Trent Montgomery
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Born in the small town of McGehee, Arkansas, Trent Montgomery has grown into a dancer, teacher, and drag queen with a long list of accolades.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Performance and Choreography from the University of Arkansas and a Master's in Performance and Choreography from Florida State. While living in Florida, he performed with The Tallahassee Ballet and served as the Associate Artistic Director at the Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee. In Arkansas, he has worked as a dancer and teacher with the Arkansas Festival Ballet, and continues to foster a love of dance through education.
Trent's current claim to fame is his membership in Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a world famous, gender-skewing, comic ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet. In the 19th century, ballet came to be dominated by the ballerina, with plots and choreography that highlight flowery, feminine forms. As such, the ballerinos of Les Ballets Trockadero draw a lot humor from performing en travesti, every member taking on both male and female roles.
Listen to Learn:
- About the history of drag and crossdressing
- The legacy and worldwide appeal of 'The Trocks'
- How a boy from a small town in southeast Arkansas became part of the world's foremost group of queer dancers, and more...
Podcast Links
TRANSCRIPT
EPISODE 451
[0:00:08] GM: Welcome to Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, a production of flagandbanner.com. Through storytelling, conversational interviews, and Kerry's natural curiosity, this weekly radio show and podcast offers listeners an insider's view into the commonalities of entrepreneurs, athletes, medical professionals, politicians, and other successful people, all sharing their stories of success and the ups and downs of risk-taking. Connect with Kerry through her candid, funny, informative, and always encouraging weekly blog. And now it's time for Kerry McCoy to get all up in your business.
[0:00:41] KM: Thank you, son, Gray. This show began in 2016 as a way for me and other successful people to pay forward our experiential knowledge in a conversational way. But it wasn't long before my team and I realized that we were the people learning. Listening to our guests has been both educational and inspiring. To quote the Dalai Lama, "When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new." Before I introduce today's guest, I want to let you know if you miss any part of today's show, want to hear it again or share it, there's a way, and son Gray will tell you how.
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[0:01:41] KM: Thank you, Gray. My guest today is Mr. Trent Montgomery, a professional ballerino for Le Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a world-famous, all-male, gender skewing comic ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet. What does that mean? It means the dancers portray both male and female roles in a humorous style that combines parodies of ballet, posing, and physical comedy with straighter pieces intended to show off the performer's technical skills. Much of the humor comes from the male dancers performing on travesty, roles usually reserved for females while wearing tutus and dancing on point.
The first inception of the Trocks, as they call themselves, was in New York City in 1972. But it wasn't until 1974 that they became officially known as Le Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Since then, the ballet troupe has received international success with a wide audience appeal, having performed for Shirley MacLaine and at the Royal Variety Performance for Prince Charles. In 2017, the troupe was profiled in Bobbi Jo Hart's documentary film, "Rebels on Pointe," which you can stream on Prime.
[0:03:02] TM: Prime.
[0:03:02] KM: Mm-hmm. How did a boy from small town in Southeast Arkansas become part of the world's foremost elite group of queer dancers? Well, we're going to find out today. It is with great pleasure I welcome to the table the ambitious, unique and well-traveled ballerino and star of Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Mr. Trent Montgomery. And I know y'all are all shocked that I could say that.
[0:03:26] TM: I'm cheering every time you get the French kind of right.
[0:03:28] KM: I wish everybody that's listening could see you guys cheering me on because I have practiced. Is Trockadero supposed to be Trockadero with a roll R?
[0:03:39] GM: It is a Spanish word.
[0:03:40] TM: It's however you want to say it.
[0:03:42] KM: Is it a Spanish word?
[0:03:42] TM: Mm-hmm.
[0:03:44] KM: What does it mean?
[0:03:44] TM: Typically, the company is based out of – we like to –
[0:03:49] KM: Monte Carlo?
[0:03:50] TM: Yes. And also, the style that we pull from is from Russian ballet style. The voiceover at the top of the show, we do a voiceover at the very beginning of the show. And it's done in a slight Russian accent to help the audience get used to the ballerina names, which are all in different type of Russian accents and everything as well.
[0:04:09] KM: I had an exceptionally good time learning about the history of an on travesty performances. And so on travesty dates back to the 1600s when women, it was immoral for them to be on stage.
