Men in Tutus
Our show "Men in Tutus" is recognized worldwide and is composed of the following acts:
Pas de Quatre
In 1845, Benjamin Lumley, Director of Her Majesty’s Theatre, arranged the appearance of four great danseuses Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito and Lucile Grahn. With such great talents at his command, he conceived a bold and daring plan "To unite them all in one striking divertissement." The rivalry among the four great ballerinas was evident and became a showcase for the greatest talents of the time.
Le Corsaire
This is a famous showpiece popular worldwide and displays the pyrotechnic skills of the dancers who perform it. It gained popularity when Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nuryev made it a staple of their repertoire together.
Harlequinade
This classic comedia del arte duet featuring the Harlequin and Columbine figures is a showpiece that features a lot of flirting and teasing-- and of course some dancing too.
Go For Barocco
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 telling Balanchine clock time.
Dying Swan
The swan is an important and recurring theme in ballet. Something about its elegance captured the imagination of many choreographers. There was no way of knowing that this short piece, hastily created for Pavlova by Fokine in 1905 to “fill a spot, on a program”, would one day be the most famous and magical solo in ballet. The depiction of the tortured end of this avian beauty often crosses over to the melodramatic realm.
Our swan takes you on a true recreation of its final fatal flight.
Swan Lake
The scene opens by the lakeside where Von Rothbart, an evil magician is on his nightly rounds. All his enchanted swans can return to being beautiful maidens in the evenings if they are by the lake. Once by the lake they must be on the lookout for someone who has never loved before to swear true love forever and that will break the spell they are under. Talk about a difficult task. Prince Siegfried, never having loved another, and his good friend Benno have broken away from the other hunters to hunt alone. But not being overly brave they hear a sound that frightens them terribly. It is the sound of the Swan Queen Odette trying desperately to find true love. Luckily we are in the 19th century where true love was still possible. As the scene unfolds there are a lot of obstacles in loving a bird, especially a royal one. In the end, Von Rothbart intercedes as dawn approaches and Odette and the maidens are drawn by the power of the spell back to the lake to become swans again.