Still looking for a Christmas present?
The perfect gift for an entertainment lover could be tickets to the world famous, all-male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Trocks). Returning to Vancouver, February 1, 2020 at 8pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this performance will showcase the Trocks’ wickedly absurd antics and serious dancing chops — featuring sly send-ups of beloved ballet classics and contemporary works. Infused with a heavy dose of highbrow hilarity, this antic-laden evening will offer audiences a chance to experience high-powered diva energy as the men strut their stuff in size 11 pointe shoes.
photo: Sascha Vaughn
Returning to Vancouver, February 1, 2020 at 8pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this performance will showcase the Trocks’ wickedly absurd antics and serious dancing chops — featuring sly send-ups of beloved ballet classics and contemporary works. Infused with a heavy dose of highbrow hilarity, this antic-laden evening will offer audiences a chance to experience high-powered diva energy as the men strut their stuff in size 11 pointe shoes.
“The Trocks offer a welcome respite from our challenging times” says Svetlana Dvoretsky, President & Executive Producer of Show One Productions. “In these difficult periods, this production is full of raucous humour and unbridled positivity. Indeed, audiences always have the time of their lives at Trocks’ performances. Whether they are laughing along with the company’s unique rendition of ballet favourites like Swan Lake or delighting at their take on contemporary dance, audiences frequently cite the group’s sensational comic timing and peerless ballet technique as the singular reason they keep coming back again and again.”
photo: Sascha Vaughn
Founded by a group of professional dancers in 1974, the New York-based company is dedicated to presenting lovingly crafted parodies of beloved ballet classics. Since its first performance, the company was lauded by audiences and critics alike, with rave reviews from around the globe. Trocks soon began a grand tradition of touring the world.
Today, the Trocks have performed in more than 30 countries and 500 cities worldwide, including Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Moscow (at the famed Bolshoi Theater), Paris (at the Chatelet Theater), Rome, Sydney, Tokyo, and Vienna.
The original concept of the Trocks has not changed since its founding 40 years ago. The company of male dancers performs a cross section of classical ballet and modern dance, with careful attention paid to the detailed constructs of dance styles that range from flamenco to folk. The Trocks re-interpret classical ballet favourites, as well as contemporary works by Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Pina Bausch, and much more.
The ensemble’s legendary comedy emerges by incorporating and exaggerating the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance. The fact that men dance all the parts — bodies delicately balancing en pointe as swans, sylphs, water sprites, romantic princesses, and angst-ridden Victorian ladies — enhances, rather than mocks, the spirit of dance as an art form, delighting and amusing both dance connoisseurs and novice audiences alike.
The Vancouver audience can expect the show to include The Trock’s mainstay Swan Lake, alongside Pas de Quatre, Dying Swan, and the Vancouver premiere of the contemporary work titled Walspurghisnacht, which was inspired by the Bolshoi Ballet and features music from the opera Faust. More modern works will be announced from the Queen E. stage.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo returns to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage, February 1, 2020. Tickets are on sale now at ticketstonight.ca