50 Years of Fabulous: How the Trocks Redefined Ballet and Continue to Empower the LGBTQ+ Community (2024)

For 50 years, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has shown the world that ballet can be gay, comic, fun and world-class all at the same time. The troupe will do so again — twice — when their anniversary tour rolls into the Detroit Opera House on Nov. 23 and 24. And, of course, they’ll be pulling out the stops to make the performances as exciting and memorable as possible.

Self-described as a gender-skewering comic ballet company that parodies the conventions of classical ballet, the Trocks, as they are affectionately known, have danced in some of the world’s finest ballet houses. The Trockaderos were founded in 1974, when the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 was still a vivid memory. Their early shows were in New York at a stage belonging to a gay and lesbian political organization. They soon attracted critical acclaim and joined the National Endowment for the Arts Touring Program. They’ve since appeared in 43 countries and more than 660 cities worldwide. Their artistic director, Tory Dobrin, has been with them for nearly 45 of their 50 years, having joined the company in 1980 for a South American tour.

“The guys who want to dance in Trockadero come for a variety of reasons, but the dominant, salient reason is that they’re comedians at heart,” Dobrin told Pride Source. “They’re the class clowns of the dance world.”

When choreographers create new pieces for them, Dobrin said he tells them to focus on making an engaging piece because the comedy will sprout naturally from the dancers.

“What’s important in terms of comedy is not to do the same jokes all night long,” Dobrin said. “The ballet master and I know the show very well and we try to mix everything up.”

In Detroit, they’ll be doing their signature piece — “Swan Lake, Act II.” It’s a crowd favorite featuring dancers who put a fresh spin on the classic, cleverly using its familiarity to incorporate unexpected moments of comedy.

“Then we just throw the entire kitchen sink of vaudeville jokes, of obvious jokes, of characterization jokes — everything goes into that ballet,” Dobrin added.

With their return to the Detroit Opera House for the first time since the 2000-2001 season, everyone associated with the Opera House is committed to creating a memorable visit. Jeremy Zeltzer, the chair of the Detroit Opera committee for the Trocks, helped produce events around their last visit and plans to outdo himself this time around.

On Nov. 8, there will be a screening of “Ballerina Boys,” the PBS movie about the company from 2021. Its co-director and producer, Martie Barylick, is flying in to introduce the film. The screening will include a cash bar and movie snacks. The day before the performances, the company will offer a master class. Then, Zeltzer said, the Opera House will host a 50th anniversary party after the performances.

“The cast and crew will be joining us in the Allesee Lounge at the Opera House with some of our patrons,” Zeltzer said.

As for the performances, the Opera House’s artistic advisor for dance, Jon Teeuwissen, calls them “serious fun.”

“This year, the Trocks are our only classical ballet offering — and I want to emphasize classical ballet,” Teeuwissen said, describing how the men dance en pointe and do many things that their female counterparts cannot. “The evolution of the company over the past 50 years is that they’ve become highly technically skilled.”

The Detroit Opera Orchestra will provide live music for the dancers, something that Teeuwissen said was the only true way to properly host a company of the Trocks’ stature.

“Considering that this is the 50th anniversary for the Trocks, we wanted to do it in a respectful way that presents them at their very best in the way that they deserve to be seen,” Teeuwissen said.

The Trocks convey the message that ballet is anything but boring. Teeuwissen cites “The Dying Swan” by Anna Pavlova — a historically significant piece that many people may know through its music but have never seen performed. The Trocks present it in a dynamic and engaging way.

“People enjoy the dance in a different way by [the Trocks] spoofing the dance while showing it at the same time,” Teeuwissen said. “Another perfect example is the dance of the four swans in “Swan Lake”…I don’t think anyone can watch it and not get a smile on their face seeing it done in a fun, whimsical way.”

The company’s artistic director assures audiences that they don’t need to know anything about ballet to enjoy the performances.

“If you know ballet, you might understand the depth of what we’re doing, which is way more complicated than it seems,” Dobrin said. “But we’re a comedy show first and foremost and we understand that the audience is coming to have a good time.”

While the show has long been cherished by the LGBTQ+ community, Dobrin noted that its fanbase extends beyond who you might expect.

“I’m going to stereotype a bit, but there’s the woman who loves ballet and she can bring her husband who hates ballet but loves comedy,” Dobrin said. “They can bring their children of whatever age — it’s a good introduction to ballet for children. There’s a lot of nets that we throw and capture people. We have a lot of seniors. It’s a really eclectic group.”

Dobrin said there didn’t used to be children in the audience when he joined in 1980 and now there are lots of children. Society has changed more than the dance company, he said. He recognized that, while their repertory has grown for a half century, so have advancements for the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’re an all-male comedy ballet company and that’s what we do,” Dobrin said. “The issues that are very predominant now, especially for a younger generation, we’ve been dealing with those issues since I joined…gender issues, what does it mean to be a man or a woman? How does the gay and lesbian dynamic fit into that? We’ve been dealing with those issues for decades. In that regard, society has caught up with us.”

He mentioned that the company has always showcased a diverse range of body types, skin tones, and ethnic backgrounds, with nearly 99 percent of the members identifying as gay.

“The gay community isn’t one block of people,” Dobrin said. “We’re all individuals and the audience has always appreciated that.”

While moving in classical ballet circles, Dobrin mentioned they’ve maintained close ties with the drag community. One dancer who was with their company for many years, Brooke Lynn Heights, was a finalist during season 11 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Zeltzer shared that for many years, the Trocks were an audacious presence in the off-off-off-Broadway scene, shaking up the ballet world while representing the LGBTQ+ community with artistic excellence.

“They became a worldwide sensation, but in the early days, they were touring small cities like South Bend, Indiana and really putting a good face on our community by doing so,” Zeltzer said.

While the Trocks have certainly evolved into an internationally respected, world-class company, Teeuwissen points out that what they are doing continues to be important because of the recent backlash against the LGBTQ+ community.

“Politicians have made an issue over storytelling by drag artists,” Teeuwissen said. “It’s ridiculous in my opinion, but it underscores that the company is still very relevant given the times we are in. They are serious in that they’re so technically proficient and that they’re fun in the parody that they do — but they’re also serious in the statement that they’re making about acceptance, particularly in today’s time when we have a significant amount of the population that is dealing with being non-binary or gender-bending.”

When it comes to the backlash against drag and the trans community, the Detroit Opera House has a simple response: “We’re presenting it and putting it on the stage,” Teeuwissen said, “which I think is the biggest statement we could possibly make.”