hoya88 Men in Tights and Tutus: The Trocks Turn 50, Humor Intact

The ballerinas of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo never change. With the never-say-die showbiz spirit of a faded Russian touring company, and a whiff of greasepaint and glamour, Ida Nevasayneva, Maya Thickenthighya and the other ballet warriors are eternally giving heroic performances, triumphantly knocking off a technical trick or two, flirting with the audience, elbowing rivals out of the way.

When the Trocks, as they are known, gave their first performances in a downtown New York loft in 1974, the men who put the show together didn’t imagine their group would outlast the two-weekend run. Fifty years later, the company — an all-male comic ensemble whose dancers play both the ballerinas and the princes — is a beloved and applauded institution that has survived the AIDS epidemic; seen gay marriage become legal and the advent of transgender rights; and somehow never changed its identity.

ImageThe company, which is performing at the Joyce Theater beginning Tuesday, had its first performance was in a loft in downtown New York in 1974.

Beginning Tuesday, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary season with two programs at the Joyce Theater, featuring versions of “Swan Lake,” “Giselle” and “Raymonda,” among other pieces.

What is startling is that one of the reports, from the fiscally conservative Citizens Budget Commission, said that the transit system needed more repairs than the agency could possibly handle between 2025 and 2029.

In the last week, two prominent New York City officials have resigned as federal investigations swirl around Mayor Adams and his inner circle, raising doubts about his political future and his ability to focus on his agenda.

Linda Shelton, the Joyce’s executive director, said that the first time the company performed at the Joyce, in 1997: “We took a photo outside the theater with me standing amid the dancers in full costume and makeup. Taxi cabs were almost crashing into each other!”

New York taxi drivers probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the sight of men in tutus these days, but Tory Dobrin, the company’s artistic director, said they were never interested in shocking anyone or making a political statement. “Our point of view has always been: We are men doing performances of ballet in drag for comedic purposes,” he said.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

slots magic

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.hoya88