Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet

The surfeit of “piano ballets” that have appeared since Jerome Robbins’ “Dances at a Gathering” (1969) sought to somehow humanize the classical ballet dancer and his milieu. Piano ballets take the aristocracy out of the ballet dancing by presenting the dancers as affectionately friendly, democratic, just plain folks relating to each other; in much the same way, television talk shows demystified the glamour of Hollywood by featuring noted celebrities discussing their laundry problems. The Trockadero, not unaware of such trends, now tenders its own sensitive relationships.