This summer, the global phenomenon Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
stormed into Germany for two dazzling months, stopping off at Berlin, Cologne,
Mannheim, Osnabruck and Stuttgart along the way. This award-winning American
all-male drag ballet corps parodies the conventions and cliches of romantic and
classical ballet. On their recent jaunt across Germany, besides their size 12 pointe
shoes, the fabulous troupe added ETC equipment to their luggage.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was founded in 1974 by a group of ballet
enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional,
classical ballet in parody form and en travesti. The Trocks, as they are
affectionately known, first performed in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway
lofts. After receiving favourable reviews, their popularity grew and they were
discovered by a wider audience. The Trocks have since gone on to tour the world,
with prolonged engagements in many major cities.
For the German-leg of the latest tour, Troisdorf-based full-service event technology
provider Showconcept supplied the technical equipment and staging for the
ensemble. Showconcept manager Heiko Schallenberg has been involved in a variety
of high-profile touring productions in Germany, including Shadowland and Rock the
Ballet, and has consistently had positive experiences with ETC products. This led
him to specify a package for this production that included ETC Source Four®
fixtures, an Ion® control console, and an ETCnomad.
The performance includes scenes from Swan Lake, Paquita and Don Quixote and,
according to Schallenberg, “Lighting the ballet with the right fixtures was one of the
most important criteria. The Source Four was the natural choice as it offers brilliant
optics and gives you a clear and uniform beam.’
The Ion console has proven to be an ideal control desk for the Trockadero tour.
With its compact footprint and up to 6144 outputs, this member of the Eos family is
the perfect solution for space-challenged environments and touring productions. As
a backup for the Ion, Schallenberg added an ETCnomad, which is small enough to fit
on a keychain. In combination with an ETC Gadget USB to DMX/RDM converter and
a laptop, the ETCnomad can easily take over the tasks of a large console, if
required.
“We choose ETC gear for touring productions because the equipment is so reliable
and requires very little maintenance,’ says Schallenberg.
To learn more about ETC products and services, visit www.etcconnect.com.
