No sooner had I related my childhood desire of becoming a ballerina to my friends did I receive a call from a former colleague inviting me to see Men in Tutus at the KL Performing Arts Center, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur.  It must have been an answer to prayer to re-live a dream but from an audience’s point of view!

I didn’t think much more of the show except that it would be my first ballet after many, many years. Needless to say, when a feminine male compere came on stage in a bathrobe, fully made up and with three-inch eye lashes that batted seductively to a hall filled with audiences of sorts, I could not help but burst out in laughter. He (or was it “she”) looked ridiculous but at the same time, provided great entertainment value.

The compere was none other than the Ballet’s Artistic Director Victor Trevino. Les Ballets Grandiva is an all-male comedy ballet troupe, one of only a handful in the world, and currently the largest company of its kind in the world (yes, 14 male ballet dancers were in KL) from 8 to 17 May 2009.

The first dance Pas de Quatre from the Romantic Era showcased the classical prowess of four legendary ballerinas – Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni – each trying to outdo the other.  I was amazed, not because they were unbelievably gentle and light-footed at times as this ballet should be, but rather because four grown men in long pink tutus and flowered bodices attempted to ever so gracefully “glide” across stage en pointe (wearing point shoes and dancing on their toes). To top it off, they were actually rather technically competent!

While Asians today are accustomed to seeing men parading in women’s wear, thick make up, and putting up an entertaining dance show such as the Thai Akua (Transvestite) shows in Bangkok, I certainly did not expect men to be dancing en pointe and executing among the most difficult ballet steps with clear mastery of advanced ballet technique. It was certainly a sight to behold and one not to be missed!

The Tarantella, an Italian folk dance with strong rhythm that enticed the audience to clap along as two couples (two males dancing with their partners - another “male” in short tutus showed off their very muscular, streamlined legs) competed technically with the most difficult turns (fouette pirouettes) to huge jumps (grand jetes) and even landing on their toes! The latter was rather painful to watch but the “girls” executed it effortlessly.

Esmeralda showcased the various dance forms from the pas de deux, where the male danced with “someone in a tutu” as Trevino described it, followed by the male and female solos, and ending with both dancers coming together to do “tricks.” A rather grand performance with high lifts and extensions, the couple exhibited sound technique albeit a few wobbly moments when the “female” balanced en pointe in attitude (balancing on one leg with the other leg raised and in a bent position). I was amazed as to how naturally the “female” dancer passed off as a ballerina given “her” petite frame, long muscular limbs, and technical precision that have for centuries belonged only to the ranks of real ballerinas (female lead ballet dancers). 

The performance that, perhaps, stole the show that afternoon was The Dying Swan, a famous solo first danced by legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova in the late 1800s. Trevino’s version, a parody of the original dance filled with lyrical movements and the intense emotions leading to its death, was filled with great humor of a swan shedding lots of feathers as it first appeared and glides across the stage en pointe. Technically excellent with an amazingly feminine built that exuberated strength and effortless grace, Trevino’s interpretation of a dying swan was one that was intentionally cheeky displaying bushy underarms and arms waving frantically in the air to depict a badly injured or perhaps aging swan that really did not want to die. Trevino’s rendition of this supposedly intense ballet solo had the audience in stitches when the occasional hip gyrations, the lifting of the tutu to see what was underneath, and the wink made visible by the three-inch eye lashes popped up at the most unexpected moments.  Trevino’s performance brought the dance to an entirely new level and paved the way for the second half of the show – the Act Two of Swan Lake.

What followed though was less than fulfilling. After all, it was difficult to top the professionally executed The Dying Swan. While I didn’t care much for the pas de deux between the prince and the swan, who turned out to be a princess under the wicked magician’s spell, I was thrilled to see the Four Swans’ performance in the middle of Act Two of Swan Lake. In fact, it was hilarious.

The original version of the Four Swans showcased four ballet dancers in tutus holding hands and dancing to the quick-tempo music. The highlight of this dance is the uniformity of the dancers and the unison in which the quick steps are executed as the “swans” glide across the stage. The “all male dancers” version, while maintaining the white tutus and point shoes did, however, provide the unique disruption to the otherwise uniform movements of the dancers. The fourth swan would occasionally take off in a tangent to do “her” own little dance movements.

I could not help but wonder if the sporadic differences was a signal that the normality of life is occasionally disrupted by the emergence of the abnormal – it may be a person standing out from the rest of the crowd due to an outstanding difference or in this case, men desiring to be like women and seeking to perform traditionally female roles.

Albeit technically excellent, it was extremely difficult if not impossible for Les Ballets Grandiva dancers to fully imitate the femininity and grace of women. While a few males were smaller in built and resembled the female physique from a far, the performance reiterated the fact that some roles are clearly reserved for women. Therefore, what worked for Les Ballets Grandiva was not so much the display of men in tutus but rather in its satirical presentation of the famous ballets that worked like “magic” with its audience.

The swans were clearly my favorites!