Shirley MacLaine Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo 1977

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male drag

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

. The company's current

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

Tory Dobrin Tory Dobrin is the artistic director of the American all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. He first joined the Trocks (as they are widely known) in 1980 as a dancer. See also *Dance in the United States *List of ballet companies in the ...

. The dancers portray both male and female roles in a humorous style that combines parodies of ballet, posing, and

physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any ...

with "straighter" pieces intended to show off the performers' technical skills. Much of the humor is the male dancers performing ''

en travesti En or EN may refer to: Businesses * Bouygues (stock symbol EN) * Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (reporting mark EN, but now known as Southern Railway of Vancouver Island) * Euronews, a news television and internet channel Language and writing * ...

'' in roles usually reserved for females, while wearing

tutus Abu Sa'id Taj al-Dawla Tutush (; died 25 February 1095) or Tutush I, was the Seljuk emir of Damascus from 1078 to 1092, and sultan of Damascus from 1092 to 1094. Years under Malik Shah Tutush was a brother of the Seljuk sultan Malik-Shah I. I ...

and dancing ''

en pointe Pointe technique ( ) is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en pointe'' () whe ...

''.

History

Prior to the founding of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, members of

Charles Ludlam Charles Braun Ludlam (April 12, 1943 – May 28, 1987) was an American actor, director, and playwright. Biography Early life Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie (née Braun) and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raise ...

's Ridiculous Theatre Company formed a company called the Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company in 1972. This company included Larry Ree, Richard Goldberger, Lohr Wilson, Roy Blakey, Peter Anastos, Natch Taylor, and Anthony Bassae. They often performed at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

in the East Village of Manhattan. Productions at La MaMa included ''Sobechenskaya Dances'' in 1972, multiple productions titled ''Ekathrina Sobechenskaya Dances with the Troxadero Gloxinia Ballet Company'' in 1974, and ''Ekathrina Sobechenskaya Dances with the Original Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company'' in 1975. They continued to perform at La MaMa in 1976 and 1977, then returned in 1982, twice in 1987, and in 1990, with ''Madame Ekathrina Sobechenskaya's Original Trocadero Gloxinia Ballet''. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was co-founded by Peter Anastos, Natch Taylor, and Anthony Bassae, all of the Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company, in 1974. They initially produced small, late-night shows in

off-off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...

spaces. The troupe's first show was on September 9, 1974 in a second-story loft on 14th Street in the

Meatpacking District The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District along ...

. After receiving a favorable review in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' by

Arlene Croce Arlene Louise Croce (born May 5, 1934) founded ''Ballet Review'' magazine in 1965. She was a dance critic for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1973 to 1998. Career Prior to Croce's long career as a dance writer, she also wrote film criticism ...

, the company was discovered by a wider audience. The "Trocks" toured the world, with prolonged engagements in many major cities. In 2008, they performed at the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

in front of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. In 2017, the troupe were profiled in Bobbi Jo Hart's documentary film '' Rebels on Pointe''."Review: 'Rebels on Pointe,' and in Tutus"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 15, 2017.

Dancers

Notable former dancers

Chase Johnsey Chase Johnsey is an American ballet dancer. He is the co-founding and current Artistic Director of Ballet de Barcelona. He was a former principal dancer with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and a former first artist with the English Nationa ...

* Brock Hayhoe

Repertoire

From the classical

repertoire A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform. Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...

* ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' Act II (choreography by Lev Ivanov, music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) * ''The Black Swan'' (''Black Swan Pas de Deux'' from ''Swan Lake'') (choreography after

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...

, music by Tchaikovsky and revised by Riccardo Drigo) * '' Don Quixote'' Act I (choreography after Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, music by Ludwig Minkus) * ''Don Quixote Grand Pas de Deux'' (choreography after Petipa and Gorsky, music by Minkus) * '' Le Corsaire Pas de Deux'' (choreography after Petipa, music by Drigo, Gerber, and Boris Fitinhof-Schell) * ''Grand Pas de Trois des Odalisques'' from '' Le Corsaire'' (choreography by Petipa, music by Adolphe Adam and Cesare Pugni) * ''Grand Pas de Deux'' from Act III of '' The Sleeping Beauty'' (choreography by Petipa, music by Tchaikovsky) * ''The Bluebird'' from Act III of ''The Sleeping Beauty'' (choreography by Petipa, music by Tchaikovsky) * ''

Pas de Trois In ballet, ''pas de trois'' is a French term usually referring to a dance between three people. Typically, a ''pas de trois'' in ballet consists of five parts: #Entrée (the opening number for the three dancers, usually preceded by a short i ...

