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Home > Hancher > Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Program - Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 8 p.m.)

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Tonight's Program
  3. About the Artists
  4. Real Biographies
  5. Company Information
  6. Coming Soon to Hancher

Introduction

Featuring

Directors

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Tonight's Program

Program subject to change without notice.

Le Lac des Cygnes from Swan Lake, Act II

Swept up into the magical realm of swans (and birds), this elegiac phantasmagoria of variations and ensembles in line and music is the signature work of Les Ballets Trockadero. The story of Odette, the beautiful princess turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer, and how she is nearly saved by the love of Prince Siegfried, was not so unusual a theme when Tchaikovsky first wrote his ballet in 1877—the metamorphosis of mortals to birds and visa versa occurs frequently in Russian folklore. The original Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow was treated unsuccessfully; a year after Tchaikovsky's death in 1893, the St. Petersburg Maryinsky Ballet produced the version we know today. Perhaps the world's best known ballet, its appeal seems to stem from the mysterious and pathetic qualities of the heroine juxtaposed with the canonized glamour of 19th century Russian ballet.

Intermission

Pas de Deux or Solo

To be announced

Go for Barocco

Stylistic heir to Balanchine's Middle-Blue-Verging-On-Black-and White Period, this ballet has become a primer in identifying stark coolness and choreosymphonic delineation in the new (neo) neo-new classic dance. It has been called a wristwatch for Balanchine clock-time.

First Movement (Moderato)

Nadja Rombova and Gerd Tord with Irina Bakpakova, Fifi Barkova, Maria Paranova, Yakatarina Verbosovich

Second Movement (Adagio)

Nadja Rombova and Gerd Tord

Third Movement (Allegro)

All

The Dying Swan

Fokine had little notion when he created this solo for Anna Pavlova in 1905 that it would become, in later years, her signature dance - and perhaps the most famous solo in ballet. The Trockadero offers its own distinctive interpretation of the terminal fowl.

Intermission

Paquita

Paquita is a superb example of the French style as it was exported to Saint Petersburg in the late 19th century. Paquita was originally a ballet-pantomime in two acts, choreographed by Joseph Mazillier, to music by Ernest Deldevez. The story had a Spanish theme, with Carlotta Grisi (creator of Giselle) as a young woman kidnapped by gypsies, who saves a young and handsome officer from certain death. Premiering at the Paris Opera in 1846, the ballet was produced a year later in Russia by Marius Petipa. Petipa commissioned Ludwig Minkus, the composer of his two most recent successes (Don Quixote and La Bayadère) to write additional music in order to add a brilliant "divertissement" to Mazillier's Paquita. Petipa choreographed for this a Pas de Trois and a Grand Pas de Deux in his characteristic style. These soon became the bravura highlights of the evening - to the point that they are the only fragments of Paquita that have been preserved. The dancers display a range of choreographic fireworks, which exploit the virtuoso possibilities of academic classical dance, enriched by the unexpected combinations of steps.

Ballerina and Cavalier

Variations

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About the Artists

Founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, 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 garnered a major critical essay by Arlene Croce in The New Yorker, and combined with reviews in The New York Times and The Village Voice, established the Company as an artistic and popular success. By mid 1975, the Trocks' inspired blend of their loving knowledge of dance, their comic approach and the astounding fact that men can, indeed, dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces, was being noted beyond New York. Articles and notices in publications such as Variety, Oui, The London Daily Telegraph , as well as a Richard Avedon photo essay in Vogue, made the Company nationally and internationally known.

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 in this season, they made their 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 beginnings, the Trocks have established themselves as a major dance phenomenon throughout the world. They have participated in dance festivals in Holland, Madrid, New York, Paris, Spoleto, Turin, and Vienna. There have been 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," a BBC Omnibus special on the world of ballet hosted by Jennifer Saunders and have had their own solo specials on national networks in Japan and Germany, as well as a French television special with Julia Migenes. A documentary was filmed and aired internationally by the acclaimed British arts program, "The South Bank Show," and was featured on the PBS program, "The Egg," about arts in America. Several performances were taped by a consortium of Dutch, French and Japanese TV networks at the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France, for worldwide broadcast and DVD distribution.

The Trocks' numerous tours have been both popular and critical successes—their frenzied annual schedule has included five tours to Australia and New Zealand, twenty to Japan (where their annual summer tours have created a nation-wide cult following and a fan club), eight to South America, three tours to South Africa, and 41 tours of Europe. In the United States, the Company has become a regular part of the college and university circuit in addition to regular dance presentations in cities throughout 48 of the 50 states. The Company has appeared in over 500 cities worldwide since its founding in 1974. Increasingly, the Company is presenting longer seasons, which have included extended engagements in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Cologne, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney and Vienna. The 30th anniversary of the Trocks during the 2004-05 season builds on the success of the past. Tours of the Far East, France, Russia (including performances at the Bolshoi Theater), Poland, Portugal and Spain have already been concluded this past autumn. Following the Joyce Theater season in New York City, engagements include a month long tour to France, performances throughout the U.S., the 21st tour to Japan in the summer, and followed by a six week tour to Australia in the fall.

The Company continues to appear in benefits for international AIDS organizations such as DRA (Dancers Responding to AIDS) and Classical Action in New York City, the Life Ball in Vienna, Austria, Dancers for Life in Toronto, Canada and London's Stonewall Gala. In addition, The Trocks have given, or participated in special benefit performances for Rochester City Ballet, Connecticut Ballet Theater and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in New York City.

The original concept of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has not changed since its inception. 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 the most knowledgeable, as well as novices, in the audiences. For the future, there are plans for new works in the repertoire: new cities, states and countries to perform in; 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 30 years, "Keep on Trockin'."

Colette Adae was orphaned at the age of three when her mother, a ballerina of some dubious distinction, impaled herself on the first violinist's bow after a series of rather uncontrolled fouette voyage. Colette was raised and educated with the "rats" of the Opera House, but the trauma of her childhood never let her reach her full potential. However, under the kind and watchful eye of the Trockadero, she has begun to flower and we are sure you will enjoy watching her growth.

Irina Bakpakova. Any ballet goer who saw Irina Bakpakova dancing on a herring in her first American tour is not likely to forget her outstanding performance as the Sour Cream Fairy. One of the world's great dialectical sophists, Honored Artist Bakpakova came to the stage from the Volga-Dnieper School of Dance Polemics where she excelled in lyric parts and tableaux vivifies. There she gained youthful fame as a practitioner of barefoot naturalism right up to the eyebrows. Following her graduation, she was drafted by the Trockadero for a player to be named later.

Fifi Barkova. The secrets of Fifi Barkova's beginnings lie shrouded behind the Kremlin wall. In fact, no fewer than six lie in the wall (in jars of assorted sizes). Dancing lightly over pogroms and other sordid reorganizational measures, Mlle. Barkova has emerged as a ballerina nonpareil whose pungency is indisputable. Among her colleagues in the West, she is known as the Odessa Chihuahua.

Sylphia Belchick. A celebrated child prodigy back in the Brezhnev era, Sylphia Belchick astounded her parents at the age of two by taking a correspondence course in ballet. Sadly, due to the unreliable Russian postal system, she has only just graduated.

Maria Gertrudes Clubfoot. Last of the great American Indian ballerinas: Larkin, Tallchief (Maria and Marjorie), Clubfoot. Maria, pride of the Luni Tribe, began her training with the Wounded Knee Ballet and blazed a dance warpath with her literal "Slaughter on 10th Avenue," universally acclaimed and banned for Clubfoot's use of traditional Indian weaponry. Maria appears with the Trockadero under special permission from Federal authorities.

Lariska Dumbchenko. Before defecting to the West, Lariska's supreme agility aroused the interest of the Russian space program and in 1962 she became the first ballerina to be shot into orbit. Hurtling through the stratosphere, she delivered handy make-up tips to an assembled crowd of celebrities back on Earth, including the now legendary . . . "Whitney Houston, we have a problem. . ."

Sveltlana Lofatkina. Lyrical, lissome, long-legged Sveltlana, "The Chernobyl Cherub," has produced frissons in audiences on every continent but two with her ineffable delicacy and refinement. This limber gamine has captivated hearts since her auspicious debut as Talyusha, the Left Nostril, in the ballet drawn from The Nose by N. Gogol. She is renowned for her portrayal of sensitive tortured neurotic ladies and other kvetches.

Margeaux Mundeyn, originally a dresser to a great ballerina, began her career when, one night, she locked her mistress in the armoire and danced in her place. Although hailed by her critics for her wonderful technique, she fooled no one. She was immediately sought after by companies and impresarios alike, but decided instead to spend some time on her acting. Now she is both a technical and a dramatic ballerina. The whereabouts of her former mistress are not known.

Vera Namethatunenova was discovered by kindly peasants, adrift in a basket on the river Neva. Her debut at the Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, was marred by her overzealous grand jete into the Tsar's box, impaling a Grand Duchess. Banished from Russia, she made her way arduously to New York, where she founded, and still directs the Ecole de Ballet de Hard-Nox. Her most famous exercise is the warm-up consisting of a martini and an elevator.

Ida Nevasayneva, socialist Real ballerina of the working peoples everywhere, comes flushed from her triumphs at the Varna Festival, where she was awarded a specially created plastic medal for Bad Taste. Comrade Ida became known as a heroine of the Revolution when, after effortlessly boureeing through a mine field, she lobbed a loaded toe shoe into a capitalist bank.

Maria Paranova's remarkable life story only now coming to light after 19 dark years in near hopeless conviction that she was Mamie Eisenhower, will never fully be told. The discovery of her true identity (at a Republican fund-raiser in Chicago) brought her to the attention of the Trockadero where she is slowly recovering her technical powers.

Nadja Rombova, incandescent bel canto soprano turned translucent bella danza ballerina, first attracted the attention of balletomanes with her faultless dental work in Robert le Diable. Massive surgery in Denmark, under the magic hands of Par Oekessaalanz, has enabled her to pursue a balletic career, although she is yet to conquer a disturbing wobble in her ankle register.

Yurika Sakitumi studied at the feet of the famous Yojimbo at the Kamikaze Institute. She holds a black belt in tour jete. Samurai Ballerina, as she is known to her colleagues, recently toured in the musical I Wish I Could Sashimi Like My Sister Kate.

Alla Snizova enjoyed great success as a baby ballerina at the mere age of nine. Being a child prodigy, she developed serious allergy problems and could only perform short pieces. Known as the "little orphan," Miss Snizova joined the Trockadero on tour, appearing cloaked in an enigma (complete with zip-out lining). A consummate actress, she has danced the part of Little Miss Markova and the title role of Glinka's Popoy-the Sailor Man.

Olga Supphozova made her first public appearance in a KGB line-up under dubious circumstances. After a seven-year-to-life hiatus, she now returns to her adoring fans. When questioned about her forced sabbatical, Olga's only comment was "I did it for Art's sake." Art said nothing however.

Gerd Tord. "The Prune Danish of Russian Ballet," abandoned an enormously successful career as a film actress in Scandinavia to become a Trockadero ballerina. Her faithful fans, however, need not despair as most of her great films have been made into ballets: the searing Back to Back, the tear-filled Thighs and Blisters, and the immortal seven-part Screams from a Carriage. Because nature did not smile very kindly on Gerd, she has chosen to explore the more dramatic aspects of ballet, causing one critic to rename her Giselle, "What's my Line?"

Yakatarina Verbosovich. Despite possessing a walk-in wardrobe so large that it has its own post code, Yakatarina remains a true ballerina of the people. Indeed, she is so loved in her native Russia that in 1993 the grateful citizens of Minsk awarded her the key to the city. That might well have remained the "golden moment" of this great ballerina's career had they not subsequently changed the locks.

Doris Vidanya. The legendary Vitebsk Virago, first achieved recognition as a child performer, appearing with the famous Steppe Brothers in the world premiere of Dyspepsiana (based on a unfinished paragraph by M. Gorki). As a favorite of Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the czarevich, La Effhrvia, as she is known to her admirers, was compelled to flee St. Petersburg disguised as a Karsky shashlik. Upon arrival in the New World, she established herself as the Prima Ballerina Assoluta de Kalamazoo, a title she still retains.

Jacques d'Aniels, was originally trained as an astronaut before entering the world of ballet. Strong but flexible, good natured but dedicated, sensible but given to unbelievable flights of fantastic behavior, Mr. d'Aniels is an expert on recovering from ballet injuries (including the dreaded "Pavlova's clavicle"). The list of great ballerinas he has danced with is a long as the list of great ballerinas who will never dance with him again.

Roland Deaulin. Having invented the concept of the "bad hair year" or "annus hairibilis," French born Roland now devotes his pare time to selling his new line of Michael Flatley Wigs on the QVC shopping channel.

Pepe Dufka. The ballet world was rocked to its foundations last month when Pepe Dufka sued 182 of New York's most ardent ballet lovers for loss of earnings. Mr. Dufka claims that nineteen years of constant exposure to rotten fruit and vegetables has led to painful and prolonged bouts of leaf mould, cabbage root fly and bottom end rot. Sadly, this historic court case comes too late for a former colleague, whose legs were recently crushed by a genetically modified avocado, and he will never dance again.

Nicholas Khachafallenjar. Nicholas was dismissed from the Kirov Ballet in 1991 when he blackmailed the horn section of the orchestra and forced them to play Papa Don't Preach in the third act of Romeo and Juliet while he vogued en pointe. Though Nicholas' appreciation of high culture is second to none, he still thinks that prima donna means any song recorded before Like a Virgin.

The Legupski Brothers. Marat, Nikolai and Vladimir are not really brothers, nor are their names Marat or Nikolai or Vladimir, nor are they real Russians, nor can they tell the difference between a pirouette and a jete . . . but . . . well . . . they do move about rather nicely . . . and . . . they fit into the costumes.

Medulli Lobotomov, possessing no sense of direction, defected from Czechoslovakia to Russia in the 1970s. He was a hat-check attendant in the Kremlin for a while but had to quit when he developed a fur allergy.

R. M. ("Prince") Myshkin. Mongolian-born, Cream of the Tartars, the artist formerly know as Prince Myshkin, electrified the world over a decade ago when he leapt Over The Wall or Under the Curtain, whichever came first. Since his arrival in the West, Myshkin's mercurial charm has quickened pulses, bruised shins, and caused gasps of disbelief. Although the current tour marks Myshkin's American debut, the sovereign of the Steppes has already created a reputation abroad, where he is not expected to return. Recipient of many rewards since his days at the prestigious Young Pioneer's Academy of Tashkent, he was most recently named People's Artist of the Komsomol Prospekt with Pirozhki. Myshkin, the beau ideal, brings dignity, restraint, elegance, reserve and pep to his roles, and will soon be seen as the entire cast of "The Little Troika That Could."

Velour Pilleaux, whose political adaptability saw him through two world wars and numerous police actions, comes to America in conjunction with the release of his tenth cookbook, "Ma Brie." When asked by an American reporter to describe his most exciting experience in ballet, M. Pilleaux referred to pages 48-55: the night he danced the Rose Adagio (en travesti) in Buenos Aires with four war criminals, the names of whom he assured us we would recognize.

Vassisdas Pinski is known only to the most cultured and refined balletomanes in the dark alleyways of St. Petersburg. Originally a promising dancer-choreographer with the Maryinsky, his only ballet, Le Dernier Mohicain, was stolen by the director of the company. In severe depression and shock, he burned his ballet slippers and fled to the sewers, only to surface these 40 years later.

Igor Slowpokin, the demi-semi-hemi-character dancer from innermost Outer Tashkent, was awarded the Order of Stalin for his partnering techniques. Although no ballerina has ever lived to describe the thrill of his touch, he continues to astound the public (and elude the police) with his brute strength. He is fondly known in the Trockadero as "Igor the Crusher."

Yuri Smirnov. At the age of 16, Yuri ran away from home and joined the Kirov Opera because he thought Borodin was a prescription barbiturate. Luckily for the Trockadero, he soon discovered that he didn't know his arias from his elbow and decided to become a ballet star instead.

Kravlji Snepek comes to the Trockadero from his split-level birthplace in Siberia, where he excelled in toe, tap, acrobatic and Hawaiian. This good natured Slav is famous for his breathtaking technique - a blend of froth and frou-frou centered on a spine of steel, painfully acquired at the hands and feet of his teacher, Glib Generalization, who had already trained many able dancers. As an artist in the classical, heroic, tragical mold, young Kravlji wrenched the heart of all who saw him dance Harlene, the Goat Roper in The Best Little Dacha in Sverdlovsk.

Pavel Tord. "The Prune Danish of Russian Ballet," abandoned an enormously successful career as a film actor in Scandinavia to become a Trockadero premier danseur. His faithful fans, however, need not despair as most of his great films have been made into ballets: the searing Back to Back, the tear-filled Thighs and Blisters, and the immortal seven-part Screams from a Carriage. Because of exceptional talent for drama, Pavel has chosen to explore the more dramatic aspects of ballet, causing one critic to rename his Siegfried, "What's my Line?"

Zapoi Valenki, the recipient of this year's Jean de Brienne Award, is particularly identified for his Rabelaisian ballet technique. A revolutionary in the art of partnering, he was the first to introduce crazy glue to stop supported pirouettes.

William Vanilla. Despite the fact that he is American, he is very popular within the company. He is extremely personable, the ballerinas very much enjoy dancing with him, the management finds him agreeable, his costumes are never soiled, his fans admire his directness, he photographs well, he keeps regular hours, brushes his teeth after every meal, and he has never said a bad word about anybody. He will never really understand Russian ballet.

Klaus Youssoupovtu soared into prominence as the first defector whose leave-taking was accomplished at the virtual insistence of the defectees (although in subsequent days, Youssoupovtu was accused of abandoning his joyous comrades for "a mountain of beer and an ocean of dollars"). His meteoric rise to stardom caused him to be named Official Bicentennial Porteur by a committee of New York balletomanes who singled out his winning smile and losing feet.

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Real Biographies

Bernd Burgmaier (Gerd Tord and Pavel Tord). Birthplace: Riedlimgen, Germany. Training: John Cranko School, Merce Cunningham Studio. Joined Trockadero: January 2000. Previous companies: Merce Cunningham Repertory Group.

Robert Carter (Olga Supphozova and Yuri Smirnov). Birthplace: Charleston, SC. Training: Ivey Ballet School, Joffrey Ballet School. Joined Trockadero: November 1995. Previous companies: Florence Civic Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble, Bay Ballet Theater.

Ferran Casanova Mauri (Alla Snizova and Medulli Lobotomov). Born: Barcelona, Spain. Training: Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon, France. Other companies: Ballet Zaragoza (Spain), Baskoballenkamp (Lisbon). Joined Trockadero: April 2004.

Edgar Cortes (Maria Gertrudes Clubfoot and Klaus Youssoupovtu). On leave. Birthplace: Santiago do Cacem, Portugal. Training: National Conservatory (Lisbon), Martha Graham School. Joined Trockadero: October 2000. Previous companies: Mark Dendy Dance & Theater, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Blue Tooth Dance Company.

Scott DeCola (Vera Namethatunenova and Marat Legupski). Birthplace: Ashtabula, OH. Training: BalletMet, Ballet Theater Ashtabula. Joined Trockadero: September 2002. Previous companies: Richmond Ballet, Ohio Ballet, Joffrey Ensemble Dancers.

Lionel Droguet (Irina Bakpakova and Vladimir Legupski). Birthplace: Chambery, France. Training: Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon, France. Joined Trockadero: August 2003. Previous companies: Ballett der Deutschen Oper am Rhein, Germany.

Carlos Garcia (Sylphia Belchick and Nikolai Legupski). Birthplace: Manila, Philippines. Training: Hong Kong Academy of Dance. Joined Trockadero: December 1998. Previous companies: Chameleon Dance Company.

Paul Ghiselin (Ida Nevasayneva and Velour Pilleaux). Birthplace: Chapel Hill, NC. Training: Tidewater Ballet Academy, Joffrey Ballet School. Joined Trockadero: May 1995. Previous companies: Ohio Ballet, Festival Ballet of Rhode Island.

Jason Hadley (Colette Adae and Vassisdas Pinski). Birthplace: Idaho Falls, ID. Training: Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Ballet West Conservatory. Joined Trockadero: September 1998. Previous companies: Ballet West, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Utah Opera.

Chase Johnsey (Yakatarina Verbosovich and Roland Deaulin). Birthplace: Winter Haven, FL. Training: Harrison Arts Center, Virginia School of the Arts. Joined Trockadero: April 2004.

Yonny Manaure (Margeaux Mundeyn and Jacques d'Aniels). Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela. Training: Escuela Nina Nikanorova. Joined Trockadero: May 1996. Previous companies: Ballet Nacional de Colombia, Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas, Ballet Nacional de Caracas.

Fernando Medina-Gallego (Sveltlana Lofatkina and R. M. "Prince" Myshkin). Birthplace: Madrid, Spain. Training: Rudra Bejart School (Lausanne), Escuela Victor Ullate (Madrid). Joined Trockadero: December 1998. Previous companies: Classical Ballet of Barcelona, Basler Ballet, Introdans, Ballet de L'Opera de Nice.

Manolo Molina (Fifi Barkova and Igor Slowpokin). Birthplace: Guatemala City, Guatemala. Training: National School of Dance, Guatemala. Joined Trockadero: March 1993. Previous companies: Ballet Guatemala, Princeton Ballet.

Raffaele Morra (Lariska Dumbchenko and Pepe Dufka). Birthplace: Fossano, Italy. Training: Estudio di Danzas (Mirta & Marcelo Aulicio), Accademia Regionale di Danza del Teatro Nuovo di Torino. Joined Trockadero: May 2001. Previous companies: Compagnia di Danza Teatro Nuovo de Torino.

Hiroto Natori (Yurika Sakitumi and Kravlji Snepek). On leave. Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan. Training: Broadway Dance Center (Tokyo), Jan Miller. Joined Trockadero: September 2000. Previous companies: Rokky's Company.

Or Sagi (Maria Paranova and Zapoi Valenki). Birthplace: Kfar Aza, Israel. Training: Shahar Ha Negev Dance School. Previous companies: Israeli Opera, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, La Companiya de Dansa de Neo Classicaal de Catalunia (Barcelona). Joined Trockadero: April 2004.

Grant Thomas (Doris Vidanya and William Vanilla). Birthplace: Hanford, CA. Training: Yuma Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest Ballet. Joined Trockadero: May 2002. Previous companies: Sacramento Ballet, Ballet Yuma.

Jai Williams (Nadja Rombova and Nicholas Khachafallenjar). Birthplace: Kansas City, MO. Training: Houston Ballet School. Joined Trockadero: May 1994. Previous companies: Dallas Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Nevada Dance Theater.

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Company Information

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Box 46, Cathedral Station
New York City, NY 10025
Phone/Fax: 212/865-7925
www.trockadero.org

Company Staff

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Inc. is a nonprofit dance company chartered by the State of New York. Eugene McDougle, president, Lucille Lewis Johnson, vice-president, Tory Dobrin, secretary/treasurer. All contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law.

Special thanks to: The Harkness Foundations for Dance, Theodore S. Bartwink, and David Archuletta, Nancy Gabriel, Julia Glawe, Gillian Newson and Emily Rybinski of IMG Artists.

Web Site Design by Marianthe Bohlmeijer

Music for Swan Lake, Go for Barocco conducted by Pierre Michel Durand with the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Pavel Prantl, Leader. Music for "Stars & Stripes Forever" by permission of Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.

