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.
photos by Christopher Gagliardi, Vito Lorusso,
José Luis Marrero Medina, Roberto Ricci
Sadler's Wells, 5.May.26
