92-Year-Old Woman Joins Rockettes Auditions Decades After Missing Tryout: ‘Dream Come True’

The Rockettes have helped make one woman’s lifelong dream come true!

More than 800 dancers appeared at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last week to audition for The Rockettes. There was also an extra special guest: 92-year-old Mary Silvestri of Connecticut, who finally got her chance to attend.

During her visit to Radio City Music Hall, Silvestri revealed that she tried to audition for the dance company decades prior, but was unable to find a way to N.Y.C.

“I was supposed to be here doing what you’re doing today and I couldn’t make it,” she said, as seen in footage shared by the world-famous dance company on social media.

“I couldn’t get to New York alone and no one could take me,” she explained. “So here I am today, to see you ladies and hope you all make it.”

Rockette Amarisa LeBar tells PEOPLE that Silvestri’s family shared her story with the dance company prior to the audition, adding, “We knew we had to be involved.”

“We always love making someone’s dream come true,” LeBar says.

Silvestri and her family received a warm welcome upon arriving at Radio City Music Hall, LeBar tells PEOPLE.

Later on, LeBar got an opportunity to talk with Silvestri alongside one of her fellow dancers, and the two taught the 92-year-old how to pose for a photograph doing the Rockettes’ “iconic” bevel.

“To see the joy on her face throughout this experience was something that really touched my heart,” LeBar says. “I was so happy to be a part of it.”

Video from last week’s event also shows Silvestri doing some kicks while wearing a bib with the number “813” printed on it.

“We were honored to create this magical moment with her,” LeBar tells PEOPLE.

After the auditions, Mary offered some wise words: “Just keep moving, keep going, and keep going to dancing school,” she said. “Do your routine and enjoy it. You have to enjoy what you’re doing.”

Hearing Silvestri’s story, LeBar says, has reminded her of how “lucky and grateful” she is to be a Rockette.

Seeing Silvestri fulfill her dream, she adds, “is something that meant as much to us as it did to her.”

“I loved making Mary’s dream come true,” LeBar tells PEOPLE. “It’s always an honor to see the impact we have on people all over the world.”