Dance: Joyful mischief

Dance Consortium presents
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
artistic director Tory Dobrin
dancers Vincent Brewer, Harrison Broadbent, Raydel Caceres, Robert Carter, AJ David, Matias Dominguez Escrig, Andrea Fabbri, Peter Gwiazda, Liam Hutt, Antonio Lopez, Jake Speakman, Takaomi Yoshino
lighting Isaac Castillo
costumes Mike Gonzales, Jeffrey Sturdivant
UK & Ireland tour • 30.Apr-24.Jun.26 ★★★★

Based in New York, this world-famous international company returns to London as part of its 50th anniversary UK tour. Frankly, seeing the Trocks is essential for any dance fan, as this all-male company perform big pieces in ways that combine top-notch skill with hilarious pastiche. They continually poke fun at choreography, music and the history of classical ballet, while also showing how seriously they take their craft. And they fill the theatre with a joyously diva-like attitude.

The programme opens with their now-iconic take on Swan Lake Act II, with Tchaikovsky's music and Lev Ivanovich Ivanov's choreography, as the swan Queen Odette (Jake Speakman) and human Prince Siegfried (Andrea Fabbri) attempt to outfox the evil Rothbart (Robert Carter) so they can have a happy ever after. The gloriously evocative dance is performed with witty flourishes, exaggerated poses and riotous asides, including as Odette's annoyance at Siegfried's interloping friend Benno (Antonio Lopez) and Rothbart's Palpatine like power zaps.

After the first interval, the Sadler's Wells shows feature Le Corsaire pas de deux, with music by Riccardo Drigo and choreography after Vakhtang Chabukiani, in which a woman (Peter Gwiazda) is pursued by a pirate (Raydel Caceres). Her movement is graceful, his is more athletic, and this distinction becomes increasingly noticeable as he strikes muscular poses that increasingly put her off. This is followed by Metal Garden, with free flowing choreography by Seán Curran, in which the company expertly uses movement that both celebrates and parodies modern ballet. The silly walks are particularly memorable. This section closes with the Trocks' most memorable piece: The Dying Swan, passionately performed by prima ballerina Olga Supphozova (Carter).

Finally, Paquita features music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography after Marius Petipa, staged on a grand scale with the whole company in motion around a romance between sparky lead ballerina (Takaomi Yoshino) and her rather dopey blond cavalier (Caceres). When he misses a lift, she makes him do pushups for penance. And the dancers around them seem to be trying just a little too hard to get everything just right. So when they get it right, it's dazzling.

While there are sequences in which the entire company is beautifully synchronised, many moments feature footwork that's amusingly askance. Rogue dancers break formation for various reasons, keeping the audience giggling helplessly. This includes at least two proper pratfalls, a couple of grudge-matches, some eyebrow-raising flirtation and lots of showing off. But for each time someone falls over, other scenes take the breath away with sheer physical skill. The spins are especially impressive. The clever thing about this company is the way they project feminine charm with masculine undertones. And their undiluted happiness is infectious.

For information and tour dates, LES BALLETS TROCKADERO >

photos by Christopher Gagliardi, Vito Lorusso,
 José Luis Marrero Medina, Roberto Ricci

Sadler's Wells, 5.May.26

Flare 5: Stand out from the crowd

The 32nd BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival is entering its final days, and there's a sense of exhaustion among the journalists who have been trying to see as many films as possible, starting each morning with a 10am press screening and usually finishing with a bit of a dance at 11pm in the BFI Southbank cafe. But the weather has taken a wet turn, so where else would you rather be? Here are a few highlights (pictured above are Laverne Cox, Abigail Breslin, Alex Lawther and AnnaSophia Robb)...

Freak Show
dir Trudie Styler; with Alex Lawther, Ian Nelson 17/US ****
While it might be a bit arch, pushing to make its point, this film has such a strong message about identity that it's both powerfully moving and deeply important. Anchored by an offbeat, beautifully textured performance from Alex Lawther, it's a story about a colourful teen who simply refuses to fit in at his high school, which leads to both triumphs and serious challenges. And it's gorgeously shot by Dante Spinotti.

