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SINGAPORE : The curtain rose to thunderous applause at the opening night of Les Ballets Grandiva's gender-bending comedy ballet "Men in Tutus" at the Esplanade Theatre on Thursday.
It was the very first time that the 14-year-old, all-male ballet company has performed in Singapore.
The main draw of the show was its international cast of experienced male ballet dancers performing 'en travesti' (literally 'in disguise') as ballerinas, though they do take on male roles as well.
Watching 'ballerinas' with superbly muscular arms, sinewy backs and slightly hairy chests energetically prance around was rather disconcerting at first, but as the ballet went on, you sometimes believed that some of them were really ballerinas.
Their pointework - ballet movements done while balanced on the tips of the toes - was excellent and the movements were impossibly graceful as they flitted and pirouetted effortlessly in perfect coordination on stage.
The cast drew deafening applause from the audience when they did consecutive technically-challenging turns (fouette pirouettes) and strong leaps (grand jetes), a testament to their mastery of ballet.
However, the illusion is never allowed to be complete. There was bulk and muscle behind some of their movements. The performers also deliberately made missteps and revealed flashes of masculinity to parody traditional feminine roles in the ballet and get the audience laughing.
This juxtaposition of masculinity and femininity was the source of most of the laughs in the show. The troupe also used slight gags and exaggerated physical movements to tickle the audience's funny bone.
This meant that the performers had to be both excellent technicians and consummate actors to make it all come together and draw laughter from the audience. And they were.
The dancers had very expressive faces and were masters of body language. Every expression, every gesture, from a strong wave of the arm to the slightest batting of the eyelashes was spot on.
These all served to show how the character felt as well as flesh out the personality of each character. You could tell at a glance and what the character was trying to say and really feel for him or 'her'.
The excellent ballet technique on display and the humour makes "Men in Tutus" well worth watching. Even if ballet is not your thing, the tongue-in-cheek humour, spectacular costumes and plain good acting will definitely win you over.
"Men in Tutus" runs till January 24 at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets are available via SISTIC.
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