Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo

I saw this New York based group perform at The Joyce Theater two weeks ago (the troupe name, much like the fact that you are watching women perform, is misleading). The troupe is comprised of male ballerinas portraying both female ballerinas and a different male ballerina, performing a part from a classical ballet or modern dance piece. Basically one dude is playing another dude who is then portraying a lady or himself.
In the span of two hours I saw maybe seven separate pieces and while it was a shock to the conscience to see so many large, hulking men dressed as pretty princesses, it was a bit boring. The Trocks appealed to me for a myriad of reasons — athleticism, creativity and gender bending, chief among them (I have an affinity for drag culture and dance).
Unfortunately, the reality was that unless you are a hardcore ballet fan and understand every nuance of every part being mocked, their shenanigans were not particularly funny. Whether it was the diva ballerina, the preening and robotic lead male dancer or the weeping ingénue, their parody only held the promise of hilarity and no an actual follow through.
For the first half I felt as if the dancers were making a choice between skill and potential hilarity, but the second half actually had me believe that these were just ugly women who possessed the skill and strength of many of the female ballerinas I have seen in Lincoln Center. That being said, I gave them an extra star because in addition to performing for well over two hours in uncomfortable looking tutus, they spent the last five minutes of the show performing a Rockettes routine for us as it was Christmas Eve.
Again, I appreciate what was trying to be conveyed, but it did not appeal to me. If you are an avid ballet enthusiast, however, they are well worth checking out. I obtained $ 21 dollar discounted tickets through TDF but if you go to The Joyce Theater’s website the next time the Trocks perform you can obtain tickets as cheap as $ 10.