Fokine must have had little notion when he created this solo for Anna Pavlova in 1905, that it would become, in later years, her signature dance and perhaps the most famous solo ballet. Les Ballets Trockadero offers its own distinctive interpretation of the terminal fowl.

More information: 

www.trockadero.org

www.belairmedia.com 

Tory Dobrin is the artistic director of the American all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.  He first joined the Trocks (as they are widely known) in 1980 as a dancer.

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
   On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
       - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
       - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
       - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
       - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

       - He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Creation: 1974

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte-Carlo were created in 1974 by a group of some of the most brilliant American ballet dancers, who wished to offer the public a fun-filled, entertaining vision of traditional classical ballet in the shape of parody and cross-dressing (drag). The company initially performed in late-night shows in Broadway's very small off-off venues. The Trocks, as they became affectionately known, rapidly hit the headlines, inspiring rave articles, including one by Arlene Croce in the New Yorker and reviews in the New York Times and the Village Voice, which helped gain artistic success and become highly popular. As early as 1975, the Trocks, combining their irreproachable dance technique and knowledge and their ever-so irresistible humour, whilst demonstrating, to everyone's amazement, that men could really perform pointework without losing their balance, attracted attention far and wide beyond the New York scene. Articles and adverts in Variety, Oui, The London Daily Telegraph, as well as photos by Richard Avedon in Vogue, proved the popularity of the troupe both nationally and internationally.

The 1975/76 season represented a major turning point for the troupe as they became totally professional. They appointed an expert management team, a full-time dance teacher and a ballet master to supervise the daily rehearsals and the classes and were supported by the National Endowment for The Arts Touring Program. During this same season, the Trocks began their first major tours of the United States and Canada, packing, unpacking and repacking tutus and accessories and ordering giant-sized ballet shoes. Rushing to catch a plane or a bus that had been specially chartered quickly became part and parcel of daily life for the whole troupe!

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte-Carlo never once changed their artistic orientation since the day they were created. They can perform any piece of work from the classical ballet and modern dance repertoire with absolute ease, and strive to adhere to the spirit of the original choreography as well as the myriad of choreographic styles. But as regards parody: they specifically emphasize certain comical aspects of the academic dance and offer the public highly-personalized performances of the great classics. They incorporate and exaggerate the mannerisms, accidents and incongruities of dance which is commonly referred to as “serious”. From “Giselle” to “Le lac des cygnes” (Swan Lake), from “Paquita” to “Don Quichotte”, choreographies created by Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham, George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham, the Trocks dance every single role and never shy away from any step, any difficulty. Their hulky bodies, balancing delicately on the tips of their toes, representing swans, sylphs, elves, water sprites, romantic princesses or angst-ridden Victorian ladies… enhances rather than mocks the spirit of dance and banishes any form of vulgarity for the benefit of irresistible comedy. From neophytes to the most learned connoisseurs, no-one can resist the hilarious extravagancies of these boys in drag who offer us a symphony of irreproachable dance knowledge and technique and overwhelming vaudeville humour.

Source : Maison de la Danse show program

More information

trockadero.org