Monday, January 31, 2011

Men in tights: Traveling troupe bends gender roles

A dancer glides across the stage, turning and twirling wearing a pastel, beaded-lace tutu. One cannot help but be amazed by the balance of grace and strength.

Then you realize that this dancer has hairy, muscular legs and wears a size 14 pointe shoe, a guy in a prima ballerina disguise.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male, world-renowned ballet company, is coming to the Fillmore Theater this Tuesday for a one-night-only performance. The Trocks, the company’s nickname, was founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts as a fun way to parody classical ballet. The company gained popularity quickly, and now travels all over the world to perform their humorous takes on famous story ballets like “Swan Lake” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

“They know ballet, and it might be comical, but they’re beautiful dancers,” said Professor Katherine Londono, head of the Frost School’s dance program. “It just shows that you neither have to have a ballet body nor be a female to dance beautifully. They’re spectacular.”

The Trocks have achieved cult popularity in many countries, especially in Japan, and the show will not disappoint. The men dance both the male and the female roles, with the majority of the company dressing as females. They even dance in pointe shoes, the shoes that ballerinas wear that allow them to balance on their toes.

Although the company may be parodying classical ballet their talent is top-notch, and they are able to execute spectacular jumps, leaps and turns that would make a female dancer jealous.

“I am so excited to see the Ballets Trockadero when they are in Miami on Tuesday,” said Jacki Coffey, a freshman who has trained in ballet. “And I would absolutely love to see these guys perform ballet on pointe.”

The Fillmore still has some tickets for the event available online from $25 to $75. The most expensive seats are the only section that has sold out, but it’s best to buy the tickets soon.

The Filmore Theater is located on Miami Beach and is the perfect setting for a different night out in Miami. So forget the Grove for one Tuesday and try something new. Your inner artiste will thank you.



This article was written for the entertainment section of The Miami Hurricane, the University of Miami student newspaper. It was published on January 31, 2011.


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Chocolate Festival

Chocolate seems to be everyone’s guilty pleasure, satisfy your sweet tooth this weekend at a once a year chocolate lovers event.

Fairchild Tropical Gardens has paired up with Whole Foods to host the International Chocolate Festival with Coffee and Tea. This will be the festival’s fifth year and many events are in store tospan the weekend.

“I can’t really think of anything more appealing than a festival of chocolate,” said junior Katey Ceccarelli.

Admission is $25 for nonmembers and free for Fairchild members. You can also save five dollars on admission if you walk, bike or use public transportation, it’s their way of promoting conservation. The event will last the entire weekend and doors open at 9:30 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m.

The three day event will have chocolate treats like chocolate crepes, chocolate dipped churros and chicken with a mole sauce, as well as cups of coffee and tea being sold by local vendors, andthere will be even samples.

Ever wanted to know how to make hazelnut truffles or a chocolate flourless cake? There is going to be a large variety of cooking classes featuring all the savory and sweet things you can do with chocolate as well as tastings afterwards.

“The chocolate festival seems like such a cool event,” said freshman Alea Agrawal. “I can’t waitto go and get free samples and the cooking classes look like a lot of fun.”

There will also be a Chocowalk where you tour the grounds and see the cacao trees in the garden’s rainforest and afterwards you can see how chocolate is made.

If you are looking for something different to do this weekend while you still have no homework,then take the metro, get five dollars off, and come to the Fairchild Tropical Garden’s version of Willy Wonka, it is sure not to disappoint.


This article was written for the entertainment section of The Miami Hurricane, the University of Miami student newspaper. It was published on January 19, 2010.