“EVERY time the curtain opens, we represent progress for equality. We just do it dancing.”
Trailblazing drag ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo started out in 1974 as a downtown drag act in the wake of the Stonewall Riots. Nearly 50 years on, The Trocks are loved worldwide for their hilarious parodies of the conventions of classical ballet.
Over the years they’ve shared their signature style and message of equality and inclusion with audiences, providing
a stage for dancers often under-represented in ballet, due to sexual orientation, gender identity, size, class, race or ethnicity. The company’s 16 dancers, from China, Cuba, Italy, Japan, Spain, America and Switzerland, pair immaculate technique with impeccable comic timing, taking on multiple roles, male and female. Each dancer has their own alter ego - among them Olga Supphozova, Timur Legupski and Ludmila Beaulemova.
Next month The Trocks are in Bradford with their show featuring classical ballets, modern works and music by the likes of Tchaikovsky and Chopin. The Trocks are a joy to watch. While laugh-out-loud-funny, their performances are seriously underpinned with great skill, knowledge and respect for the original repertoire.
The Trocks’ tour is presented by Dance Consortium, a group of venues in the UK and Ireland, including Bradford’s Alhambra theatre, bringing a diverse range of international dance to audiences.
Dancer Giovanni Goffredo joined The Trocks in 2013 but is known for more than his pirouettes and arabesques. Known as Gianni, he and his partner Matthew were on TV’s Couples Therapy in 2021. Stepping out of the corps de ballet into the TV spotlight was a shock for Gianni. “Even in New York where we live, I’d be recognised three times a week on the street. I went to Australia in March and there were people who had watched the show there. It’s been overwhelming,” he says. I wasn’t expecting this when we went into it but I’m happy. Relationships can be tough, but we’re in a much better place because of the show. It’s been a wonderful journey. The amount of people who reached out to us was amazing.”
Originally from Bari in Italy, Gianni joined The Trocks as a young dancer. “It was my first job - I got to perform all over the world. It was pretty exciting,” he recalls. “Trockadero is one of a kind. In countries all over the world drag is something very special and that’s what makes this show unique and wonderful - classical ballet with a twist.
“It’s comedy and people come to have a laugh but also to watch high-level classical dancing. We’re all trained in the most prestigious schools around the world.”
Gianni took a break from The Trocks in 2017 to develop his skills as a freelance artist, but he missed being a Trock so he returned last year. “It’s wonderful being back to travelling internationally again, especially after Covid,” he says.
“I’m getting the chance to dance roles I haven’t performed before. I enjoy the challenge. I’m dancing the lead role in Vivaldi Suite which is a beautiful ballet. I’m on stage from the beginning to the very end, the whole piece is spectacular.”
Taking a break meant Gianni had to get used to dancing in pointe shoes again.“I’d never done pointe work before I joined the company and that was a challenge to begin with. Now I have to get back the strength in my feet and my ankles to prevent injuries from pointe shoes.”
The Trocks have led the way in high-quality drag; an artform now in the mainstream thanks to TV shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race. Says Gianni: “When I joined Trockadero I didn’t really know what drag was. The company started doing this in 1974, that’s a long time ago. Now, with Drag Race, it’s everywhere. It has helped people in the community to come out and for more people to understand it.”
The Trocks, he says, also inspire people to take up dance: “We bring different repertoire, it’s not like watching a full-length ballet. On this tour, you’ll get the famous second act of Swan Lake, a surprise pas de deux, perhaps a modern work, then there’s Vivaldi Suite inspired by Balanchine and finally the wedding scene from Raymonda which I think is a masterpiece! I remember my father coming to see Trockadero and he said it was the first show he hadn’t fallen asleep in! We reach out to new audiences, from kids to older people.”
Gianni, 29, went to his first ballet class aged five but, discovering he was the only boy there, he took up sports instead. When he was 12 he went to see his sister dance in a show and was hooked. “I told my mum that was what I wanted to do and she said ‘OK, I’ll sign you up for dance classes’. My teacher saw that I was talented and said I should audition for a more professional school.”
Aged 14, Gianni left home to attend classes in Naples and was invited to join La Scala Theatre Ballet School in Milan. A year after moving to Milan he landed a place at the Ballett-Akademie in Munich and later won a scholarship to New York. “I was young and it was exciting, but when I think about it, I can’t believe I did all that, being away from my family and them having the courage to send me I’m grateful they supported me,” says Gianni.
This will be his second visit to the UK: “I’m very excited. I enjoy the food and pubs and l love the accent - although I can’t always understand it!”
Fun facts about the world’s most fabulous drag comedy dance company:
* The Trocks aren’t from Monte Carlo - they’re from New York where they started as a downtown drag act;
* They’ve performed in more than 41 countries on 130 tours;
* In 2019 they racked up nearly 62,000 miles on tour. Multiply that by the number of dancers and they could have sent a dancer to the moon and back twice!
* The Trocks tour with 60 costumes, 80 pairs of earrings and 110 sets of false eyelashes. It takes each Trock 90 minutes to put on their make-up - and 60 minutes to take it off again;
* They have danced with Muppets legends Miss Piggy and Kermit;
* They’ve performed their signature Dying Swan, over 3,500 times;
* A night at The Trocks has been described as “one of the most entertaining shows on planet Earth”.
* The Trocks are at the Alhambra Friday, October 14 (post-show Q&A with company members) and Saturday, October 15. Call (01274) 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk
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