There are very few incontrovertible truths in the world of the arts, but Roberto Forleo has just hit on one. 'When you see a ballet dancer on stage who is delicate and feminine, but has a hairy chest, it looks funny,' says the dancer with the all-male company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, or the Trocks as they are commonly called. 'People tend to laugh.'
That's probably a good thing, as the Trocks inject their skilful interpretations of classical ballets with cheeky humour. Formed in New York in 1974, the company has made a name for itself by performing ballets such as Swan Lake with male dancers playing the female roles in drag. It's certainly hilarious, but they are not only camping it up: they treat their repertoire, which are often Russian in origin, with respect and they accurately dance choreographies created by ballet legends such as George Balanchine. The men even go 'on point' - dance on the tips of their toes. But the dancers, who are all trained in classical ballet, also make intentional mistakes and exaggerate movements to amuse ballet fans and novices alike.
'It's genuine choreography, but we add some comic touches,' says Forleo, who started appearing with the troupe in 2008. 'We respect the choreography of the Russian ballets and we are serious about the dancing. But we do things that break the moves. It's a balance between the real choreography and some humour.'
The men are convincing in their exotic costumes and tutus, he adds - so much so that audiences often forget they are not watching women. Part of the fun is reminding the audience of that fact: 'We do it so well that they sometimes forget we are not real women. So we will do something on stage to make that clear to them,' Forleo says.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was formed by dancers who wanted to have some fun with their art form. It originally featured some women members, but as the drag element became more prominent, they faded away; it is now an all-male and all-gay company. The repertoire includes well-known classics such as Giselle and The Nutcracker, but also features little known ballets from 19th-century Russia. (The company draws its inspiration from legendary Russian companies such as the Ballet Russes, and their name refers to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.) Some pieces, which gently satirise famous choreographies, have been created specially for the company.
The troupe is based in New York, but tours constantly around the globe. It recently completed an extensive tour of China, and is now back in Hong Kong for a third time to perform at the Academy for Performing Arts' Lyric Theatre.
