This week, Lara and Catherine had the opportunity to see the incredible Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the historic Garde Theatre in downtown New London, Connecticut. Known for their comedic parodies of classic ballet and modern pieces, the company’s all-male cast exceeded our already high expectations and delighted us with three acts of witty humor interlaced within a spectacular dance performance.
Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, this New York City-based company was founded following the Stonewall Uprising with the intention of presenting a “playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and with men performing all of the roles – and in the case of of roles usually danced by women: en travesti and en pointe.” Since starting performances in a world where drag was not accepted by mainstream audiences, the ‘Trocks’ have traveled internationally, appearing in 43 countries and over 660 cities as society, the company acknowledges, catches up with their “once highly-subversive viewpoint.” And, to our surprise, the Executive Director of the Garde Arts Center informed the audience that the ‘Trocks’ hadn’t performed at the Garde since before either of us were born.
The pre-show announcement, projected over the theater’s loudspeaker, had us laughing out loud before the dancers had even exited the wings. As with every live performance, the speaker said, there were some cast substitutions that must be noted. This was followed by an elaborate story (that we didn’t entirely comprehend), in which the stage names of some of the performers were rapidly fired at us, including Olga Supphozova, Blagovesta Zlotmachinskaya, and Boris Dumbkopf.
To our delight, and bewilderment, each of these dancers were granted a short bio in the show’s playbill, with wild stories about their performing experiences. For example, Olga Supphozova’s bio reads: “Olga Supphozova made her first public appearance in a police line-up under dubious circumstances. After a seven-year-to-life hiatus, she now returns to her adoring fans. When questioned about her forced sabbatical, Olga’s only comment was ‘I did it for Art’s sake.’ Art, however, said nothing.”
The first piece performed by the ‘Trocks’ was Le Lac des Cygnes, or Swan Lake Act II. Catherine recently saw the ballet performed in its original form, and was very excited to be able to witness it in a comedic form. The dancers were so amazing, providing a playful spin on the classics. They often used visual queues to poke fun at parts of the original ballet: the swans are likened to a cliquey or sassy group of women, the male characters have trouble lifting the lead swan, and the storytelling aspect is riddled with over-the-top acting and miscommunications. While the humor was a central part of this act, it was very clear just how powerful and talented the dancers were. It was hard to choose which dancer to watch at some points, as they all put their unique spins on the classic movements.
After a brief intermission, a few of the ‘Trocks’ performed a quite interesting modern piece titled “Patterns in Space.” Now, the two of us aren’t known to be huge fans of the modern dance genre, but we appreciated the comedic twist added to the classic style. While three dancers in brightly colored leotards performed movement within the traditional modern repertoire (of course, with a couple of spoof moves and poses thrown in), two company members sat in chairs and accompanied the dancers with sounds from various ‘instruments’—objects ranging from a jump rope slapped repeatedly on the floor to paper bags blown up with air. As huge satire girlies, we really appreciated the silliness that played into the performance of this piece, which served as a great source of contrast with the other, more balletic pieces.
Next, the ‘Trocks’ performed their piece “Go for Barocco”—a parody of famous choreographer George Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco,” set to the music of Bach. In the words of the company, “this ballet has become a primer in identifying stark coolness and choreosymphonic delineation in the new (neo) neo-new classic dance.” In our words… it was absolutely incredible. Yes, it was funny, with entertaining games and “fails” that had us in tears, but ultimately, we were stunned by the athleticism and beauty of the dancers. This was definitely our favorite of the night.
To finish the second act, one of the dancers performed the “Dying Swan” solo, reminiscent of the Swan Lake adaptation we had seen earlier. Dressed in an elegant, white costume, the dancer captivated our attention with graceful extensions and turns… while simultaneously attempting to pick up the bucket-loads of feathers that seemed to endlessly fall out of the tutu. It was fantastic.
Once we had settled back into our seats with a ridiculously overpriced bag of popcorn, we eagerly awaited the start of Act III. For the final portion of the performance, the company performed an adaptation of the ballet Paquita, and, once again, we were more stunned by the talent of the dancers than the humorous elements. We were still talking about the two lead dancers, even after we had left the theater, who impressed us with long sequences of turns, jumps, and lifts. Within the piece, five dancers performed solo variations from various ballets. Although we weren’t familiar with all of them, Lara instantly recognized the “Cupid Variation” from Don Quixote, which she must report is extremely difficult to dance.
We were absolutely blown away by this performance and recommend that all of our readers find an opportunity to see the ‘Trocks’ on tour. With spectacular dancing seamlessly blended with humor that had us laughing for hours, it is a show you don’t want to miss.
For more information visit the Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo website at trockadero.org.