World-Renowned Comic Ballet Troupe To Perform At Brighton Dome

Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo, the all-male comic ballet company, known worldwide for their parodies of classical ballet, will perform at the Dome this September.

Their performance in Brighton on September 23 and 24 will be their first here in seven years and is part of their 2022 UK tour.

As well as their "immaculate technique" and "flawless performances", the dancers, hailing from China, Cuba, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the US, also have perfect comic timing, taking on both male and female roles with sass and a great deal of spoof.

And there's no better place for this diverse group to perform, than the UK's capital of diversity, Brighton.

Anyone who's enjoyed what the nightlife has to offer here, knows Brighton's famous for its excellent drag acts and general spirit of "anything goes".

And just as typical drag acts each have their own persona, the Trocks have their own performer alter egos.

Olga Supphozova, Jacques D’Aniels, Holly Dey-Abroad, Minnie Van Driver, Timur Legupski and Ludmila Beaulemova, to name a few.

But it's not all about the laughs. The Trocks come from a background that has been committed to providing a stage for dancers often underrepresented in classical ballet, "due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, size, social class, race and ethnicity," for almost 50 years.

Their dancers do not fit into typical ballet-dancer conventions and that's the whole point - they're proudly committed to achieving full diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility "in the ballet world, within our own company and within the world at large".

Which is what makes them so special.

The group formed in New York in 1974 as a downtown drag act in the wake of the Stonewall uprising.

Their early performances were held on a makeshift stage at the NYC LGBTQ rights organisation known as the West Side Discussion Group - an offshoot of one of the first LGBTQ rights groups in the US.

But things have changed a lot since the 70s - including their audiences.

As The Trocks’ Artistic Director Tory Dobrin explained to The Times:  

“We have a built-in gay audience but today our audience is much broader. There were no kids in our theatres in 1980 and now we have children coming to our shows. A woman who loves ballet can bring her husband who hates ballet, and they can bring their parents who are elderly and don’t go out much, and everyone can enjoy it.” 

The Trocks’ tour programme includes Le Lac des Cygnes (Swan Lake Act II), Vivaldi Suite and Raymonda’s Wedding. There will also be a free post-show discussion with the cast after Friday’s performance. 

Dance fans are also invited to attend an on-stage workshop with The Trocks on Saturday 24 September at 1pm.

Those lucky enough to book a place will enjoy a short dance warm-up and learn steps from the Dying Swan solo, famously performed by ballerina Anna Pavlova and given a Trocks comic twist.

The workshop is suitable for all ages, including families, and no dance experience is necessary, though places are limited.  

To book performances visit https://brightondome.org/event/29255/les_ballets_trockadero_de_monte_carlo/ 

For workshop bookings visit https://brightondome.org/event/30231/the_dying_swan_workshop/