For 40 years, all-male ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has entertained and wowed audiences worldwide with their expertly executed and parodic style. In her documentary Rebels on Pointe, Bobbi Jo Hart takes a loving look at the troupe and what has made them such a celebrated act for decades.
What inspired you to make the documentary?
As a filmmaker, I tend to gravitate toward stories about people and ways of life we often do not understand, and to focus on the common human threads that connect us -- be it dreams, identity, love, determination, family, success, failure, happiness, sadness and that elusive alchemy of finding and pursuing our purpose in life. A few years ago, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo came to Montreal, and when I saw their outrageous photo in ballet drag in the local newspaper, I was absolutely intrigued to know who the human beings are behind the make-up and elaborate costumes. Luckily when I called their Artistic Director Tory Dobrin, he graciously granted me permission to film behind-the-scenes of a Montreal performance for research purposes. I fell in love with the company and their passionate pursuit of such a unique take on ballet, not to mention their unabashedly open sense of self-expression. I also admit that I became even more intrigued that night with the dancers -- who were a global tapestry of men from America, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. Each so different yet they were like a travelling family circus of caring human beings who had such a deep love of ballet and dancing on pointe since a very young age.