LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO – Review

Review: Pat Hayward 19th May 2026

Southampton is a very lucky city, the Mayflower Theatre’s partnership with Dance Consortium ensures that we get to see the very best of dance from right around the world, adding to the theatre’s long-standing relationships with Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. This week Dance Consortium bring the return of a unique American dance company to Mayflower Theatre – celebrating their 50th anniversary – Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo (Les Trocks). What makes them unique? It’s not that the company is made up of all male dancers (there are others), it’s not that the routines are speckled with humour (that’s British heritage), it’s not that the dancers are internationally accomplished (today, that is a given) – it’s all of these skill sets, cleverly moulded together, delivering first class ballet with a smile and often more than a chuckle – just wonderful entertainment.

This week’s visit of ‘Les Trocks’ has a programme which demonstrates all of their skills and does it in a way which gently brings the audience into their different world of dance. The first act gives them the chance to shine in a work that is immediately recognised and loved by the audience, ‘Swan Lake (Act II)’. Yes, straight away in the comfort zone, and it is difficult to comprehend that these beautiful swans gliding en-pointe are in fact danseurs in perfect synchronicity, until, whoops – a slip – a trip – but no, these are all part of the carefully choreographed routine. Within seconds the audience understands and gradually the wide smiles develop into chuckles and later into full blown hilarity. Through all of this, Harrison Broadbent impresses as Prince Siegfried. It might be difficult, but watching the facial expressions at the same time as the footwork and fumbles, brings a different dimension to the routines. I particularly liked the ‘Dance Of The Cygnets’ pas de trois where a tiny male dancer is dwarfed by two giant ballerinas.

I remember talking with Tory Dobrin, ‘Les Tocks’ Artistic Director and he said that the company loved performing in Britain as we understood what they are about. Something that he puts down to our theatrical heritage of Music Hall and Pantomime. And tonight’s performance underscored that in spades.

The second act opens with the pas de deux from ‘Le Corsaire’, an incredible partnership between Peter Gwiazda and Raydel Caceres, and is followed by a new piece ‘Go for Barocco’ a parody of George Balanchine’s choreography, set to Bach beautifully danced by Matias Dominguez Escrig and Andrea Fabbri. To bring the curtain down, literally, on the act, we have another familiar piece incredibly danced by Robert Carter as ‘The Dying Swan’ amidst clouds of moulting feathers.

The final act is Valpurgeyeva Noch (“Walpurgisnacht”) a ballet based on traditional celebrations on the eve of May Day when the souls of the dead are released to wander at will, that uses the ballet music from the opera, Faust. A wonderful opportunity to display the best of classical dance interwoven with ‘Les Trocks’ inventive humour. Outstanding performances by Takaomi Yoshino as Pan, Raydel Caceres as Bacchus and Jake Speakman as Bacchante.

But that was not all, for a finale ‘Les Trocks’ decided to deliver a treat for the British audiences with a piece of culturally important local dance – ‘Lord Of The Dance’ – the whole company on stage, in line and in amongst clouds of mist they pulled off what has to be one of the dance coups of all time. What a way to end an evening.