Reviews

Spirits are usually high at the beginning of a long tour. But as the Trocks (Les
Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo) opened their latest visit to the UK — two
months and 12 venues — spirits were off the chart. Perhaps it’s an after-effect of
the pandemic — now everyone just wants to have fun.
Fun was certainly on the agenda at the Peacock, where the enthusiasm of the
audience matched that of the men in the world’s foremost comedy ballet troupe as
they donned tutus, tiaras and toe shoes to deliver their distinctive take on ballet classics.
Channeling the glories and excesses of old Russian ballerinas, the Trocks
are as devoted to the choreography as they are to parodying it en travesti.

In the first of two programmes for London, the Trocks save the best for
last. Valpurgeyeva Noch (Walpurgisnacht), inspired by Leonid Lavrovsky’s 1941
production for the Bolshoi Ballet, harks back to the glory days of Soviet ballet at
its most camp. We are transported to ancient Greek myth to take part in a happy
sexual frolic with everyone, except for a pair of virginal nymphs, intoxicated on
wine and lust.

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Ballet is a grand and glorious thing – and often rather serious. Not so when the ‘Trocks’ are on
stage, the all-male company sassily spoofing classical and modern dance with impeccably
hilarious aplomb, and resplendent with wonderful drag names from Minnie Van Driver to the
Legupski brothers. The fun starts with their full drag bios in the particularly splendid
programme, revealing which dancer defected three times to the US (and was returned) and who
did not have the talent or intelligence to be good at dancing (and so was accepted immediately
into The Trocks), plus the dreaded uninvited guest artiste.

Guffaws rang out constantly during the recent London run at the Peacock Theatre as they slowly
and deliciously roasted Swan Lake throughout Act 1, sensationally led by Varvara Laptopova
(Takaomi Yoshino) reeling off stunning leaps and turns while mugging merrily to the crowd as
the Queen of the Swans.
Throughout, make sure you watch the faces as much as the footwork and fumbles and you’ll be
amply rewarded. A hilarious pas de trois rinses the time-old comedy of a tiny male dancer with
two towering ballerinas and the spoofed classic Dance of the Cygnets is so much fun you ache to
get up there and join in.

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The boys are back in town! Some of the jokes might be old and we might have seen them a dozen times, but their en travesti brand of ballet humour, poking affectionate, gentle fun at traditions and stereotypes, still makes for an amusing, enjoyable evening, here of works loosely linked by a theme of night-time.

I often think it’s way past time The Dying Swan was put out of its misery once and for all. It’s become a pastiche of itself. And then along comes Olga Supphozova (Robert Carter). As he bourrées beautifully, arms fluttering softly, feathers falling from his tutu as his stunning creature hangs on to the last drops of life, it manages to be simultaneously funny and very sad. No mean feat.

Ballet sometimes takes itself a touch too seriously. Puncturing that, pointing out its absurdities and its ridiculous side every now and again is no bad thing. The Trocks do a great job of doing just that while still showing a deep love for the art form, giving everyone a good time along the way.

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Are we having fun yet? To judge from my inbox, half the shows in production are hoping to explore domestic violence, BLM, climate change and the cost of living crisis via the expressive medium of dance. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, who began their two-month UK tour with a two-week residency at the Peacock Theatre on Tuesday, have a far more serious, far more  challenging agenda: pleasure.

Both London programmes are a tried and tested mix of old favourites and novelties crafted with the Trocks’ unique blend of balletomania and belly laughs. The first mixed bill opens with Swan Lake act two led by Takaomi Yoshino in the guise of Varvara Laptopova (“awarded first prize at the Pan-Siberian Festival for artistic misinterpretation”) making her British debut.

Trocks ballerinas have consistently amazed audiences with the strength and quality of their pointework since their first teetering pas de bourrée off-off Broadway in 1974, but in the 35 years I have been watching them I’ve seldom seen an Odette as technically assured as the Vaganova-trained Yoshino: feathery beaten steps, freeze-frame balances and funny.