[0:04:24] GM: Like in Shakespeare, right? Sounds like famous –
[0:04:26] KM: Yes. Yours is comedy, but Shakespeare was serious.
[0:04:29] TM: Yes.
[0:04:30] KM: And all the male and the female roles were played by men.
[0:04:35] TM: Yeah. And a lot of the female roles were played by younger men just because of the voice and everything too.
[0:04:43] KM: Stonewall riots changed everything.
[0:04:44] TM: Yes.
[0:04:45] KM: When were the Stonewall riots, you guys? '68? Late 60, something?
[0:04:49] TM: Yeah, '69, '68, around that time. And then the company really started around right after the Stonewall riots, in the wake of the riots.
[0:04:58] KM: People came out of the closet.
[0:04:59] TM: Yes.
[0:05:00] KM: Said, "Look, we have talent."
[0:05:01] TM: Well, and actually the company started in a part of the West Side Discussion Group, which was an early gay and lesbian political organization. And they actually –
[0:05:12] KM: What was the name of the group?
[0:05:14] TM: West Side Discussion Group.
[0:05:15] KM: West Side Discussion Group.
[0:05:16] TM: Yes. And the dancers actually at first would do midnight shows in New York in a loft that was one of the owners of the West Side Discussion Group, our leader, Eugene McDougle. He was one of the general directors of the company later in life. He allowed the Trocks to perform at these midnight shows. So it would be the dancers going from their daily lives and their daily jobs and then having to come to Trockadero to do the show at midnight. And so they started off with very small audiences, members. And a lot of it was a queer community. And then it grew from there. And obviously it's become this huge organization that is now just celebrated our 50th anniversary.
[0:05:54] KM: Can you believe that?
[0:05:54] TM: Yeah, it's crazy.
[0:05:55] KM: There's not very many things that are 50 years old. Arkansas Flag and Banner is.
[0:05:58] GM: Flag and Banner this year.
[0:06:00] KM: I know. And so I always think also that I read where it's also called pantomime, which I think of pantomime as like a guy in white face, and white gloves, and a black suit in a box on the street corner.
[0:06:12] TM: Yes. Well, it's actually very similar in ballet. And classical ballet, we use a lot of pantomime to be able to tell the story because you're not using vocals to be able to tell the story. You're using it through your body. I would do this image and it would mean to dance. In ballet this means to dance or dance for me. We use a lot of this pantomime to be able to be a storyteller through the movement.
[0:06:35] KM: Mm-hmm. And for those that are listening on the radio, he's rolling his hands above his head like the wind. That means to dance like the wind. The documentary I watched was called Rebels on Pointe.
[0:06:48] TM: Yes.
[0:06:49] KM: And it's a 2017 documentary, like I said, on Prime. And it's interesting that they talked about ballet is steeped in so much history and that it feels elitist. But the Trocks performances are fun entertainment for all. They've kind of brought it to mainstream.
[0:07:10] TM: Absolutely. And I also think that they bring a humanity to ballet that we miss a lot because ballet is kind of put on this perfectionist kind of pedestal. It started in this aristocratic type of time period. And I think just being able to laugh at dancers like falling on stage or a dancer in the wrong spot, I think those are such human moments that we experience and we don't see that on the stage. I think it's so important to have those moments and it allows the audience to just relax and just enjoy the experience and enjoy the entertainment.
[0:07:42] KM: It's slapstick.
[0:07:43] TM: Yes, exactly.
[0:07:45] KM: With a lot of talent.
[0:07:46] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:07:48] KM: Slapstick on point. Maybe they should just call it instead of Rebels on Pointe, they should just call it slapstick on point.
[0:07:52] TM: I think that's great. I think the audience is always surprised when they get to our show and they're like, "Oh, wait, they can actually dance. And they actually have technical ability because they think it's just going to be a bunch of drag queens prancing around on the box.
[0:08:03] KM: Well, I know a little bit about ballet. I was a kid on pointe 1,000 years ago, and pointe is so hard. And I'm a little bit angry when I watch the men on pointe because your legs are so much stronger than ours. They are so good on pointe.
[0:08:20] GM: I'm sure. Yeah.
[0:08:21] KM: Their just physicality is so much better than women.
