The New York-based and cheekily named Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo—the gay, all-male dance troupe that has for 40 years slyly and hilariously satirized ballet classics—is revealed in the esprit de corps that is its greatest strength in this documentary that tells the inside story. The film screens Friday, Nov. 24-Thursday, Nov. 30, Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N. State St.
Ample clips provide a look at the onstage action as the Trocks, costumed in the exquisite height of ballerina drag, perform venerable works like "Swan Lake" with flawless technique and unflagging athleticism while injecting their subtle and not so subtle trademark humor in the form of comic pratfalls, tutu malfunctions, and maverick solos. Behind the scenes, a post-Stonewall, post-AIDS-crisis unity grows the diverse company's nurturing sense of family, and anchors the lives, loves, and careers of these talented dancers, whose dedication to the art of ballet in no way plays second to the art of comedy.
Tickets to each screening—unless stated otherwise—are $11/general admission, $7/students, $6/Film Center members, and $5/Art Institute of Chicago ( AIC ) staff and School of the Art Institute of Chicago ( SAIC ) faculty, staff, and students. All tickets may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office. Both general admission and Film Center member tickets are available through the Gene Siskel Film Center's website www.siskelfilmcenter.org/content/tickets or through the individual films' weblinks on www.siskelfilmcenter.org .
