The world famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo leaps onto the Centennial Hall stage Thursday. Prepare to be dazzled. And to laugh. The all-male dance troupe, a cross between dramatic dancing and comedic acting, loves to camp it up for the delight of the audiences.
Some facts to prepare you for the event:
Nickname: The Trocks.
History: The Trocks were founded in 1974 by a group of ballet lovers. They wanted a bit of parody of the ballets they all loved.
It caught on — at first, in very late shows in off-off-Broadway lofts. But then The New Yorker wrote about them, and The New York Times and The Village Voice reviewed them. They became a hit.
What they do: The professional male dancers know their classical and modern dance. While they honor dance and are precise and elegant, they also know how to exaggerate it and make it funny. As if a bunch of men in tutus with hairy chests and/or armpits weren't funny enough. . . .
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What the dancers call themselves: Ida Nevasayneva, Lariska Dumbchenko and Velour Pilleaux are among the dancers. Or, rather, among the dancers' characters.
What's astounding about them: Men in drag dancing en pointe. Beautifully. While they are funny, there's nothing funny about their dancing.
What you hope they'll perform: "Les Sylphides" overflows with humor — and gum-chewing dancers. The "Dying Swan" has feathers molting from the tutu and will have you on the floor. And "Le Grand Pas de Quatre," an 1845 piece created for the four greatest ballerinas of the Romantic age, redefines "diva."
What the critics say:
"Long live this company, who so aptly blend the joy of ballet and the fine art of silliness." – The Seattle Times.
"The Trocks can really dance. They can fouettés, even triples. . . . They can do beating jumps. . . . To a man, uh, woman, they have gorgeous épaulement, warping to fit any occasion." – The San Francisco Chronicle.
"The 30-year-old Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo presents a crafty, very entertaining blend of high art and serious camp, pairing physical virtuosity with slapstick comedy and wrapping the whole thing in ornate costumes, outrageous wigs, and lots of attitude." – The Boston Globe.
Preview
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
• Presented by: UApresents.
• When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
• Where: Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., on the University of Arizona campus.
• Tickets: $18-$42, with discounts available.
• Reservations: 621-3341.
• Check them out: Log on to the Star's arts blog, Straight from the Art, regulus2.azstarnet.com/ blogs/arts, for a video of the Trocks' "Dying Swan."
