Touring through seven cities in almost as many days throughout Florida, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo closes out the Arsht Center’s 2014-15 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season-Signature Dance Series on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.
For this historic 40th anniversary world tour, the Trocks, as they are affectionately known, will perform the classic Swan Lake Act II, a Balanchine send up titled Go for Barocco, and Paquita.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo closes out the Arsht Center's 2014-15 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season-Signature Dance Series on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.
Founded in 1974, the company had humble beginnings, performing late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts. Fast forward 25 years, the Trocks performed at Lincoln Center as part of its “Out of Doors” festival, which the company claims “was the largest single audience for a dance performance in Lincoln Center’s history.”
For those new to this company, one of the unique aspects is that the entire troupe is made up of all men, dancing both male and female roles, in both parody of, and in the tradition of, classical ballet and modern dance repertory. Their renditions are both faithful and humorous, as the dancers exaggerate the pathos and the foibles from well-loved ballets.
But the parody works so well because it rests on a strong foundation of technique and tribute to the art form and history. If it is true that we make fun of that which we love, then the Trocks show evidence of sincere affection.
Dancing with the company for 11 years, Chase Johnsey is the first person in Les Ballets Trockadero to join directly from ballet school. At the age of 17, he was hired as an apprentice, and a few months later was offered a regular contract with the company.
In 2008, Dance Magazine named the Winter Haven, Fla., native one of the “25 Dancers to Watch” and he has danced most of the featured roles in the company, and on pointe. Johnsey shared some of his experience with the company.
When did you start to learn the classical repertory that you dance for the company?
Chasey Johnson in male role.
Most of my ballet education came from Ballets Trockadero. Because I joined at such a young age, I was quite naive, and in order to be a Trock you have to know the history, style, and storyline of every ballet you dance. As far as the steps, the Trocks have a definite style of our own. It is very Russian and over dramatized, and I had to learn how to dance like that.
What was your personal experience in training to dance on pointe?
I had two teachers that actually encouraged me to become a Trock, George Lyssenko and Martha Faesi. They helped me dance safely on pointe, and to learn the basics. When I got to the Trocks, I realized the rules are different for men on pointe, and thank god Trockadero has 40 years of experience to help with that. Men hold all of our weight in our shoulders. Therefore, our center of gravity is much higher than women. That is a major factor that we have to deal with. Also, men have a lot more muscle tension than women, so men tend to muscle through everything. This is one of the amazing elements of our show, but we want to do it safely.
Do you think new audiences are surprised to see the advanced level of technique to the ballet art form, and not just parody?
Chasey Johnson in female role.
Honestly, Trockadero is an ever-evolving thing. The technical level of the company has vastly improved to the point that some critics say that we do more things on pointe than some women. It is surprising to see that we aren’t just funny, but that we actually do the steps justice.
Do you think a company like Les Ballets Trockadero plays into the larger social-political arena of gender politics, or is it merely entertainment?
I personally think so, but not in the ways that some advocates for gender and sexuality politics do. We do bring gay culture, in the way of drag, all over the world. [But] we are not making political statements about gender equality or marriage laws. We are simply making a parody of classical ballet, and showing people a good time. In my opinion, I always hope that some people leave the theater and no longer identify us by sexuality. I hope they just identify us by these group of men who “made me laugh until I cried.” That in itself is equality to me.
Les Ballets Trockadero of Monte Carlo performs at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; Tickets $25 - $100; www.arshtcenter.org.
Miguel Angel Estefan, Jr. is a writer/critic for artburstmiami.com.
