Founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful and entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and en travesti, Les Ballets Trock­adero de Monte Carlo first performed in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts. The Trocks, as they are affectionately known, quickly became the subject of a major critical essay by Arlene Croce in the New Yorker; this, along with positive reviews in the New York Times and The Village Voice, established the troupe as an artistic and popular success. By mid-1975, the Trocks’ loving knowledge of dance and their comedic approach—along with their commitment to the notion that men can, indeed, dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces—was already garnering attention beyond the company’s New York home. Articles and notices in publications such as Variety, Oui, and the London Daily Telegraph, as well as a Richard Avedon photo essay in Vogue, led to internationally fame.

The 1975–76 season was a year of growth and full professionalization. The company found management, qualified for the National Endowment for the Arts Touring Program, and hired a full-time teacher and ballet mistress to oversee daily classes and rehearsals. Also during that season, the troupe made its first extended tours of the United States and Canada. Packing, unpacking, and repacking tutus and drops, stocking giant-sized toe shoes by the case, running for planes and chartered buses all became routine parts of life.

Since those humble beginnings, the Trocks have established themselves as a major dance phenomenon. They have participated in dance festivals worldwide and made television appearances as varied as a Shirley MacLaine special, The Dick Cavett Show, What’s My Line?, Real People, On-Stage America, with Kermit and Miss Piggy on their show Muppet Babies, and on a BBC Omnibus special on the world of ballet hosted by Jennifer Saunders. Documentaries about the company include Rebels on Pointe by Bobbi Jo Hart and Ballerina Boys by Chana Gazit and Marite Barylick. Company honors include Best Classical Repertoire from the Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards (2007, UK) and the 2007 Positano Award (Italy) for excellence in dance. In December 2008, the Trocks performed for members of the British royal family at the 80th anniversary Royal Variety Performance to benefit the Entertain­ment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund in London.

The Trocks’ numerous tours have been both popular and critical successes, with appearances in more than 35 countries and 600 cities worldwide since the company’s founding in 1974, including seasons at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Chatelet Theater in Paris. The company continues to appear in benefits for international AIDS organizations such as Dancers Responding to AIDS and Classical Action in New York City, the Life Ball in Vienna, Austria, Dancers for Life in Toronto, London’s Stonewall Gala, and Germany’s AIDS Tanz Gala.

The original concept of Les Ballets Trock­a­dero de Monte Carlo has not changed. It is a company of professional male dancers performing the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of the manners and conceits of those dance styles. The comedy is achieved by incorporating and exaggerating the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance. The fact that men dance all the parts—heavy bodies delicately balancing on toes as swans, sylphs, water sprites, romantic princesses, angst-ridden Victorian ladies—enhances rather than mocks the spirit of dance as an art form, delighting and amusing both the most knowledgeable as well as novices in the audience. Looking to the future, there are plans for new repertoire works; visits to new cities, states, and countries; and for the continuation of the Trocks’ original purpose—to bring the pleasure of dance to the widest possible audience. They will, as they have done for nearly 50 years, “Keep on Trockin’.”