Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
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Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male drag ballet corps parodying the clichés of romantic and classical ballet. It was founded by choreographer Peter Anastos in the United States in 1974 as a group producing small shows for friends, performing late-late shows in off-off Broadway lofts.
After receiving a favourable critical essay in The New Yorker by Arlene Croce, it was discovered by a wider audience, and now the "Trocks" tours the world, including prolonged engagements in many major cities.
The dancers portray both male and female (mainly female) roles in a humorous style that mixes send-ups of the cliches of ballet, posing, and physical comedy with "straighter" pieces intended to show off the performers' skill (but still with a certain amount of humour). Part of the comedy is seeing male dancers en travesti performing moves usually reserved to females, such as dancing en pointe.
[edit] The Dancers
Bernd Burgmaier
Born in Germany, he joined the Trocks in January 2000.
He portrays Pavel Tord and Gerd Tord, the "Prune Danish of Russian Ballet", who abandoned an enormously successful acting career in Scandinavia to become respectively Trockadero premier danseur and ballerina.
Robert Carter
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, USA; he joined the Trocks in November 1995.
He portrays Yuri Smirnov and Olga Supphozova.
Yuri ran away from home and joined the Kirov Opera because he thought Borodin was a prescription barbiturate, but he soon discovered that he didn't know his arias and decided to become a ballet star instead. Olga made her first public appearance in a KGB lineup under dubious circumstances and after a sever-year-to-life haitus, she now returns to her adoring fans.
Edgar Cortes
Born in Santiago do Cacem, Portugal; he joined the Trocks in October 2000.
He portrays Klaus Youssoupovtu and Maria Gertrudes Clubfoot.
Klaus soared into prominence as the first defector whose leave-taking was accomplished at the virtual insistence of the defectees. Maria (after ballerina Maria Tallchief) is the last one of the great Indian ballerinas, who began her training with the Wounded Knee Ballet but was subsequently banned for use of traditional Indian weaponry.
Lionel Droguet
Born in Chambery, France; he joined the Trocks in August 2003.
He portrays Irina Bakpakeva and Vladimir of the Lequpski Brothers.
Irina (after ballerina Irina Baronova) first appearance on the American tour was as the Sour Cream Fairy and joined the Trockadero after graduating from the Volga-Dnieper School of Dance Polemics. Vladimir has no great qualities apart from moving rather nicely and fitting into the costumes.
Paul Ghiselin
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; he joined the Trocks in May 1995.
He portrays Velour Pilleaux and Ida Nevasayneva.
Velour is coming to America in conjunction with the release of his tenth cookbook, Ma Brie. Ida is a socialist real ballerina of the working peoples everywhere and she was awarded a plastic medal for Bad Taste at the Varna Festival.
Tibor Horvath
Born in Dalby, Sweden; he joined the Trocks in May 2005.
He portrays Stanislas Kokitch and Tatiana Youbetyabootskaya.
Stanislas is dubbed "the forgotten man of ballet", harldy ever mentioned in reviews despite having created several important roles in now forgotten ballets. Tatiana has been dubbed the "Great Terror" of international ballet world and is reputed to have extensive dossiers on every major dance figure in the world, living and/or dead.
Chase Johnsey
Born in Winter Haven, Florida, USA; he joined the Trocks in April 2004.
He portrays Roland Daulin and Yakatarina Verbosovich.
Roland invented the "bad hair year" and devotes his spare time to selling his line of Michael Flatly wigs on the QVC shopping channel. Yakaterina own a walk-in wardrobe so large that it has its own postcode and has been awarded the keys to her city, Minsk (after which they changed the locks...).
Yonny Manaure
Born in Caracas, Venezuela; he joined the Trocks in May 1996.
He portrays Jacques D'Aniels and Margeaux Mundeyn.
Jacques (after danseur Jacques D'Amboise) was originally trained as an astronaut before entering the world of ballet. Margeaux (after ballerina Margot Fonteyn) was once the dresser of a great ballerina and began her career when she locked her mistress in the armoire and danced in her place.
Fernando Medina-Gallego
Born in Barcelona, Spain; he joined the Trocks in December 1998.
He portrays R.M. "Prince" Myshkin and Svetlana Lefatkina.
