Experience acclaimed dance companies from around the world on The Z stage.
Affectionately known as “the Trocks,” Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was founded in New York City in 1974, in the wake of the Stonewall riots. Irreverent and hilarious, the all-male company reimagines modern and classical works by relishing in ballet’s inherent glamour and melodrama. For those brought up in the rigid world of classical dance, the Trocks offer a fresh, joyful perspective. The troupe reclaims ownership of a discipline from which many have historically been excluded based on gender norms and strict physical standards.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo comes with its own tagline: “The World’s Foremost All-Male Comic Ballet Company.” Affectionately known as the Trocks, the company is a small but stalwart corps de ballet that has been “dragging” the classical ballet canon since the mid-1970s, when it got its start performing late-night shows in loft apartments across New York’s Off-Off Broadway circuit. Whether in Harlequinade or Swan Lake, the Trocks use gender-bending performance to place a tight lens on ballet’s inherent theatrics, employing comedy and camp to tease the technical rigor underpinning it all.
As the company commands the stage with pomp and circumstance, it also commands us as audiences — humorously, lovingly — to ponder our assumptions about gender and our collective understanding of who tells the stories we have come to accept as canonical, and how.
Enrich your mainstage experience with experts connected to performance.
Gather on The Z stage in a café setting to deepen your connection with dance and the upcoming performance by The Trocks - while enjoying a beverage at this complimentary event!
Let’s dive into the legacy of ballet's all-male company. From off-off Broadway beginnings, pioneering activism in dance, and parody of le travesti, we will celebrate their vibrant history. Come ready to laugh, engage, and witness footage of the TROCKS's fabulous journey from 1974 to receiving global recognition today, all while becoming our beloved Ballet Boys.
About the speaker
Peter DiMuro has woven a career as a dancer, actor, choreographer, director, teacher, facilitator of creativity and as an arts engager for more than thirty years.
His current creative umbrella is Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion, a company that develops and performs artistic works in dance and dance/theatre. Additional goals for the company include cultivating dance/arts literacy, advocacy and engagement. The company was recently awarded a multi-year Boston Center for the Arts residency, as well as the Boston Dance Alliance's 2014/15 Rehearsal and Retreat Fellowship, held at the Vermont Performance Lab.
As Executive Artistic Director of The Dance Complex, he continues to invest in advancing the craft of choreography and the field of dance, creating an arc of programs for young-to-established dance-makers.
He was Artistic Director of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange 2003-2008, capping a 15-year relationship as performer and lead-artist with the company founded by MacArthur "Genius" Lerman. His career has taken Peter and his work to over 45 of the US states, Hong Kong, Japan and throughout Europe.
His "Near/Far/In/Out" and the alternative family inspired un-Nutrcacker, “Gumdrops and the Funny Uncle”, appeared in the Dance Exchange repertory and engaged inter-generational casts including LGTBQ community members and allies, alongside the professional dancers of Dance Exchange and his current PDM company. Recent works include: "Dos Hombres", a duet for Columbian born Elver Ariza-Silva, an adult survivor of polio, and Nino de los Reyes, an internationally renowned flamenco star from Madrid; a commission from The Boston Conservatory allowed the creation of "Archive & Etchings", made with support from the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts & New Hampshire. Peter was named the 2018 inaugural choreographer-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Learn some new moves in lessons led by acclaimed professional dancers.
An evening of fun and romance! Celebrate each other with wine, chocolate, and salsa dancing. No dance experience required.
For ages 18+
Zeiterion stage, 6:30-8PM
Pay what you can! Choose $20, $40, $60 or $80 at check-out.
An evening of fun and romance! Celebrate each other with wine, chocolate, and salsa dancing. No dance experience required.
For ages 18+
Zeiterion stage, 6:30-8PM
Pay what you can! Choose $20, $40, $60 or $80 at check-out.
In this 5 week course, you'll learn Acogny: the only recognized contemporary dance technique created in Africa. Acogny is based on traditional African dances from Senegal and Benin and Western dance techniques like classical ballet, release, and Graham technique. Acogny asks us to place ourselves inside the community and nature and encourages us to become aware of our own bodies: by feeling, touching, and enjoying them. Acogny celebrates that every body is different and talks about life and the connection between human beings and nature. Joy, play, love and music are at the heart of this technique. No prior dance experience necessary.
Saturdays, from January 21 to March 4 (no class 1/28 or 2/4). 9-10am. Zeiterion Lounge.
Ages 18+
Pay what you can! Choose $20, $10 or $5 (Card to Culture) per class at check-out.
These prices reflect our commitment to pay our teaching artists a living wage. Card to Culture pricing is available for EBT, WIC, and Connector Care cardholders to ensure that our Creative Classroom remains accessible to all. If you are not eligible for Card to Culture, you may choose between the $10 and $20 per class options on our sliding scale. Please note that a limited number of tickets are available at each price point, so register early!
Registration for the winter session has closed but, stay tuned for the spring line-up! Interested in this class coming back? Click here to tell us - and please let us know which price point is most comfortable for you.