Giovanni Daniotti
Tutus, pointe shoes and graceful movements have long been associated with the art of ballet. Add a little more makeup and some physical comedy, and you have the makings of the all-male, comedy ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.
Known for its elegant yet hilarious performances in drag, the troupe – also known as the Trocks – was founded in New York City in 1974 by three performers looking to break out on their own. Over the past 50 years, the group has performed in more than 40 countries and 670 cities, with Columbus making the list several times, most recently in 2022.
Artistic Director Tory Dobrin has been a part of the troupe since he first joined as a dancer in 1980 and has enjoyed watching audiences fall in love with the group.
“(You expect) audience response at Broadway musicals, where the audience is hooting and hollering, but you don’t basically have that in the dance performance, except with us,” Dobrin says. “So, it’s a lot of, like, going to a party, and you’re telling jokes, and everyone is laughing. It really offers a lot of good cheer.”
Pavel Törd
Matias Dominguez Escrig
And that fun extends off stage as well, dancer Matias Dominguez Escrig says. Over the two years he has been a member of the troupe, Dominguez Escrig has enjoyed not only living out his dream of being a pointe dancer but also growing his skills in fun and challenging ways.
From doing his own makeup to learning new routines and techniques, Dominguez Escrig says it can be challenging at times, but he never feels bad if he makes a mistake because it is all a part of the performance.
“It’s true, we have a lot of fun on stage because, you know, we are in the club,” Dominguez Escrig says. “Sometimes in a normal company, the moves are different. (In) a classical company, when the dancers make a mistake, it’s like, ‘Oh, no!’ But with the Trocks, it’s different because the mistake is the joke.”
For example, when performing Swan Lake in a French theatre, he slipped in his pointe shoes and landed face-first on the stage, making everyone in the room gasp. However, he quickly recovered and kept dancing, leading the audience to laugh it off, assuming it was a part of the show.
Swan Lake is just one of the nearly 30 works the troupe has in its current repertoire and is on the list of numbers the troupe plans to perform in Columbus. Dobrin says the shows are a mixture of more traditional ones the audience may know by name – such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker – however, the troupe also does more modern and contemporary pieces as well.
Gene Schiavone
For its Feb. 24 performance at the Palace Theatre, Dobrin says the troupe also plans to perform Metal Garden, Dying Swan and one of the troupe’s signature works, Paquita, which the group has never performed for Columbus.
With a mix of slap-stick humor and beautiful ballet, Dominguez Escrig says the show is perfect for those who are long-time ballet enthusiasts or are looking for a way to get into the artform.
“Come to the show if you want a nice experience. I promise you’ll have a lot of fun,” Dominguez Escrig says. “(You always) have fun when you watch 15 men in tutus.”
For more information about the upcoming show, visit www.capa.com.
Rachel Hanz is the lead editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rhanz@cityscenemediagroup.com.
