Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male drag ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet . The company's current artistic director is Tory Dobrin .
6-495: The dancers portray both male and female roles in a humorous style that combines parodies of ballet, posing, and physical comedy with "straighter" pieces intended to show off the performers' technical skills. Much of the humor is the male dancers performing en travesti in roles usually reserved for females, while wearing tutus and dancing en pointe . Prior to the founding of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, members of Charles Ludlam 's Ridiculous Theatre Company formed
12-569: A company called the Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company in 1972. This company included Larry Ree, Richard Goldberger, Lohr Wilson, Roy Blakey, Peter Anastos, Natch Taylor, and Anthony Bassae. They often performed at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan . Productions at La MaMa included Sobechenskaya Dances in 1972, multiple productions titled Ekathrina Sobechenskaya Dances with
18-589: The Commedia dell'arte . It is now sometimes incorporated into sitcoms ; for example, in the sitcom Three's Company , actor John Ritter frequently performed pratfalls . Cartoons, particularly film shorts, also commonly depict an exaggerated form of physical comedy (incorporating cartoon physics ), such as in Tom and Jerry and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner . Charlie Chaplin started his film career as
24-621: The Royal Variety Performance in front of Prince Charles . In 2017, the troupe were profiled in Bobbi Jo Hart 's documentary film Rebels on Pointe . From the classical repertoire Other works Solo works Physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy focused on manipulation of the body for a humorous effect. It can include slapstick , clowning , mime , physical stunts, or making funny faces. Physical comedy originated as part of
30-612: The Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company, in 1974. They initially produced small, late-night shows in off-off-Broadway spaces. The troupe's first show was on September 9, 1974 in a second-story loft on 14th Street in the Meatpacking District . After receiving a favorable review in The New Yorker by Arlene Croce , the company was discovered by a wider audience. The "Trocks" toured the world, with prolonged engagements in many major cities. In 2008, they performed at
36-634: The Troxadero Gloxinia Ballet Company in 1974, and Ekathrina Sobechenskaya Dances with the Original Trockadero Gloxinia Ballet Company in 1975. They continued to perform at La MaMa in 1976 and 1977, then returned in 1982, twice in 1987, and in 1990, with Madame Ekathrina Sobechenskaya's Original Trocadero Gloxinia Ballet . Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was co-founded by Peter Anastos, Natch Taylor, and Anthony Bassae, all of
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