Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo — aka The Trocks — are making a return to Toronto to celebrate their 50th Anniversary on October 18 and 19. The all-male ballet company has been entertaining audiences with its combination of humour and genre-defying dance since 1974.
While the show includes the parodies of classical ballets The Trocks have become famous for, including Swan Lake and The Dying Swan scene, the show will also feature the Toronto premiere of the contemporary work Metal Garden. The three shows are presented by Show One Productions.
It’s the first time the company has visited Toronto since their sold out 2020 performance.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was founded in 1974 by a group of ballet lovers in New York City. They were looking to present the art form in a playful and entertaining way, using parody and men in all performing roles — including the en pointe roles usually danced by women.
Larry Ree’s Gloxinia Trockadero Ballet company was already doing cross-dressing dance, specifically to parody the aesthetics of Russian ballet. However, their performances largely involved posed vignettes as opposed to dance choreography. Peter Anastos, Anthony Bassae, and Natch Taylor splintered away from Gloxinia to form Les Ballets Trockadero in order to create a similar company, but one with a focus on dance and choreography.
They’ve since appeared in 43 countries and more than 660 cities across the globe.
That’s the key to The Trock’s appeal. There’s humour in exaggeration and physical comedy, but there’s also a respect for the art form itself. Their goal is to spread the love of dance overall, and along the way, to celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ artistry.
With a half century behind them, they’re looking to the future, and planning for future commissioned works, as well as continuing the educational program the company instituted in 2016. Launched in 2023, The Trocks’ Choreography Institute offers residency collaborations with selected choreographers to experiment with the company and its dancers, and possibly lead to future commissions.
Tory Dobrin, Artistic Director: The Interview
Tory Dobrin is the artistic director of The Trocks, a role he took on after first the company as a dancer in 1980.
Dobrin emphasizes that The Trocks are never about poking fun at the art form itself.
“We’re not mocking it. Our intention is not to mock it,” he explains. “It’s comedy using classical ballet.”
In their classic send up of Swan Lake, for example, in Act II, the focus is on the love story.
“You feature the relationship between the Swan Queen and the Prince,” Dobrin says, “then you give the Swans vaudeville [choreography]. We try to offer a variety of things to look at during the show,” he adds.
“We work too hard to make a mockery.”
As he points out, underneath the comedy, the dancers are still executing complicated and challenging choreography.
“Comedy actually gets a bad rap in a lot of ways,” he says. He notes the contrast between the respect given to the great dramatic artists of the golden era of film, like Laurence Olivier or Vivien Leigh, and the way that comedians of the time like The Marx Brothers and Gracie Allen are regarded. “They aren’t given the same kind of respect,” he says. “Also, there’s lot of different types of comedy.”
Some comedy hinges on the ridiculous and obvious, while other times, the effect is much more subtle. “We try to do the same thing, just give a lot of different types of comedy. We have 13 or 14 dancers, all who have their different individual things to offer.”
Metal Garden
The Toronto shows will feature the Canadian premiere of Metal Garden. Choreographer Seán Curran created the work back in 2001, a piece that challenges audience expectations and interpretation with elements like quirky entrances and exits. It’s a whimsical piece that he created for his own company.
“We actually just premiered it in June,” Tory says.
Adding contemporary works to their repertoire is part of keeping The Trocks’ output interesting for all audience members.
“Whatever we do, it has to work for a general audience,” Dobrin explains. That includes both dance enthusiasts and others who may be new to the art form — and the company itself. “We try to make it interesting for us as dancers.”
Curran’s work fit the company’s aesthetic to a T.
“He’s super quirky, and super funny. It seemed like a good choice to work with as an outside choreographer, which we don’t so often.”
Naturally, at first Dobrin wondered if the new piece would work for their audience.
“The audience loved it,” he says. “I don’t even know why they loved it — that’s the beauty of comedy,” he adds.
“We did add a few jokes. It is a very quirky ballet. It’s very enjoyable.”
Dobrin says The Trocks’ ballet master went to see the original version recently in NYC, as danced by Curran’s own company.
“They were doing the same choreography… and no one laughed.”
A Half Century of Trocks
“I’ve been involved since 1980,” Dobrin reflects. “Fifty years is a very long time.”
The company banks on the enduring appeal of both dance, and their unique version of it.
“The thing about it is, everyone likes comedy.” As he notes, dance is currently experiencing something of a challenge in North American and Europe in terms of finding and engaging audiences.
“Dance was very, very popular for a time,” he notes. Adding comedy gives the experience an entirely different flavour. “We actually offer a fun evening. You don’t have a lot of ‘fun’ evenings in ballet.”
One thing he wants to note in particular is their use of overall bright lighting for performances.
“If I have to go to a theatre and squint to see it, I don’t want to go back,” he adds.
There is always an audience for quality.
“I think the longevity is because it’s a very, very good show.”
Dobrin notes that the company has evolved along with the dancers. Today, they are all contemporary dance artists. “The emphasis is different.”
The Trocks are also an antidote to the often dark and heavy nature of many contemporary works in the worlds of both theatre and dance. “We offer something different.”
It’s also an ideal date night for a couple or groups of friends where some may already be dance aficionados, while others are comedy fans. Dobrin says their audiences include the usual dance crowd along with theatre lovers and the simply curious. “We attract a gay and lesbian audience, obviously.”
The company presents a diverse face to the audience in terms of performers, an eclectic group with a range of body types. Audiences are also multi-generational.
“We have a lot of kids now,” Troy says. “It’s not a children’s show. It’s a sophisticated dance performance, but kids love it,” he adds. “It’s super good introduction to ballet for kids.”
Final Thoughts: Dance
“I don’t know what is going on in Canada now, but things are pretty grim here,” Dobrin says. “In the United States, the presenters just aren’t presenting dance they way they used to.”
The Trocks’ comedy does give them an edge in this difficult environment.
“We’re maintaining ourselves, which is an accomplishment in this day and age.”
He says he has a standard answer when people ask him about future plans.
“I say, just surviving is enough.”
- Find show details and tickets for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in Toronto [HERE] and they’ll be performing in Montreal at the Place des Arts on October 16.
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