A Ballet Like No Other – Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

I first saw a performance by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in Chicago in the late 1970s. I took my then girlfriend, a serious dance student, to the performance, simply telling her that we were seeing a ballet troupe from Monte Carlo.

She had no idea all of the dancers of the company were men, all men, including the ballerinas wearing classic tutus and dancing en point. By the end of the second number, she mentioned she thought something was just a bit “odd.” She then realized that the Trocks were a serious and accomplished all-male ballet company, who were putting on one delightful show.

Formed in 1974, the Trocks first preformed their now famous parody style of ballet en travesti (in disguise – aka drag) in a couple of New York’s Off-Off Broadway lofts. They troupe quickly gained popularity and notoriety among the dance world due to the high professional caliber of the male dancers. By adding a comical approach, along with gender-bending costumes, tiaras and oversize toe shoes, mixed with a sense of overly dramatic performances and a touch of diva-esque attitude to their show, the troupe quickly became the funny-men of dance, and globally loved. They proved men can dance in pointe shoes, play the dramatic feminine roles and portray a dying swan or a nimble water sprite almost as gracefully as any leading prima ballerina.

As a company of professional male dancers, they perform a full range of the ballet and modern dances, adding humor, over-dramatization, exaggerated foibles and even a few spills. Their comedic interpretations of famous classical dance ranges from mostly serious pieces, that demonstrates just how talented these dancers are; to downright silly parodies of classic ballets.

Their success has led the company to multiple television performances, including being featured on programs ranging from “What’s My Line?” to Nightline.

The 18-man troupe all have previous experience dancing for other formal ballet companies around the globe and all were classicly trained. Each dancer also takes on a persona of a ballerina, with names such as Lariska Dumbchenko, Marina Plezegetovstageskaya, and Giouseppina Zambellini, each complete with dance history and highlights which is described in their website.

Their repertory includes dozens of original and classic ballets, pas de peux and solos, including selections from Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Le Corsaire, the pas de deux made famous by the world-famous Margo Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington DC  (map)

Dates and Times – October 6, 7, 2010 at 8:00 pm.

Tickets – $22.00 – $65.00 and are available online or by phone at 202-467-4600.

Nearest Metro Subway Station -  Foggy Bottom/George Washington University (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.

The free Kennedy Center shuttle bus runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday (9:45 am – Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 am – Midnight, and Noon – Midnight on Sundays.)

Parking - Paid parking – $17.00.

Image – Flickr – Dying Swan