The Trocks Will Perform at London's Peacock Theatre in May

From Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 May, the iconic Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, aka the Trocks, are back in their London home from home, Sadler's Wells' Peacock Theatre, at the start of a 14-venue UK tour presented by Dance Consortium. Fresh from celebrating their 50th anniversary, the Trocks continue to delight and thrill audiences around the world with their parodies of classical ballet - performed with impeccable technique and fabulous comic timing. 
 
The company's blend of satire, subversion and slapstick is rooted in their love for, and deep knowledge of, Classical and Romantic ballet on which their repertoire is based.  In London, the programme will be Swan Lake; a surprise Pas de Deux or solo; Metal Garden (UK premiere); The Dying Swan; Paquita.
 
Swan Lake and The Dying Swan are signature works for the Trocks. Swan Lake, first performed in 1877, is probably the best-known ballet in the world. The Trocks' version is a fabulous phantasmagoria of variations and ensembles which sweeps its audience into a magical realm of swans (and perhaps some other birds). The company's hilarious (and touching version) of The Dying Swan, the solo created for Anna Pavlova in 1905, features in all its programmes. It's probably no exaggeration to say that it has become as iconic as the original.

London sees the UK premiere of Metal Garden with choreography by Seán Curran. Working closely with the Trocks dancers, Curran has reimagined a work he originally created for his own company two decades ago. Quirky, contemporary and set to a percussive score, it now has added pointe work and full-on Trocks attitude.
 
The evening ends with Paquita, a bravura ballet which premiered at the Paris Opera in 1846. Expect choreographic fireworks delivered with conviction as the company's dancers exploit the virtuoso possibilities of this pièce de resistance from the classical canon.
 
The company's dancers famously take on a kaleidoscope of roles performed by their male danseur and female ballerina alter egos.  On this tour the fourteen dancers are: Olga Supphozova and Yuri Smirnov (Robert Carter); Varvara Laptopova and Boris Dumbkopf (Takaomi Yoshino); Grunya Protazova & Marat Legupski (Salvador Sasot Sellart); Holly Dey-Abroad and Bruno Backpfeifengesicht (Felix Molinero del Paso); Colette Adae and Timur Legupski (Jake Speakman); Blagovesta Zlotmachinskaya and Mikhail Mudkin (Raydel Caceres); Gerd Törd and Pavel Törd (Matias Dominguez Escrig); Tatiana Youbetyabootskaya and Araf Legupski (Andrea Fabbri); Moussia Shebarkarova and Vyacheslau Legupski (Vincent Brewer); Minnie Van Driver and William Vanilla (Liam Hutt); Maya Thickenthighya and Roland Deaulin (Peter Gwiazda); Marina Plezegetovstageskaya and Jacques d'Aniels (Antonio Lopez); Vera Vidludik and Nicholas Khachafallenjar (A.J. David); Heidi Kleine and Polykarp Legupski (Harrison Broadbent).
 
Tory Dobrin, who joined Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo as a dancer in 1980 and became the company's artistic director in 1992, said: “Our tours to the UK are one of the highlights of our calendar.  The enthusiasm and expertise of the audience is unmatched. We have been to the Peacock many times over the years, it is home away from home for us. The quirkiness of the intimate space really lends itself to the Trocks show.  I often stand on the stairs and listen to the audience's reaction as they exit the theatre. They've always had a good time - and so have we.”
 

Need more UK Regional Theatre News in your life? Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...