While the company may be ageing (birthday number 35), the appeal of men in frocks – commonly known as The Trocks – seems to be forever young. Chris Lam, one of the company’s prima ballerinas chats to Same Same.

How long have you been with The Trocks?
I’ve been dancing with The Trocks now for just over two years, and counting.
       
How did you get involved?
I auditioned for the company in London whilst they were on tour at the Peacock Theatre. After auditioning I had to wait a year for a vacancy to become free and so my adventure with The Trocks started in 2007.
       
Why did you choose The Tocks over another company?
I had Ballet Trockadero in my mind for many years. I love the mixture of humour, technique and style. Also, the challenge that dancing on pointe brings.

The Trocks are turning 35 this year. How has the group, and idea behind it, changed and evolved? What does the future hold?
The idea behind Trockadero hasn’t changed much since the company was founded. These days, the technical level gets higher and higher each year. We currently have some very thrilling young dancers amongst the ranks. One thing I enjoy about Ballet Trockadero is that we bring the lesser-known Russian classics on tour to a wide audience. These ballets are rarely performed outside of Russia. I think the future will see more of these rare classics brought to even wider audiences.
       
What’s an average day on tour or in rehearsal like for Chris Lam?
A day with The Trocks never feels like an average day. We are constantly traveling. So first thing I do when I get to the theatre I try to have a good look at the stage and get a feel for the space and its dimensions. From there, we warm-up and do a ballet class, spacing, make-up, then the curtain goes up and we sweat – a lot – always trying to be as dainty and graceful as possible. Most of us dance in all 3 acts as there are usually between 14 and 19 dancers in the company at any one time. After the show we take the make-up off, hop in the shower and then onto the bus to the next city.

Your favourite piece to perform?
I’m very fond of the romantic ballets, but I would say that my favourite ballet in the repertoire would be Paquita.
       
The personas behind the ballet are quite funny – what’s it like developing that? Do you feel like you’re playing a character?
We have a lot of freedom to develop our own characters, always with the necessary poise required from a ballerina. I usually look to the specific role for inspiration and use that as the starting point. We try to always respect the individual style of the ballet be that Russian, American, Cuban…
       
The costumes/dance attire looks incredible. How large is your wardrobe?
Our wardrobe is very large and very well organised, it has to be for a company that tours so much. Some of our costumes look and feel delightful, whilst others really only come to life with stage lighting.
       
What about The Trocks do you think people find so entertaining?
We have a very wide audience base. Some come to see the hairy chested, somewhat heavy, ballerinas in their most dainty roles. Some come to see the energy and high technical level of the older and more established ballerinas, some come because it’s a more accessible way to see the art form.

What’s been the hairiest situation you’ve found yourself in with the company?
We have many bloopers, it comes from doing so many shows! Many things from wigs falling off to full crashes. Fortunately, most of the time our fans think it’s all part of the show!

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are touring nationally, with dates in the following cities:

Melbourne
Arts Centre, State Theatre
Tues 27 – Sat 31 October

Brisbane
Lyric Theatre, QPAC
Wed 4 – Sat 7 Nov

Sydney
Theatre Royal
Tues 10 Nov – Sat14 Nov

Perth
His Majesty’s Theatre
Wed 18 – Sun 22 Nov