Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham
*****
The Company of
Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, also known as ‘The Trocks’, is a rare
breed. As those who know a little about ballet can tell you, traditional male
ballet dancers never go en pointe (which
means dancing on the tips of the toes) because it’s meant to be the female
dancers’ domain. However, the all-male ensemble of the Trocks rebels against
this tradition. The dancers played both male and female characters in five
extracts from well-known ballets, including Les
Sylphides, Swan Lake and Walpurghis Night. In a show that lasted
approximately seventy-five minutes, these sixteen remarkably strong men danced en pointe most of the time, which is a
great feat in itself.
What also makes
the company unusual is their comedic approach towards ballet. Perhaps only in a
ballet performed by The Trocks will you ever see dancers trip and fall over one
another, pirouette out of control and fall off stage or kick someone in the
face, all on purpose. It is the extraordinary comic timing and knockabout
humour of their performance that drove the audience into fits of uproarious
laughter. For those of you who consider ballet boring and all seriousness, The
Trocks will change your mind and redeem any negative experiences you had from
watching ballet.
It is also
important to remember, however, that The Trocks is not just a group of male
dancers messing around or mocking ballet either. Under those glamourous tutus
and heavily made-up faces batting their false eyelashes at the audience, there
is no doubt that these men are in fact extremely talented dancers. The ensemble
members took turns to play some of the most technically challenging roles in
ballet history and they all displayed strength, grace and poise in their
movement. Paul Ghiselin as Ida Nevasayneva stole the show and sent the audience
into rapturous rounds of applause with his dying swan act as he danced and
moulted on stage. Chase Johnsey as Yakatarina Verbosovich wowed the audience
with his fierce and invincible portrayal of the Black Swan, Odile.
They are not
trying to completely disguise the masculine features of the dancers; the male
dance troupe offers an unconventional approach to the ballet art form and by
doing so, the company successfully broadens the appeal of ballet, entertaining
experts as well as novices in the audience. The Trocks has been producing
breathtaking ballets that are knee-slapping worthy for almost forty years now
and as the audience, we can only hope they continue to do so in many more years
to come.
This production is on tour until 27 February 2013.
For more information: http://www.trockstour.co.uk
@TrocksB @BrumHippodrome
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