User Reviews

I liked everything about the documentary except for one thing. There was a glaring and inexcusable omission. The co-founder and principal choreographer of the troupe, Peter Anastos, is not even mentioned.

Aside from that, this is a lovely portrait of a ground-breaking dance company. I must disagree with another reviewer that this is only a comic ballet company where tha dancers have to "pretend to be clumsy and inept." Anyone who has seen them knows that not every dance they perform is comic, and the skill of the dancers is on constant display. Their skill is acknowledged by the ABT principal dancer who is interviewed in the film.

Worth seeing.

Rebels on Pointe (2017) was written and directed by Bobbi Jo Hart. The film is about the male dance company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. What makes the men in the company rebels is that they dance en pointe. In any other ballet company, only the ballerinas dance en pointe. The men dance beautifully, they lift and twirl the ballerinas, but they never dance en pointe.

The problem with Ballets Trockadero for me is that they are a comedy dance group. So, in essence, what they are saying is, "Yes, we dance en pointe. We can do this, but not for a serious ballet. We have to pretend to be clumsy and inept." I wish there were a male ballet company that danced en pointe, and looked beautiful and serious doing it. Apparently, that ballet company doesn't exist.

However, we can't be critical of the documentary because we don't like the concept of the subject of the movie. Director Hart does a good job getting us inside the ballet company, and showing us some of the performers as individuals, not just dancers. It's a documentary worth seeing, and it will work almost as well on the small screen.

We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre. It was shown as part of the outstanding ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Film Festival. Unless you are an intensely serious ballet fan, the movie deserves your attention.

Documentary following the all male drag ballet company Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Founded 40 years ago after the Stonewall riots in NY.

The film follows several of the dancers on their world tour stops.

Enjoyable and wowing. En Pointe is on point.