Robert Carter (aka Olga Supphozova) has been delivering the same jokes for 27 years but I still laugh out loud. His arthritic, applause-hungry Dying Swan was a triumph of physical comedy, his entire body seeming to change size and shape at will.

The Nureyev gala, only a few blocks away in Drury Lane, showcases the many aspects of male classical dancing — flashy, refined, introspective — and the preening powerplay between tights and tutu. The Trocks play exactly the same game — but they play it for laughs.

★★★★☆

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What a wonderful gift the “Trocks” brought to Berkeley this weekend. The company was able to dispel the “pandemic” gloom, brighten our evening, amaze and amuse us with their superb dancing and not-so-subtle satire.

It is not necessary but it adds to one’s amazement if, as a dance audience, you know or have seen the ‘classic’ ballet repertory; “Swan Lake”, “Divertissement“ by Chopin and any or all of the works by George Balanchine. (The Balanchine work is satirized particularly in ”Go for Barocco,” music by J.S.Bach). The “Trocks” know the movements and group patterns (over, under, around and through) and use the repertory of choreographic clichés to execute and satirize such classics.

The dance skill is superb. Satire happens when one can see what’s there … and then what comments on it.

The ultimate “take-off” on ballet is “The Dying Swan”, a solo made famous by the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Here, Olga Supphozova (Robert Carter) performs the drooping creature, feathers falling and feet failing … a complete foolery.
She (he) recovers to take many curtain calls. We all cheer.

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Les Trocks estiveram no Porto. Até domingo sobem ao palco do Teatro Tivoli.

Há cinco anos que Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo não subiam ao palco do Coliseu portuense. A companhia dirigida por Tory Dobrin foi formada em 1974 por um grupo de bailarinos nos resquícios dos tumultos de Stonewall, marco importante para o movimento LGBT nos EUA. Criando uma paródia travesti sobre os clássicos, começaram por ser parte dos renegados da Broadway.

Assim que o apresentador anuncia, em português, as primma ballerinas da noite e substituições como “a reumática Natasha Dóiaqui, agora parte do Ballet Imperial de São Pedro da Cova”, já a gargalhada é geral. O facto de usarem piadas locais nas digressões internacionais é demonstrativo do nível de cuidado e profissionalismo da companhia.

O elenco, exclusivamente masculino, é composto por bailarinos profissionais, antigas estrelas de companhias como o Atlantic City Ballet e Ballet de Lima. A permissa soa duvidosa quando o programa arranca com “Las sylphides”, obra-prima de Fokin, tal é a fisionomia e delicadeza gestual de alguns bailarinos. Respeitando os códigos baléticos e as notações coreográficas e cenográficas da obra original, vão cometendo erros quase todos relacionados com o uso do espaço, entre empurrões, ameaças e situações inusitadas. Ninguém espera uma bailarina ataviada num tutu romântico ameaçar outra de lhe dar dois sopapos.

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Personalmente, hacía muchos años que no veía sus creaciones y me preguntaba por cómo han evolucionado. Pues francamente bien. La primera parte comenzó con “Las Sílfides”, obra maestra de Fokin en la que, siguiendo la coreografía auténtica, van cometiendo equivocaciones y pequeños despistes que ya logran las primeras risas. Pero desarrollan la obra completa con los gags en su justa medida sin caer en lo reiterativo.

La segunda parte arranca con el paso a tres del “Lago de los cisnes”. Aquí juegan con divertidos contrastes como un bailarín muy pequeñito y unas bailarinas muy grandes. Es una caricatura de la obra de Petipa compuesta con tanto humor y gracia que entretiene sin malicia.

Pero ojo, todo esto sucede sin eliminar la técnica en puntas: equilibrios, pirouettes, fouttes, maneges… Por eso, como decía antes. Debería enfadarme como profesional por tanta juerga sobre el duro trabajo clásico? Pues no. Está hecho con buen gusto y,
como todo el mundo, la pasé muy bien.

Translation:
Personally, I haven’t seen his creations for many years and wondered how they have evolved. Well frankly fine. The first part began with “Las Sílfides”, Fokin’s masterpiece in which, following the authentic choreography, they make mistakes and small oversights that already achieve the first laughs. But they develop the complete work with the gags in their proper measure without falling into the repetitive.

The second part starts with the passage to three of “Swan Lake”. Here they play with fun contrasts like a very small dancer and some very large dancers. It is a caricature of Petipa’s work composed with such humor and grace that it entertains without malice.

But beware, all this happens without eliminating the pointe technique: balances, pirouettes, fouttes, maneges… That’s why, as I said before. Should I be angry as a professional for so much revelry about classic hard work? Well no. It is tastefully done and like everyone else I had a great time.

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Let’s dispatch with the most obvious misconception one might have upon first encountering the
name Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, which bills itself as the “World’s Foremost All-
male Comic Ballet Company.” At first glance, this might seem like a novelty act, like the Harlem
Globetrotters in tutus, RuPaul’s Drag Race On Pointe or Dame Edna Everage Does A Derriére.
Or, in Chuckles the Clown parlance, “A Little Song. A Lot of Dance. Just a Spritz of Seltzer
Down Your…Tutu.”

But what the audience at the nearly full Touhill Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 16
discovered – if they didn’t already know – is that a “Trocks” performance is much more than a
drag ballet. So, let’s just call it what it truly was: a night of innovative, beguiling, impressive
ballet sprinkled liberally with spot-on comic moments that were way more Keaton and Chaplin
than Divine and Coccinelle.

And that may be one of the best things about the Trocks – the amount of sheer athleticism and
poise required of the male dancers to balance on toes as swans, sylphs, water sprites, romantic
princesses and angst-ridden Victorian ladies. It reminds one of that old quote about Ginger
Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, except “backwards and in high heels.”

Here’s to hoping it won’t be another 48 years before they return. Start spreadin’ the news.

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It takes a certain type of talent to make an audience erupt with laughter without saying a word. With over-the-top facial expressions, stylized gestures and excellent comedic timing, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo did just that during its performance at Zellerbach Hall Feb. 5.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (colloquially known as the Trocks), is an all-male drag ballet troupe known for its gender-bending, subversive take on traditional ballet. Founded in 1974, the group has gone on to receive international recognition for stunning performances en pointe and en travesti. During its performance at Zellerbach Hall, the troupe did not disappoint, leaving the audience breathless with both amazement and laughter.

Nevertheless, one could not deny the talent of each dancer, both individually and as a group. They made performing en pointe look easy as they conquered the stage, forming beautiful lines that extended from the tips of their fingers to the points of their toes. So, when they flexed their feet and awkwardly bent their bodies, it was all the more startling — and all the more humorous.

On the surface, ballet and comedy do not immediately go together. Yet, the Trocks made this combination seem only natural, artfully leaving the audience with both laughter and gender-bending food for thought.

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Issues of race make headlines, while issues of gender increasingly occupy the public mind. It used to be easy: Men were men and women were women and that was that.

No more, especially not in major metropolises like this one. New York—perhaps especially Chelsea—accommodates a range of gender expression, and 1974-founded Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo celebrates that range, and the battered art of ballet, in ways that delight and amuse. The program notes are hilarious, and the choreography mocks our gender expectations at every step. Artistic director Tory Dobrin often casts the smallest guys in the company in the male roles, allowing the “ballerinas” to tower over them, and sling them over their shoulders.

Opening its three-week holiday season at the Joyce with the first of two programs, the all-male Trocks, as they are affectionately known, mount ballet parodies ranging from the blunt to the rapier-sophisticated. Their version of the second act of Swan Lake features the coquette Nadia Doumiafeyva (read it out loud), a brassy blond who seems to be channeling Fran Drescher. Eight supporting swans spit and squawk, behaving more like real birds than like the scrawny dancers who usually take these parts; they range in size from petit to basketball-player, are diverse in age, color, and nationality, and can really dance. Watching them delicately battu their size 12 pointe shoes is absolutely mesmerizing. Most of them are flat-chested, but then so are most female ballet dancers.

