FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, file photo, the Rockettes perform before the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York. The Radio City Rockettes have been assigned to dance... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — The Radio City Rockettes will be dancing at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next month, but not everyone is kicking up their heels at the booking. 
 
 One of the famed dancers took to Instagram to say she was "embarrassed and disappointed" by the gig, triggering calls for a boycott by some on social media. Critics have posted the phone numbers of the dancers' union and the Rockettes' employer to urge complaints. 
 
 But Madison Square Garden Co., which employs the dancers, said Friday no dancers are being compelled to attend the event. 
 
 "For a Rockette to be considered for an event, they must voluntarily sign up and are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural," the company said in a statement. "It is always their choice. In fact, for the coming inauguration, we had more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available." 
 
 Many on social media believed attendance was mandatory, including Julissa Sabino, a performer who is part of the union, who tweeted that the issue "breaks my heart" and urged supporters to "help these ladies." Autumn Withers, a former Rockette, supported a boycott, saying "take a knee, ladies!" 
 
 The American Guild of Variety Artists, which represents the Rockettes, has not publicly responded. Many Rockettes — there are 80 women employed for the Christmas show, split into two casts — are employed year-round and also appear in a summer show that debuted this year. 
 
 The Rockettes, who have performed at Radio City Music Hall since the 1930s, have previously appeared in Super Bowl halftime shows, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parades and George W. Bush's inaugurations in 2001 and 2005. 
 
 The dancers who choose to attend will join The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20. Earlier this month, Trump's inaugural committee announced that "America's Got Talent" star Jackie Evancho will be singing the national anthem at the ceremony. 
 
 The presence of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which has performed at several past inaugurations, hasn't been met with universal applause. 
 
 Former choir member John Bonner, for one, said he was shocked and upset when he heard the news. 
 
 "I expect the church to stand on their moral high ground," Bonner told KUTV in Salt Lake City. An online petition calls on the group to re-consider. 
 
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledged that the response to the announcement has been mixed, though church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement that the appearance is a demonstration of support for the office rather than party affiliations or politics. 
 
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 Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits ||||| UPDATED at 9:50 a.m. PT: The Madison Square Garden Company issued a statement on Friday saying that the Rockettes “are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural. It is always their choice.” 
 
 PREVIOUSLY: The Radio City Rockettes dancers are pushing back after being told they must perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration, TheWrap has learned. 
 
 The announcement by parent company Madison Square Garden Company boss James Dolan on Thursday quickly spread through social media and sparked outrage among some Rockettes and members of the Broadway community. 
 
 Phoebe Pearl, a Rockette, wrote on her private Instagram account: 
 
 “I usually don’t use social media to make a political stand but I feel overwhelmed with emotion. Finding out that it has been decided for us that Rockettes will be performing at the Presidential inauguration makes me feel embarrassed and disappointed. The women I work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we’re against is appalling. I am speaking for just myself but please know that after we found out this news, we have been performing with tears in our eyes and heavy hearts. We will not be forced! #notmypresident” 
 
 Also Read: Celine Dion Says Non! to Performing at Trump Inauguration (Exclusive) 
 
 BroadwayWorld.com also quoted an email sent from the American Guild of Variety Artists to what appears to be Rockettes in its membership saying: 
 
 “We have received an email from a Rockette expressing concern about getting ‘involved in a dangerous political climate’ but I must remind you that you are all employees, and as a company, Mr. Dolan obviously wants the Rockettes to be represented at our country’s Presidential inauguration, as they were in 2001 & 2005. Any talk of boycotting this event is invalid, I’m afraid. “We have been made aware of what is going on Facebook and other social media, however, this does not change anything unless Radio City has a change of heart,” the message continued. “The ranting of the public is just that, ranting. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but this does not change your employment status for those who are full time … Everyone is entitled to her own political beliefs, but there is no room for this in the workplace.” 
 
