Arabesques with Attitude: The Trocks Blend Ballet With Drag

Esoteric and often unapproachable, ballet is one of the greatest art forms that is as beautifully expressive as it intimidating. Once again, though, the men of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo lift the curtain of grandiloquent and provide a charming evening of quirk and spectacular entertainment. 

Currently on tour, the troupe of glammed-up and tutu-embellished dancers made a stop at Fort Collins’ Lincoln Center on Thursday, January 24, and put on a helluva show for the sold-out 1,180 seat venue. The Trocks, as they are better known as, are the all-male dance group stemming from New York who have been pushing boundaries and challenging gender norms since 1974. The current cast of performers carry on the legacy with boldness and brass, all while being oh-so-adorably talented. As the men dance on pointe for the duration of the three-act productions, the comedic parody of the iconic classical art form is as phenomenal as it is downright hysterical.

From the top of Act One, the dancers set a precedence for high expectations in both technique and comedy, and they did not disappoint through the completion of Act Three. Complicated characters act in abstract pieces, portions portray a range of solo and paired dances, in addition to the full ensemble combinations. A comedic duo portray a pair of lovers in one scene who would wander apart and reunite in a pas de deux full of grace and contempt and a stage littered with a cast of ballerinas in drag. Another scene leads the audience down a gender-bending quartet of masculine and feminine role play that is messy and disheveled, not unlike the reality of complex interpersonal relationships off stage.

The personalities of each queen came to life as the scenes continually unfolded into satirical arrangements of the classical sentiments as they would act as stage props and scenery, bending into intricate formations with their arms up, out, and intertwined. As some pranced side-by-side, others would forget movements and even wander off stage in a daze, all while weaving in impressive combinations of fast, dynamic movements and stunts.

The fluttering formation of tutus and tiaras wowed the crowd with both honest technique and fluid dance sensibilities, all while poking fun at the not-so-serious cliques of grandeur. An abundance of eyelash batting, hip sashaying, and pattycake-ing, the ensemble stole the spotlight and brought raucous laughter and applause through the audience.

Act Two, the highlight of the night’s production, brought a hysterically delightful interpretation of modern dance that was simultaneously rigid and malleable. The dancers, dressed in head-to-toe velour bodysuits, were fully immersed in an extreme world of ironic concentration. They executed barefooted hinges, lunges, and body contortions to an alarming degree of flexibility as they bent their bodies to the man-made soundtrack of a microphoned duo. Animal noises, bubble wrap, scissors, spray bottles, somehow the dancers made rhythmic sense of bams and bangs of kitchenware, kazoos, and even upside-down mouth-water gurgling.

Finally, the act was closed out by none other than the parody of the infamous dying swan from Swan Lake. The sass was turned up to level ten as the swan molted her feathers in a tragic depiction of the dramatic death. As Act Two came to a close, the stage was left a ravished scene reminiscent of a down pillow fight gone memorably awry. It was fabulous.

 The Trocks, under artistic direction of Tory Dubrin, continue to bring a universe of grace, beauty, and comedy that dismantles the world of ballet, one performance at a time. Both dance novices and trained ballerinas alike can walk away delighted and excited for the next visit from the Monte Carlo sorority.

Photos courtesy of The Trocks on Facebook