'' from ''The Fairy Doll'' (choreography after Sergei Legat and Nikolai Legat, music by Drigo) * ''

The Little Humpbacked Horse Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov (russian: link=no, Пётр Павлович Ершов; – ) was a Russian poet and author of the famous fairy-tale poem ''The Little Humpbacked Horse'' (''Konyok-Gorbunok''). Biography Pyotr Yershov was born in the vil ...

'' (''Grand Ballabile'' from the Under-water Scene) (choreography by Petipa and Gorsky after

Arthur Saint-Léon Arthur Saint-Léon (17 September 1821, in Paris – 2 September 1870) was the '' Maître de Ballet'' of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet ''Coppélia''. Biography He was ...

, music by Pugni) * ''

Diane and Actéon Pas de Deux ''Le Roi Candaule'' (en. ''King Candaules'') is a ''Grand ballet'' in four acts and six scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Cesare Pugni. The libretto is by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and is based on the history of ...

'' (choreography by Agrippina Vaganova, music by Pugni and adapted by Drigo) * '' The Nutcracker'' (choreography by Pamela Pribisco, music by Tchaikovsky) * ''

Pas de Quatre ''Grand Pas de Quatre'' is a ''ballet divertissement'' choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin Lumley, Director at Her Majesty's Theatre, to music composed by Cesare Pugni. On the night it premiered in London (12 Ju ...

'' (choreography by

Anton Dolin Anton Dolin may refer to: * Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) Sir Anton Dolin (27 July 190425 November 1983) was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Biography Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey ...

after Doin Trutti Gasparinetti, music by Pugni and orchestrated by

Leighton Lucas Leighton Lucas (5 January 1903 – 1 November 1982) was an English composer and conductor. Born into a musical family (his father, Clarence Lucas, was also a noted composer and his mother Clara Asher-Lucas a concert pianist), he began his career ...

) * ''Raymonda's Wedding'' (Act III of ''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...

'' (choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Petipa, music by

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...

) * '' Les Sylphides'' (choreography by Mikhail Fokine, music by

Frederic Chopin Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...

) * ''Flower Festival at Genzano Pas de Deux'' (choreography by

August Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nep ...

, music by Holger Simon Paulli) * ''Grand Pas Classique'' from ''Le Dieu et la Bayadère'' (choreography by Victor Gsovsky, music by Daniel Auber) Other works * ''École de Ballet'' * ''Go for Barocco ''(parody of

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

's choreography) * ''Cross Currents'' (for 3 dancers) * ''The Dance of Liberation'' * ''Gaîté Parisienne'' * ''The Dances of Isadora'' * ''Vivaldi Suite'' * ''La Trovatiara Pas de Cinq'' (from a lost Giueseppe Verdi opera) * ''Yes Virginia, Another Piano Ballet'' (5 dancers in a rehearsal studio in the style of Jerome Robbins, music by Chopin) * ''Stars & Stripes Forever'' * ''Dances of Ruth St. Denis'' * ''Spring Waters'' * ''Debut at the Opera'' * ''Gambol'' * ''I Wanted to Dance With You'' * ''Lamentation of Jane Eyre'' * ''Patterns in Space'' Solo works * ''

The Dying Swan ''The Dying Swan'' (originally ''The Swan'') is a solo dance choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Camille Saint-Saëns's ''Le Cygne'' from ''Le Carnaval des animaux'' as a '' pièce d'occasion'' for the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed it abo ...

'' (choreography by Michel Fokine after staging by Trutti Gasparinetti) Debut at the Opera; Ribbon Dance; Russian Dance

References

Reviews

* *

External links

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
official site
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
at IMG Artists
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
on

GLBTQ.com glbtq.com (also known as the glbtq Encyclopedia Project) was an online encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( GLBTQ) culture. Launched in 2003, it was edited by Claude J. Summers, emeritus professor at the University of ...

Interview with Damien Diaz

Archive footage of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo performing ''Le Lac des Cygnes'' (Swan Lake, Act II) in 2010 at Jacob's Pillow

Photographs of performance at Brooklyn Academy of Music (Dec. 9–16, 1976) and in rehearsal with Shirley MacLaine for TV special "Where do we Go from Here?"

Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, Les Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Les Ballets Musical parodies American drag queens 1974 establishments in New York City Performing groups established in 1974 Dance companies in New York City Non-profit organizations based in New York City LGBT dance