 Also Read: Donald Trump Fires Back at 'So-Called A-List Celebrities' Snubbing the Inauguration 
 
 An individual who worked for the Rockettes told TheWrap: “Forcing dozens of women to go and perform for this man is without a question going to be problematic.” 
 
 The individual said the Rockettes usually have about 36 dancers, with 12 employed full time and the rest freelance. Those employed full-time would presumably be required to perform at any gig booked by the outfit’s management. 
 
 Others said that the Rockettes were being forced to perform and that their union told them that they would lose their jobs if they resisted. 
 
 Duarte, an actress and commentator whose Facebook page identifies her as the creator, producer and host of “Dead Darlings,” wrote on her social media accounts: “Most of the Rockettes do not want to perform at the inauguration. AGVA, their union, has put in writing to the full time Rockettes that they must accept the inauguration gig or they will lose their jobs. It’s perfect, actually. What could be more fitting for this inauguration than forcing a group of women to do something with their bodies against their will?” 
 
 Also Read: Donald Trump's Press Secretary Already Hard at Work Cleaning Up Nuclear 'Arms Race' Mess (Video) 
 
 Most of the Rockettes do not want to perform at the inauguration. AGVA, their union, has put in writing to the… https://t.co/BR04tTAsvA — Amanda Duarte (@duarteamanda) December 23, 2016 
 
 Dolan announced on Thursday: 
 
 “The Radio City Rockettes, an original American brand, have performed at Radio City Music Hall since 1932 and, as treasured American icons, have taken part in some of the nation’s most illustrious events such as Super Bowl halftime shows, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades and presidential inaugurations, including in 2001 and 2005. We are honored that the Rockettes have again been asked to perform in the upcoming inauguration festivities.” 
 
 It was also announced that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would perform at the inauguration. Top entertainers including Elton John, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks and Andrea Bocelli have declined invitations to participate. ||||| The company that manages the Radio City Rockettes and the union that represents the dancers said Friday that any performer could choose to skip President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony, after criticism online. 
 
 The announcement by Madison Square Garden and the American Guild of Variety Artists came after uproar on social media, with one dancer calling the performance "appalling" and claims that the dancers were being coerced into performing at the ceremony or risk being fired. 
 
 "For a Rockette to be considered for an event, they must voluntarily sign up and are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural," the company said in a statement. "It is always their choice. In fact, for the coming inauguration, we had more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available." 
 
 The controversy kicked up after Rockette Pheobe Pearl took to Instagram late Thursday to share her frustration at being informed that she would be performing for the President-elect. 
 
 "The women I work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we're against is appalling," she captioned a private Instagram post, adding the words "Not My President" to a photo of the dance troupe on stage. 
 
 The New York Post shared the Instagram post early Friday morning and it instantly went viral, with fans on social media praising Pearl and calling for a boycott of the ceremony, while others criticized the dancer for politicizing one of America's oldest performing groups. 
 
 Rumors began spreading on social media that the world famous dancers were told they had to perform at the ceremony, or face termination.
– No Rockette will have to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration against her will, the company that manages the dance troupe said Friday after controversy over their scheduled performance erupted. "For a Rockette to be considered for an event, they must voluntarily sign up and are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural," the Madison Square Garden Company said in a statement, per NBC. "It is always their choice. In fact, for the coming inauguration, we had more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available." The dancers' union, the American Guild of Variety Artists, said it had never "demanded" that they play, but merely stated the terms of their contract. Former Rockette Heather Lang, however, tells the New York Times that competition to be in the troupe is so fierce that dancers are likely to feel pressured to perform. "One of the most annoying situations about that job is it’s corporate," she says. "It’s not like a Broadway show where you feel like you have an artistic voice. You're sort of owned by this corporation." Only around a dozen of the 80 Rockettes are full-time employees contractually obligated to appear at events year-round, and the union says participation will be voluntary for them as well. Other artists lined up for Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration include the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The AP reports that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says response to the announcement has been mixed.