When his short stature failed to make him a convincing ballet prince, Victor Trevino became one of the, well, giants of male comic ballet. He spent ten years as a lead dancer in the standard-setting Les Ballets Trockadero des Montecarlo, and later served as founder and artistic director of Les Ballets Grandiva, now in its second decade. In naming his latest company Les Ballets Eloelle, Trevino combines the Spanish name for 'him' (el) and 'or' (o) and the French name for 'her' (elle), which just happens to be pronounced LOL. And laughing out loud is just what audiences can expect from these excellent dancers. Here Trevino speaks about dance, his programme, and what made him slip on a tutu in the first place.
On finding dance, and doing choreography
'I originally got into disco dancing back in the… well, a long time ago. A dance teacher spotted me and told me I should come take jazz classes; once I started, they talked me into ballet classes and performing. I was about 21 years old and became obsessed with classical dance, because there was always something new to learn or improve.
'[As for choreography], a friend who had a small dance company said I should create something for him, and afterwards I kept choreographing small works. Then, when I created Les Ballets Grandiva in 1996, I didn’t have the budget to hire outside choreographers, which forced me to both stage classic works
and choreograph new ones. I guess you could say I am a reluctant dance maker. I do enjoy the process now, but it took many years to develop.'
On being 'too small' for ballet
'I am vertically challenged and stand about 5’3”. When I started studying, I knew I was small (obviously), but I had heard there were small dancers. But in moving to New York, I found out that what was considered small was much taller than I will ever be. I did do traditional ballet work at the beginning of my professional career, but there really weren’t any great roles for me – namely jesters and friend-of-the-prince types. I was actually told at the first company I danced with that they were looking to create a more uniform look and I would not fit in, so I should think of what other options I had.'
On choosing ballet over height-friendly modern dance and musical theatre
'It is hard to explain why ballet appeals to me more than other forms of dance. The discipline and challenge of ballet, combined with the freedom to express ideas through classical characters fascinates me. It has structure and rules, but it also has freedom to inject yourself into the roles and explore nuance in your performance.'
On separating Eloelle from Grandiva
'I did seek to make a difference between the two groups, especially at first. I explored contemporary choreographers and worked to introduce our audiences to both the past and present of classical ballet. I also worked to develop each artist differently, so that a role done by more than one artist would not be a carbon copy. It was more difficult than just asking each person to recreate the role in exactly the same way. However, I think it keeps our show fresh and fun to both watch and do.'
On the programme
'We’re presenting our greatest hits. Our "Pas de Quatre" is a romantic era piece [that shows] no love lost between the ballerinas, while "Corsaire Pas" is our take on a bravura duet. Our 'Go for Barocco' is a classic comedy piece based on the works of Balanchine. We’ll finish the first act with a rendition of the "Dying Swan", which I am planning on dancing. I am presently the oldest male ballerina – not sure if that is a good thing. Then we will finish with the famous second act of Swan Lake.'
On the importance and appeal of male comic ballet
'What I like about it is that you get an immediate reaction from audiences. You feel really connected in a way that traditional performances don’t allow. This genre brings new audiences into the theatre to see classical dance and lets them know that it is more accessible than they probably have come to believe. When I was growing up, I thought you had to be wealthy and have a lot of arts education to understand ballet. It isn’t the case. Dance is a universal art form because it transcends language. Male comedy ballet can open dance to people who have never considered seeing it.'
Les Ballets Eloelle is at Shanghai Majestic Theatre from Friday 26-Saturday 27 May. Scan the QR code below to but tickets. Click 'read more' for more information.
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