DANCE | ALBUQUERQUE
Raising the barre: Comedic drag ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo come to Popejoy
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Think ballet is stuffy and boring? You haven鈥檛 seen The Trocks.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, affectionately known as the Trocks, bill themselves as 鈥渢he world鈥檚 foremost gender-skewering comic ballet company.鈥� Founded in 1974, not in Monte Carlo but New York City, their name is a nod to the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, a famous 20th century ballet company.
The Trocks鈥� hilarious reinterpretations of 鈥淪wan Lake鈥� and other famous ballets combine technical virtuosity with over-the-top acting and slapstick.
鈥淭he choreography we鈥檙e doing is very particular, even the comic relief,鈥� Antonio Lopez, an Albuquerque native who joined The Trocks last year, said. 鈥淲hat you see at first is the presentation of very serious dancers 鈥� no matter male- or female-presenting 鈥� and then, once we build up enough of that seriousness within our dancing, within the style of whatever ballet we鈥檙e doing 鈥� we build up the tension in order to release it at an opportune moment that the audience, trained or not, isn鈥檛 expecting.鈥�
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will perform at Popejoy Hall on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Besides parodying the tropes of classical ballet, The Trocks are unique in that the dancers dress in drag and perform both male and female parts. They are sometimes called an all-male drag ballet troupe, although some of the current members, including Lopez, identify as nonbinary.
鈥淭he group of dancers I鈥檓 working with now are the most diverse and open-minded I鈥檝e ever worked with,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淪ome of us are nonbinary, and we鈥檙e in a world where we have to really demand our own space, because society doesn鈥檛 always have a space for us (other than) the one we make for ourselves. So, my coworkers are very skilled in regard to how they navigate society. They鈥檙e also really fun to work with. 鈥� We are kind of a group of outcasts who鈥檝e come together.鈥�
Lopez described traditional ballet as 鈥渧ery gendered鈥� and said The Trocks allowed them much more freedom.
鈥淚 was always told that my 鈥榩ort de bras鈥� 鈥� the carriage of my arms 鈥� was too soft, too fluid. It鈥檚 almost like my expression was on the more feminine side anyway,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淪o, instead of trying to shake myself off and fit into a box that had me presenting more masculine all the time, it鈥檚 actually celebrating my uniqueness, to show the fluidity and the femininity within ballet.鈥�
Lopez has not danced in Albuquerque in about a decade.
鈥淚鈥檓 terrified,鈥� they said. 鈥淵es, I鈥檓 looking forward to it, for the opportunity that I get to be home and perform, period. Yet, there is a larger part of me that is absolutely afraid of scrutiny, or being seen as something I鈥檓 not.鈥�
Lopez said it was difficult growing up queer in a conservative environment, but many of the people they grew up with have become more accepting over time.
Lopez said they expect a number of old friends and family to attend the performance.
鈥淚 believe they鈥檙e going to have the time of their lives,鈥� Lopez said.
The dancer hopes performances like these can help lessen the stigma of being queer and nonbinary in a way that鈥檚 fun and approachable.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to talk about, because there鈥檚 a lot of conservative families who have very expressive kids, and they don鈥檛 know what to do with them,鈥� Lopez said.
Audiences coming to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo can expect to laugh, Lopez said, but also be inspired and amazed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 acting, it鈥檚 dancing, it鈥檚 live theater. It鈥檚 always different,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rainbow of a show 鈥� every color you can imagine.鈥�
Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the Albuquerque Journal. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .
