Rebels on Pointe
Ballerinas are not known for their rebelliousness, but the Trocks are no ordinary ballerinas. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, as they’re formally known, are classically trained male dancers who perform in drag and lovingly send up ballet icons from “Don Quixote” to Balanchine. The documentary “Rebels on Pointe” goes backstage and beyond the false eyelashes (lots and lots of eyelashes) to reveal the gentlemen inside the divas and authenticate their artistry.
Not that they need legitimizing; these rebels have long since stormed the establishment. What started as a lark in downtown New York in 1974, in the wake of the Stonewall riots, is now a highly respected company that’s adored the world over. In 2017, Chase Johnsey was named best male dancer at the National Dance Awards in the United Kingdom — for dancing the female lead in “Paquita.”
Director Bobbi Jo Hart followed Johnson and several other Trocks through four years, chronicling their personal lives and the tight-knit relationships in the multigenerational company. We learn that Johnson was bullied in school and too petite to get hired by a conventional ballet company; in the Trocks he found a life he could not previously imagine, including falling in love with a fellow dancer.
We see Raffaele Morra travel to Italy to help care for his ailing father, and Cuban emigre Carlos Hopuy reunited with his mother. We meet Artistic Director Tory Dobrin, who recalls dancers lost to AIDS, including his partner. Critics, family and outside dancers add informed perspective.
Every Trock’s path is unique, but they all felt like misfits until they found a home in their motley band of ballet upstarts. This thoughtfully crafted, seamlessly edited film reveals the grit behind the glitter, and it makes the Trocks’ humor as touching as it is pointed.