Saturday, April 13, 2024, 7:30 PM

Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre

This performance will last appoximately two hours, including two 15-minute intermissions.

*Run times listed here are based on information provided at this time and are subject to change.

THIS PERFORMANCE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.

PROGRAM NOTEs

View the program for this event here.

 

 

 

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 7 PM
SCREENING: BALLERINA BOYS (2021)
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"For decades, the all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has been presenting affectionate parodies of ballet, both spot-on and silly, with a technical skill that nearly contradicts the comedy. These dancers are seriously good, on and off point, in drag or not, and what was once subversive has become traditional.”

— The New Yorker

An inspired blend of dance and impeccable humor, the world-class, all-male comic dance troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo makes its Southwest Virginia debut. Men dancing en pointe — heavy bodies delicately balancing on toes as swans, sylphs, water sprites, and romantic princesses — celebrate rather than mock the spirit of dance as an art form, delighting and amusing regardless of your dance knowledge.

About the Trocks

Founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and en travesti, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo first performed in late-late shows in off-off Broadway lofts. The Trocks, as the dancers are affectionately known, quickly garnered a major critical essay by Arlene Croce in the New Yorker which, combined with reviews in the New York Times and the Village Voice, established the company as an artistic and popular success.

By mid-1975, the Trocks’ inspired blend of a loving knowledge of dance, impeccable comic approach, and the astounding fact that men can, indeed, dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces, was being noted beyond New York. Articles and notices in publications such as Variety, Oui, and the Daily Telegraph, as well as a Richard Avedon photo essay in Vogue, made the company nationally and internationally known. 

Since those beginnings, the Trocks have established themselves as a major dance phenomenon. The company has participated in dance festivals throughout the world and made appearances on television programs as varied as a Shirley MacLaine special, The Dick Cavett Show, What’s My Line?, Real People, On-Stage America, visiting with Kermit and Miss Piggy on Muppet Babies, and a BBC Omnibus special on the world of ballet, hosted by Jennifer Saunders. 

The Trocks’ numerous tours have been both popular and critical successes — the company’s annual schedules have included six tours to Australia and New Zealand, 25 to Japan (where annual visits have created a nationwide cult following and a fan club), 10 to South America, three to South Africa, and 55 tours of Europe. In the United States, the company has become a regular part of the college and university circuit, in addition to frequent presentations in all of the 50 states. The company has appeared in over 30 countries and over 500 cities worldwide since its founding in 1974. 

The dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo wear extravagant costumes, some of which seem to be inspired by sea creatures. The group consists of 13 men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
The dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are dressed in extravagant costumes for the ballet Swan Lake. Ten of the dancers are dresses as swans all in white, two are dressed as princes, and one as an evil sorceress. All 13 are men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
The dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo wear stars and stripes inspired costumes. Ten men stand in a row hitting the same position, while one sits on the floor in front, clutching a pointe shoe to his chest. The dancers are all men in glorious, detailed drag.
Two of the dancers from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are dressed as characters from Swan Lake, one swan and one prince. Both are men, one a young, tall Black man, one a shorter white man, dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
The dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo wear extravagant costumes, some of which seem to be inspired by sea creatures. The group consists of five men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
Seven of the dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are dressed as characters from Swan Lake. Five are dressed in all white as swans. One, in the center, is dressed as a prince and kneels, palms pressed together in a prayer pose. The last, in the back, is dressed as an evil sorceress with wild, unkempt red hair. All seven are men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
A dancer from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a man in drag holding two red feather fans and a stars and stripes inspired uniform with a yellow tutu. He stands en pointe, his right leg extended to the side and arms raised.
Eight of the dancers from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, all men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag. They wear tutus in shades of pink, purple, and red, and stand in a line, all in the same position with hands on their hips and looking towards the top right edge of the frame.
The dancers of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo wear extravagant costumes. Nine of the ten dancers wear white tutus and feathered head pieces, while the in the back, the tenth dancer is dressed as the evil sorceress. All 10 are men dressed in beautiful, detailed drag.
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The original concept of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has not changed. It is a company of professional male dancers performing the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of the manners and conceits of those dance styles. The comedy is achieved by incorporating and exaggerating the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance. 

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Dr. Mark and Connie Froggatt, Dr. Rosemary Blieszner and Dr. Stephen P. Gerus, and Ms. Mary Ann Walker and Dr. Kenneth J. Walker.

This is the first performance by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the Moss Arts Center.