Alaska Is a Drag
dir-scr Shaz Bennett; with Martin L Washington Jr, Maya Washington 17/US ***.
Expanded from a 2012 short, this warm drama centres on three people who feel trapped in the middle of nowhere, trying to make life a bit more colourful than it is. It's a gently involving story, with strongly sympathetic characters who are very well-played by a fresh cast. So it's charming and moving. And even with some rather insistent plot points, it raises important issues without ever preaching about them.

Malila: The Farewell Flower
dir Anucha Boonyawatana; with Sukollawat Kanarot, Anuchit Sapanpong 17/Tha ****
This odyssey from Thailand weaves together themes from religion, politics and sexuality as it follows a young man on a profound voyage of self-discovery. It's not a traditional narrative, instead occupying more in a spiritual space, including a touch of magical realism, and it moves at the pace of a slow-flowing river. But it's beautiful to look at, provocative in its ideas and ultimately moving in what it has to say.

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco 
dir-scr James Crump; with Bill Cunningham, Jessica Lange 17/UK ****
A fast-paced, skilful portrait of an artist who isn't very well-known outside fashion circles, this film is infused with the sensuality of its 1970s period. Through lively, expressive interviews and a wealth of footage and stills, Antonio Lopez springs to life before our eyes, making us wish we had a chance to get to know him, because he seems like someone we'd probably fall in love with, just like everyone else did... FULL REVIEW >

LFF: Kick back on Day 12

Well, it's all over for another year, so I can start to get back to normal life now. Tonight's closing film is Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (that's Sam Rockwell above), with the usual red carpet premiere and gala party after. But for me it's been about the films, and there have been some great ones (plus a few duds). And as always, there is a long list of movies that I desperately wanted to see but couldn't fit into my schedule. Here are the winners of the festival's official juried awards, my 10 best films (including some I had seen previously), and a final collection of highlights...

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2017 AWARDS

• Best Film: LOVELESS
• Doc (Grierson Award): KINGDOM OF US
• First Feature (Sutherland Award): THE WOUND
• BFI Fellowship: Paul Greengrass

MY BEST OF THE FEST 2017:

1. A FANTASTIC WOMAN
2. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
3. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
4. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
5. 120 BEATS PER MINUTE
6. LOVELESS
7. LAST FLAG FLYING
8. LEAN ON PETE
9. THE FLORIDA PROJECT
10. CUSTODY

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
dir-scr Martin McDonagh; with Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson 17/US *****
Writer-director Martin McDonaugh is on blistering form with this fiendishly clever personal drama, which arrives masquerading as a funny, violent police thriller. With take-no-prisoners performances from the entire cast, particularly a storming Frances McDormand, the film tackles our angry world head-on with a surprisingly heartfelt plea for compassion. And it approaches the riveting story and pungent themes with remarkable honesty... FULL REVIEW >

Zama
dir-scr Lucrecia Martel; with Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Lola Duenas 17/Arg ***
This is a fairly difficult movie even by the standards of adventurous Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel. An existential odyssey based on the 1956 novel by Antonio Di Benedetto, it simply refuses to coalesce into any kind of sensible narrative as the title character's life becomes a swirling nightmare of bureaucracy and cross-cultural messiness. And that's actually the point. At least it's fascinating, beautifully shot and acted, and packed with witty satire... FULL REVIEW >

The Prince of Nothingwood
dir Sonia Kronlund; with Salim Shaheen, Sonia Kronlund 17/Fr ****
A fly-on-the-wall look at prolific Afghan filmmaker Salim Shaheen, this documentary is both playful and chilling in the way it explores the life of a colourful man and a nation's momentous history. French-Swiss journalist Sonia Kronlund follows Shaheen into some rarely seen parts of Afghanistan, which he calls "Nothingwood" due to his no-budget filmmaking style. It's an entertaining and eye-opening film.

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco
dir-scr James Crump; with Bill Cunningham, Jessica Lange 17/US 1h30 ****
A fast-paced, skilful portrait of an artist who isn't very well-known outside fashion circles, this film is infused with the sensuality of its 1970s period. Through lively, expressive interviews and a wealth of footage and stills, Antonio Lopez springs to life before our eyes, making us wish we had a chance to get to know him, because he seems like someone we'd probably fall in love with just like everyone else did.