There’s more, including the classic Dying Swan. On opening night, the standing, screaming ovation at the two-hour program’s end lasted a long time, extended when the troupe of 14 reappeared in green foam Statue of Liberty tiaras and formed a kick line, egging the audience on to further expressions of adoration.

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The magic of Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo is guaranteed to warm any frozen heart that dares walk into their show.

The curtain rises on Von Rothbart in the moonlit woods (notably lit by Kip Marsh). Performed by Jacques D’Aniels (Joshua Thake), he brings a creepy, goofiness to the already absurd character of Von Rothbart. Thake executes clean lines in his arabesques and builds drama by running around the stage, eventually exiting stage left pulling a wooden swan on a string off with him. Additional gags include swan noises, slapping, a croaking frog soundtrack, and alluding to swan poop on the stage.

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Rejoice and deck the halls! The Trocks are back in town just in time to celebrate the holidays, break boundaries, and shake up the dance world as they have done since 1974.

To anyone who hasn’t enjoyed the unique pleasure of witnessing the iconic dance company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (aka “The Trocks”), there are two things you should know: one, they’re very fun, two, they’re really good. Another important detail that sets the Trocks apart — the all-male dance company performs both male and traditionally female classical ballet and modern roles en pointe and en travesti.

But a Trocks performance is not a drag show or a garish parody of “dudes in dresses” (I’m speaking to you, Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway!). On the contrary, each performer is a highly-skilled dancer capable of performing steps and balletic moves so challenging and complicated that prima ballerinas struggle with. The expression (originally a reference to Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire) that the female dancer does everything her male partner does only backward and in heels is flipped with The Trocks. It’s gender empowerment of another kind. They are also marvelous actors.

Each dancer plays multiple characters with hilarious pun names like Helen Highwaters, Varva Laptopova, Minnie van Driver, and Ludmila Beaulemova. Then they perform the role (Prince Siegfried or Odette of Swan Lake, for instance) in the character of a wayward Russian dancer. All of that while executing moves from intricate pas de deux partnering to notoriously difficult grand jeté leaps and fouettes that send them spinning like a dreidel.

The Joyce Theater three-week holiday engagement offers two programs: Program A (through December 19) and Program B (December 21-January 2). Program A features the beloved Swan Lake Act II, the bacchanalian Valpurgeyeva Noch (Walspurghisnacht), and the New York premiere of Nightcrawlers.

Nightcrawlers is a dark, moody piece showcasing three couples in a hot cat-and-mouse pursuit filled with passion, drama, and stunning choreography by founding artistic director Peter Anastos. The dance is a hysterical parody of Jerome Robbins’s In the Night set to nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin. It’s a sequel and companion piece that follows Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet, another Chopin/Robbins-inspired ballet Anastos choreographed in the 1970s.

The couples are Minnie van Driver with Boris Mudko (Ugo Cirri and Giovanni Ravelo), Elvira Khababgallina with Nicholas Khatchafallenjar (Kevin Garcia and Haojun Xie) and Maria Clubfoot with Dmitri Legupski (Alejandro Gonzalez and Giovanni Goffredo). The performance is as uproariously funny as it is dazzling to watch, they fling themselves at each other, swap partners, fly through the air, trot like a pony, and are swept across the floor, giving new meaning to the term “nightcrawler.”

Nightcrawlers still contains all of the goofy antics and madcap mishaps of any of The Trocks’ dances, but there is poetry within the parody, depth beneath the dalliances, and genuine romance and chemistry between the couples. The intensity in their eyes, the fury in which they cling to each other, is a shade deeper than the lighthearted humor of most Trocks pieces (even those portraying tragedies and deaths). It feels appropriate in this era where the desire to grasp onto loved ones is spurred by the fear of losing that privilege. Suddenly the stakes are increased exponentially through such a lens.

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