Prince is Mongolian-born, cream of the Tartars, who electrified the world a decade ago when he leaped over the Wall or under the Curtain, whichever came first. Svetlana is dubbed the "Chernobyl Cherub", renowned for her portrayal of sensitive, tortured, neurotic ladies.
Raffaele Morra
Born in Fossagno, Italy; he joined the Trocks in May 2001.
He portrays Pepe Dufka and Lariska Dumbchenko.
Pepe recently sued 182 of New York's most ardent ballet lover for 19 years of constant exposure to rotten fruits and vegetables. Lariska in 1962 became the first ballerina to be shot into orbit, but subsequently defected to the West.
Hiroto Natori
Born in Tokyo, Japan; he joined the Trocks in September 2000.
He portrays Kravlji Snepek and Yurika Sakitumi.
Kravlji joined Trockadero after leaving his native Siberia, where he excelled in toe, tap, acrobatic and Hawaiian. Yurika holds a black belt in tour jete and studied at the famous Kamikaze Institute.
Or Sagi
Born in Kfar Aza, Israel; he joined the trocks in April 2004.
He portrays Zapoli Valenki and Maria Paranova.
Zapoli is a revolutionary in the art of ballet, being the first to introduce crazy glue to stop supported pirouettes. Maria was discovered after 19 years in the dark as Mamie Eisenhower at a Republican fundraiser in Chicago.
Grant Thomas
Born in Hanford, California, USA; he joined the Trocks in May 2002.
He portrays William Vanilla and Doris Vidanya.
William (after danseur Edward Villella) is American and thus he will never truly understand Russian ballet. Doris, after defecting to the West, established herself as the Prima Ballerina Assoluta de Kalamazoo.
Scott Weber
Born in Anaheim, California, USA; he joined the Trocks in January 2005.
He portrays Jacques D'Ambrosia and Ludmilla Beaulemova.
Jacques (after danseur Jacques D'Amboise)was dismissed from the Paris Opera Ballet after blackmailing the horn section of the orchestra and forcing them to lay Papa Don't Preach in the third act of Romeo and Juliet. Ludmilla is a born again ballerina, who has taken once again the vow of the plie, the tondue and the toe shoe.
Damien Diaz
Born in Los Angeles, California, USA; he joined the Trocks in March 2006.
He portrays Mikhail Mypansarov and Bertha Vinayshinsky.
Mikhail defected to the West for purely capitalistic reasons and has been with most of the greatest ballerinas of our time. Bertha has defected to the West three times and was always taken back for "artistic reasons". She was recently discovered en omelette at the Easter Egg Hunt in Washington, D.C.
[edit] The Repertoire
Ballets
Don Quixote (Act1); Ecole de Ballet; Gaite Parisienne; Giselle (Act 2); Go for Barocco (satire on Balanchine's choreography); Harlequinade; The Humpback Horse (based upon the popular fairy tale by P.P. Yershov); Nutcracker; Paquita; Pas de Quatre; Raymonda's Wedding; Swan Lake (Act 2); Les Sylphides; Vivaldi Suite; Yes Virginia, Another Piano Ballet (5 dancers in a rehearsal studio, Jerome Robbins style); Stars & Stripes Forever.
Modern Works
Cross Currents (piece for three dancers); The Dance of Liberation; The Dances of Isadora; Dances of Ruth St. Denis; Debut at the Opera; Gambol; I Wanted to Dance With You; Lamentation of Jane Eyre; Patterns in Space.
Solos, Pas de deux and Pas de trois
Black Swan (from Act 4 of Swan Lake); The Bluebird (from Act 3 of Sleeping Beauty); Le Corsaire; Diana & Achteon; Don Quixote (Pas de deux); Fairy Doll Pas de Trois; Flower Festival Pas de Deux; Gran Pas Classique; Paquita Pas de Trois; Pas de Trois des Odalisques (from Le Corsaire); Sleeping Beauty (Pas de deux from Act 3); Spring Waters (acrobatic pas de deux in Russian style); La Trovatiara Pas de Cinq (from a lost Verdi opera complete with pirate girls and an evil sultan).
Solo Works
Dying Swan (Fokine's choreography); Debut at the Opera; Ribbon Dance; Russian Dance.