Representation

IMG Artists
Carnegie Hall Tower
152 West 57th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10019
Tel. 212-994-3500
Fax. 212-994-3550
www.imgartists.com

Dancers Responding to AIDS

AIDS has devastated every community, and the dance community has been struck particularly hard. We know that you, as audience members, are moved by the gifted individuals who dance their hearts out for you on this stage; but there are dancers who cannot grace this stage and touch your hearts anymore - dancers whose careers were cut short by HIV/AIDS.

Dancers Responding to Aids is a vital fundraising program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Our goal is to mitigate the suffering of individuals in the dance industry affected by HIV/AIDS by providing direct financial support for living expenses.

Those living with the disease need our help! DRA is asking for your contribution - any amount you can give will de deeply appreciated!

On behalf of all the people we help, thank you for your support!

DRA is grateful for the support of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

We hope you enjoy this performance.

For more information or to make a donation, please contact:

Dancers Responding to AIDS
c/o Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
165 West 46th Street, #1300
New York City, NY 10036
Tel. 212/840-0770
Fax. 212/840-0551

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Coming Soon to Hancher

Brad Mehldau Trio and Joe Lovano Nonet (Tuesday, March 1, 8 pm)

Brad Mehldau is a pianist whose lyrical, classically-based style has drawn comparisons to the legendary Bill Evans, but that fails do justice to an artist who creates music that is both captivatingly original and extremely listenable. His trio, which has boasted the same membership for a decade, is one of the most intuitively connected bands in jazz. Joe Lovano is a giant of the tenor saxophone and his nonet is a swinging band perfectly suited to Lovano's ability to deliver everything from a lyrical ballad to a fiery number. This is an incredible double-bill—a great night of jazz at Hancher.

National Acrobats of Taiwan (Thursday, March 3, 7:30 pm, note family-friendly start time!)

Prepare to be dazzled.

Whether it's 12 performers spinning six plates apiece or a towering stack of balanced chairs topped by an acrobat doing a handstand, the National Acrobats of Taiwan deliver a host of eye-popping treats. The Chinese have been developing and perfecting acrobatic feats for more than a millennium and nobody does it better. Infused with show-biz razzle-dazzle, this is a show that will delight kids and adults alike.

Soweto Gospel Choir (Sunday, March 6, 2 pm)

The CD is called Voices from Heaven. It's not an exaggeration.

Blending African vocal traditions with Western and contemporary gospel styles, the Soweto Gospel Choir will fill Hancher with the joyous sounds found in the churches of South Africa. Singing, drumming and dancing, the choir performs in six languages—but joy and beauty permeate the sound and create what can only be considered a universal language of song.

Prague Symphony Orchestra with Navah Perlman (Wednesday, March 9, 8 pm)

From the musical heart of Europe comes the Prague Symphony Orchestra joined by lyrical young pianist Navah Perlman. Music Director Serge Baudo, long-time opera conductor at the Paris Opera and director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra since 2001, leads the orchestra through a compelling program highlighted by Perlman's rich reading of Chopin's second piano concerto.

As is fitting for a performance by one of the Czech Republic's finest musical institutions, the program will conclude with a work by Dvorak—the delightful Symphony No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60. Described as "playful," "vigorous," "joyous," "dreamy" and said to include, in its second movement, "one of Dvorak's most profound inspirations," the symphony is at heart a happy musical adventure.

Program

Natalie MacMaster (Thursday, March 31, 7:30 pm, note family-friendly start time!)

With her fiery fiddle and fancy footwork, Natalie MacMaster puts on a high-energy extravaganza that never stops. Backed by a hot band, MacMaster brings the music of Cape Breton Island—the musical nexus between Irish and Cajun traditions—to Hancher. Perfect for fans of Riverdance, Beau Soleil and everyone who enjoys a rollicking good time, MacMaster's performance will be exhilarating.

For tickets, call 335-1160 or 1-800-HANCHER or purchase online at www.hancher.uiowa.edu

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The University of Iowa Center for Macular Degeneration
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