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Men in tutus has become a camp tradition of sorts.  As a sight-gag it is no longer new nor automatically funny.  So, one has to be gooder and better more and more to pull it off.  These guys are good.  Perhaps the first modern man to prance around in drag was the recently deceased and beloved Milton Berl who dared to do it in the early days of television in the 1950's.  What he did now seems silly and basic, but it was based upon an artistic understanding of the culture of the times.

Les Ballets Grandiva follows more than two decades of 'Trock' and other groups of that ilk.  Is it even possible to come up with anything new to make people still laugh with tears coming out of their eyes?  I wasn't sure, but 'Grandiva' did it marvelously with a highly sophisticated mix of pure slapstick combined with a deep and esoteric reference to both classical and modern ballet.  Through absolutely brilliant choreography, they make it possible for both cognoscenti and neophytes to instinctively understand that they are hilariously mocking the poses and tableaus of the classic art form.  Timing is everything; with precision split-second pauses, a sudden turn of the head, and a shift of facial expression, the shift from classical to slapstick is signaled to the audience over and over with hysterically funny effect.  The printed program, also, follows the same illuminating and suddenly funny style by 'transgressing' repeatedly from straightforward descriptiveness to brainy laughs.  There are serious brief elucidations about balletic swans into which the terms "ornithological love" and "avian beauty" are tossed ever so cleverly.  The audience, this evening, at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center of the Borough of Manhattan Community College was a mix of the types of people one might imagine would come to such an arcane venue.  There were artsy fartsy fags and hags, obscure glitterati, straight intelligentsia, and people such as myself who didn't have a clue but stumbled in anyway.

In 'Go for Barocco,' their first act, they had muscular men in black schmata-like bathing suits butt wiggling and strutting about, getting into pretzel twists, and knocking each other over whilst parodying a minimalist milieu (not really, but some mumbo jumbo like that). 

In the next piece, ('Near the Middle, Somewhat Below') mocking modernist melodrama, Cage-like music with sirens and motorcycle roars was the background for a story that perhaps involved molls and biker studs, homoeroticism, and indifference to tough girls; or not, who knows.  But, the caliber of modern dance technique was unparalleled.

In 'Romeo and Juliet' the troop mimed a lad overcome with love and a lady kvelling in response to his overtures.  In their course of traditional danced rapprochements they repeatedly shifted from classic to sudden segues of playing patty-cake, piggy back, and leapfrog.  I loved it!

And, inevitably, they did a 'Black Swan' bit.  Here one has something so familiar that in daring a parody one can fall a bit flat.  There were laughs, which I don't want to spoil by describing, and yet the grand music that brings expectations of prima donna leaps was somewhat unrequited, alas.  Ever since Bourne's bold homoerotic Swan Lake toured the world in the 90s, it's brilliance remains the last word in alternative interpretations of that story, at least for the time being.  But, Grandiva's next classic parody of a 'Dying Swan' was high art with double jointed wing flapping and camping of a diva dying which was award winning in caliber.

In its finale, and original work, The Ice Skaters, Grandiva did a clever reversal on a practice professional gay performing arts groups have recently evolved.  Most gay groups, aiming for mainstream attention, will perform traditional works in the first half of their programs in order to demonstrate that they are not just queer eye-candy; then in the second half they will kick back and do some camp to gratify gay expectations.  Grandiva, on the other hand, personifies camp as their art form; and thus they saved the demo of hoch-kunst for the end.  Here, at last, were grand magnificent leaps and more by Oscar Campisi as 'a boy in baby blue.'  (and cute as all get out too).  But, not to worry, there was plenty of camp fun in this somewhat Christmassy piece.

Les Ballets Grandiva had a rather short run in NYC, just three performances.  They spend a great deal of their time touring in Japan.  But it is well worth keeping a watch out for the next opportunity to see them.  I am, frankly, a fan of this genre. This group is absolutely the best and most enjoyable I have ever seen.