From their debut in 1925 to the 1980s, the Radio City Rockettes had never had an African American dancer.

Then, in 1987, after some pressure from the NAACP, 19-year-old Jennifer Jones unknowingly integrated the precision dance troupe, becoming the first Black Rockette.

"I’m watching the 11 p.m. news, she mentions Radio City just hired their first Black dancer. And I said, 'I wonder who that is?'" Jones recalls.

Jones still didn't know she'd been chosen until the next day.

The Newark-born, Randolph-raised dancer always had dreams of being on stage from the days she crossed the Hudson into New York City to catch Broadway shows or take a dance class, but never thought she’d be a first.

"In 1925, Black performers were not allowed to dance on the same stage as white performers. That’s just the way it was in the 1920s, but as we moved through history, in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, you would think that a Black woman would have danced on the line by then," Jones said.

The Super Bowl 22 halftime show was Jones’ first gig with the Rockettes, and it marked the kickoff to a 15-year tenure with the dance troupe. But that time and being a first came with its challenges.

"There were people in the organization who weren’t ready for a Black woman to come on to the line, and some ladies," Jones said.

And all that is documented in her book "Becoming Spectacular."

Her days of high kicks might be behind her, but telling her story and inspiring young people is her path forward.

Jones wrote a children’s book called “On the Line." She’s also a stage 3 colorectal cancer survivor and advocate.

And she's a doll - consumers can buy a Dancing Jenn Doll in a Rockette costume.

"I feel so blessed that I was able to open the door for Black women to call themselves Radio City Music Hall Rockettes to shatter that glass ceiling," Jones said.