Men in tights and tutus? Yes! It's the internationally renowned Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo pirouetting back into town on Friday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. at the Calumet Theatre. With high kicks and high jinks, this all-male troupe spoofs all that is held sacred (by some, anyway) in classical ballet. Tickets are now on sale-see below.
Unless you saw them ten years ago when Michigan Tech last brought the Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo to the Calumet Theatre or you've seen the Trocks elsewhere, you've never seen stuff strutted quite like this. Be sure to read the program before the show begins. With a list of names like Fifi Barkova, Tatania Youbetyabootskaya, Maya Thickenthighya, Ida Nevasayneva, Kilroy Wazir and Dimitri Legupski, you're somewhat prepared for what is to come. And it is indeed a sight to see! With hairy chests rising above frilly tutus and pointe shoes, they adjust their tiaras, bat their mile-long eyelashes, pout their luscious lips, and dance up a storm.
But for all their slapstick, teetering pirouettes, early and late entrances, on-stage collisions, falling wigs, and molting feathers, these guys can really dance, and quite often end up in the right place at the right time. They are, after all, trained dancers who know the ballets well, and who know ballet culture. Although they are true to the choreography and technique of classical Russian ballet, they see all the possibilities for satire and parody, and they know how to time the jokes to break up the musical flow. They send up the temperamental diva with elaborate curtsies and too many curtain calls. They make fun of the ridiculous plot lines-evil wizards who go around turning girls into swans, and the dim-witted prince who falls in love with the swan queen. They exaggerate the stylized gestures in their classic truly-terminal Dying Swan, who molts copiously in her death throes, to make it the funniest three minutes of ballet on record.
The Trocks started out in 1974 when a group of ballet enthusiasts put together an entertaining parody of classical dance. At first they performed in Off-Off Broadway lofts, garnering rave reviews that quickly established the company as an artistic and popular success. They now work as any conventional ballet company works-with ballet mistress, daily class and rehearsals. There is one major difference-they can't buy their giant size-eleven toe shoes off the shelf; they are custom made, and they travel with caseloads of them. And they prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that men can dance en-pointe! Five tours of South America and Mexico, eighteen tours in Europe, fourteen in Canada and Japan (where they enjoy the passion of a huge fan club), have established the Trocks as a major dance phenomenon throughout the world. They've also made numerous television appearances, including a show-stopper romp with Miss Piggy and Kermit on Muppet Babies, and full length specials in Japan and Germany. They have survived as a company for twenty-six years largely due to their genuine talent as dancers and physical comedians, and their intelligent and affectionate send-up of the traditional conventions of ballet. For tickets call the Performing Arts Ticket Center at 487-3200 (Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.), stop by the Memorial Union Box Office (Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) or the SDC Central Ticket Office (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.), or the Calumet Theatre (337-2610, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.).
This event has been made possible by funding from the Committee for Campus Enrichment and the Michigan Tech Fund with production assistance from the MTU Student Entertainment Board. This is a Heartland Arts Fund program. The Heartland Arts Fund is a collaborative venture of Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and their member state arts agencies (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin) with primary funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and support from private contributors.