I was recently reminded of this ballet company when I posted a snippet from Christohper Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is one of the best-known and most unique ballet companies in the world. Comprised entirely of men, the company is known for its send-ups of the conventions and clichés of classical ballet. While their parodies are fantastically funny, their performances wouldn’t be nearly as effective and memorable were it not for the dancers’ phenomenal skill and beauty. There’s just something extra fantastic about a man in drag dancing en pointe.

“The Trocs demonstrate that great dance is not about kinesiological categorizations of male and female but about showing us, with both gentle humor and serious art, exactly what the body can do, often to the amazement of anyone who knows how to appreciate this truly world-class company.” -Stephan Bonfield, Calgary Herald

Before I show you the corps, I want you to watch my favorite of their pieces, the Dying Swan from Tschaikovsky’s Swan Lake, as danced by my favorite of the company’s (now retired) dancers, Paul Ghiselin, A.K.A. Ida Nevasayneva.

And if you want to treat yourself to an hour and forty three minutes of pure joy, here’s their full-length Bravo special. Enjoy!