for the first time."

What are some highlights of your career?

"Performing with Comic Relief in 1990 with Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. That was surreal now that I look back on it. Also, working with Maurice Hines and [Broadway director-choreographer] Joe Layton. And I got to tour with the Rockettes and see the country, and I got paid for it. I feel I opened the door for so many Black women to call themselves Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. The positivity, and my love for dance, outweighed the negativity. Life comes with challenges. You have to get out of your comfort zone."

For tickets to hear Jones at SAM ($35 for members, $40 for nonmembers), visit sarasotaartmuseum.org/quotable-talks/