For one night only, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo return to the Auditorium Theatre in the Windy City for the first time in twenty-five years. On February 11, 2023, the all-male dance troupe will perform a program that is sure to provoke sounds of awe and laughter.
The Trocks combine classical ballet technique, comedy, and drag to draw audiences to the edge of their seats while watching the company perform everything from excerpts of famous classical ballets as well as modern and commissioned pieces.
“Here at the Auditorium Theatre, we take dance seriously!” says Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan, “which is why we are excited to present The Trocks – who are both serious dancers and seriously hilarious – to our audiences. The Trocks will spark delight for studied ballet aficionados and dance newbies alike.”
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Return to the Auditorium Theatre
Le Lac Des Cygnes (Swan Lake, Act II)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography after Lev Ivanovich Ivanov
Swept up into the magical realm of swans (and birds), this elegiac phantasmagoria of variations and ensembles in line and music is the signature work of Les Ballets Trockadero. Perhaps the world’s best-known ballet, its appeal seems to stem from the mysterious and pathetic qualities of the heroine juxtaposed with the canonized glamour of 19th century Russian ballet.
Cast:
- Benno – Tino Xirau-Lopez (friend and confidant to)
- Prince Siegfried - Dmitri Legupski (who falls in love with)
- Swan Queen – Varvara Laptopova (Queen of the)
- Swans – Artists of the Trockadero (all of whom got this way because of)
- Von Rothbart – Yuri Smirnov (an evil wizard who goes about turning girls into swans)
Go for Barocco
Music by J.S. Bach
Choreography by Peter Anastos
Stylistic heir to Balanchine’s Middle-Blue-Verging-On-Black-and-White Period, this ballet has become a primer in identifying stark coolness and choreosymphonic delineation in the new(neo) neo-new classic dance. It has been called a wristwatch for Balanchine clock-time.
Cast:
- First Movement (Moderato) – Eugenia Repelskii and Helen Highwaters with Minnie van Driver, Ludmila Beaulemova, Maria Clubfoot, and Grunya Protazova
- Second Movement (Adagio) – Eugenia Repelskii and Helen Highwaters
- Third Movement (Allegro) – All
Paquita
Music by Ludwig Minkus
Choreography after Marius Petipa
Staged by Elena Kunikova
Paquita is a superb example of the French style as it was exported to Saint Petersburg in the late 19th Century. Choreographer Petipa commissioned Ludwig Minkus, to write additional music added to the original work. The resulting Pas de Trois and a Grand Pas de Deux are the only fragments of Paquita that have been preserved. The dancers display a range of choreographic fireworks, which exploit the virtuoso possibilities of academic classical dance, enriched by the unexpected combinations of steps.
Cast:
- Ballerina and Cavalier – Nadia Doumiafeyva and Jacques d’Aniels
- Variation 1 - Maria Clubfoot
- Variation 2 – Minnie van Driver
- Variation 3 – Elvira Khababgallina
- Variation 4 – Ludmila Beaulemova
- Variation 5 – Varvara Laptoova
- Variation 6 – Nadia Doumiafeyva
Featured Photo of Eugenia Repelskii (Joshua Thake) of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in The Dying Swan. Photo by Marcello Orselli.
