Look, quick. There she is on the platform, waiting for a rush hour Hudson Line train into the city. Did you miss her? Comfortably attired in jeans or sweatpants and tee shirts, Radio City Rockette Lauren Gaul is anonymous to Westchester commuters.

Except for that time someone recognized her after a day on stage “when I ran into Grand Central Station wearing makeup,” she said.

It’s not just any makeup, either. Gaul and her 35 dancing partners wear glam and color to accent the seven or eight costume changes during each show in the renowned Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

A professional dancer/teacher/choreographer for 10 years in New York, Gaul, who lives in Tarrytown, is excited about the iconic show’s 80th season. “I feel blessed to be a Rockette and feel like part of the New York City legacy,” she said.

Back after a hiatus to earn her Master’s degree in dance performance/teaching at Purchase College SUNY, Gaul said, “It felt odd taking the two-year hiatus, and I’m thrilled to be back again.”

Her high energy and stamina are nurtured by self-care during the intense season. And, naturally, performing on stage brings its own adrenaline rush. “The (dance) numbers are exciting, and the audience is a big part of this excitement that keeps us going,” Gaul said.

The Rockettes train year-round in anticipation of the holidays, learning vigorous routines. “It’s about training and discipline,” Gaul said. “We start in September, six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., to perfect the high kicks and routines.”

Every move is planned, every costume synchronized to their routines. “This year there are two new costumes,” she said. One is worn during a scene where the Rockettes tour the city at Christmas, and “the other is a ground-breaking 3D costume that’s my favorite, very impressive,” she said of the live video game adventure scene.

To give the illusion that the dancers are equally tall, Rockettes kick to one height to the line looks uniform. While there’s no weight requirement, the maximum height allowance is 5 feet, 10-1/2 inches; at 5 feet, 6-1/2 inches tall, Gaul made the minimum requirement.

While troupe members are in excellent physical condition, no dancer performs every show every day. “There’s a gold cast and a blue cast that alternates show days. However, sometimes we end up doing five shows a day, sometimes two or three a day,” said Gaul, a blue cast member.

Blue (morning) cast performs the earlier shows all in a row, and on Tuesdays the blue cast does all shows, giving gold cast members a day off. Gold then does the evening shows and all the Thursday shows, giving blue a day off.

During the three years she was a Rockette Swing, Gaul knew the steps and kicks of every scene. “These (swings) are usually senior members who can step in at any moment to replace a Rockette who’s injured or sick,” she said. Preferring not to say understudy, Gaul added, “They must know every one of the 36 parts in the show.”

A year-round employee of Radio City Music Hall, Gaul performed in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Columbus Day Parade, the America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, the Amtrak Whistle Stop Tour, and others. As exciting for the dancers as it is for the audience, once their high-stepping season ends in January, she said, “We are free to do other things.”

This past September, Gaul resumed teaching contemporary jazz at Pace University, specifically in its new degree program --a bachelor of arts in theater arts-- with a specialized track in commercial dance.

Spearheaded by choreographer and dance lecturer Rhonda Miller, the program provides specialized training for dance careers in stage, television, and commercials in range and forms, including include ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop, among others.

“I wanted to have Lauren as an adjunct faculty member alongside me,” said Miller, who hired Gaul in 2007. “She has strong skills and brings a real working environment to the students.”

Gaul’s work as a dancer and choreographer was featured at venues including Broadway Dance Center Performance Outlet, the Bridge for Dance, Jazz Dance World Congress Choreography Event, and most recently at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow inside/out performance space. Additionally she helped choreograph industrials for Lady Footlocker, Sesame Street, Astra-Zeneca, and IZOD Kids, among others.

Which performers does she admire? “That’s a tough question,” she said initially, then a moment later, “Sylvie Guillem,” she said of the French ballet dancer formerly with the Paris Opera Ballet, now a principal guest artist with the Royal Ballet of London, “and (the late actress and dancer) Gwen Verdon.”

And after the curtain closes on her last season with the Rockettes, whenever that time comes, Gaul will continue teaching dance. “We don’t say the word ‘retire,’” she said. “It’s my dream to help one or more of my students grace the pages of Playbill.”

Ergo her advice to young dancers, who, like the young girl growing up in Pennsylvania did, aspire to join the famous Radio City Music Hall troupe: “Work harder than anyone will ever push you in tap, jazz and ballet.”

Maybe one of her young protégés will join the renowned kick line some day.

Factiods

• Two of Gaul’s favorite local eateries are Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown and the Bridge View Tavern in Sleepy Hollow.

• Gaul was a dance teacher and artist in residence at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, where she learned American Sign Language after class.

• She trained with the late jazz dancer Gus Giordano in Chicago and graduated cum laude from Oklahoma City University with a BFA degree in dance performance.

• Gaul trained on scholarship with Gus Giordano in Chicago and studied at OCU under the direction of Jo Rowan.

• Gaul was a faculty member at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and teachers tap and jazz at Belvoir Terrace Performing Arts Camp in Lenox, Massachusetts.

• She was assistant choreographer for the off-Broadway showcase of “Torched”.

• Gaul has also been assisting on Broadway Bares/Equity Fights Aids benefit in New York produced by Jerry Mitchell.