As published on EDGE on June 29, 2013.

A prince enters, calling out. Unbeknownst to him, that whom he seeks is exemplified by a rickety wooden swan structure. As he prances across the stage, it drags behind him on a thin black string, wheels rumbling, accentuated by the unappealing sound of a duck quacking loudly.

To kick off Pride Week in New York the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival hosted a free dance performance by “Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo,” the world’s premier all-male classical ballet company, in Prospect Park. Performing en travesti (in drag), the Trocks mixed the skill of a professional ballet company with the jest and entertainment of a cabaret.

The show started with the dance group’s signature piece, “Le Lac des cygnes” (“Swan Lake,” Act II) with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography after Lev Ivanovich Ivanov. The Trocks’ interpretation is less fluid, but more realistic, telling the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who an evil sorcerer turned into a swan. Odette enters the stage in a white tutu, hamburger meat chest hair spilling from the lacy bodice.

To read more, click here.