[0:08:25] TM: Well, I think that's what the Trocks does really well, it highlights the physicality of the male dancers on pointe. I think you see like all of these, I think I really appreciate pointe work and like being able to study it. I think there's such a beautiful gracefulness that comes, especially with the difficulty that comes with pointe work, it's so hard to bring apart that graceful kind of quality. But I think the Trocks is really effective in pushing this kind of hyper physicality with the pointe shoe and using the pointe shoe as that type of tool.
[0:08:56] KM: It's all on pointe.
[0:08:55] TM: Yes, yes.
[0:08:57] KM: And tutus.
[0:08:58] TM: And tutus, and eyelashes, and wigs.
[0:09:01] KM: Watching them put their makeup on is why I have so much makeup on today.
[0:09:07] GM: You had to show off a little bit.
[0:09:08] TM: Absolutely.
[0:09:08] KM: I didn't know if Trent was going to come and drag or not. I was going to compete.
[0:09:13] TM: You were going to be ready.
[0:09:15] KM: And I don't think people realize how hard humor is. The timing of humor, they say, is harder than drama acting.
[0:09:24] TM: Absolutely.
[0:09:25] KM: Not for me. I'm a naturally funny person.
[0:09:28] TM: Of course.
[0:09:28] KM: But I mean, on stage, your timing of your humor.
[0:09:33] TM: And also keeping the humor fresh throughout this amount of time, too.
[0:09:37] KM: And how long to hold the pause.
[0:09:38] TM: Exactly. Yes.
[0:09:39] KM: That's the trick of humor.
[0:09:40] TM: Yes. And I think that comes with every dancer that's in the company. That's a good thing about the company is we actually get to be a part of the process of adding those comedic elements. Maybe something will happen in rehearsal or someone will slip and fall or someone will say something real quick and they're like, "Okay. No, keep that in. It's funny." And so we also become a part of that legacy and the comedic legacy of the company.
[0:10:01] KM: And amplifying of your movements.
[0:10:03] TM: Yes.
[0:10:04] KM: You cannot just do your regular –
[0:10:06] TM: No.
[0:10:07] KM: Everything has got to be over the top.
[0:10:09] TM: Exactly. They always say that it takes like a year to become a Trockadero dancer.
[0:10:12] KM: Really?
[0:10:13] TM: And I completely agree because it's just a new way of moving and also a new way of expanding your body past this kind of classical art form that we're used to being in.
[0:10:23] KM: It takes a year.
[0:10:24] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:10:26] KM: And lifting those guys is a lot. So you may be better on point, but you have to lift these really heavy guys. Some of these guys are big-shouldered guys.
[0:10:37] TM: Oh, yes.
[0:10:38] KM: You look smaller to me? Were you lifted?
[0:10:41] TM: It really depends. I came into the company already with some pointe training. So I went already into like a lot of pointe roles.
[0:10:49] KM: A guy with pointe training?
[0:10:50] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:10:51] KM: They do that now?
[0:10:52] TM: I actually did a lot of that actually here in Arkansas.
[0:10:55] KM: In Southeast Arkansas?
[0:10:55] TM: Yes. Yes.
[0:10:57] KM: Give a shout out to your teacher. Who's your teacher?
[0:11:00] TM: My two main ballet teachers were Rebecca Stalcup and Melinda Tobian, and she was the one that really started and allowed me to wear pointe shoes in class and allowed me to learn these female roles and do the female variations. And so I'm very grateful for them because I never would have been able to do this without their support. And that coming into Arkansas is great.
[0:11:19] KM: How old are you?
[0:11:19] TM: 31.
[0:11:20] KM: You're almost too old. They have to retire by 40.
[0:11:25] TM: Well, we have someone in the company that's been there for 25 years. And he's still performing and still dancing.
[0:11:29] KM: The Carter guy?
[0:11:30] TM: Yes, Robert Carter. Yes.
[0:11:31] KM: Robert Carter is still there?
[0:11:33] TM: Yes. Yes. And I remember watching videos of him when I was a kid. For me, he was Trockadero.
[0:11:38] KM: You're jumping ahead of my interview. I was going to ask if you got to meet him. You danced with him.
[0:11:42] TM: Yes, I still dance with him. He's still in the company.
[0:11:45] GM: That's so cool. But pointe to something that is good to know even if you didn't plan on doing like ballet drag, right?
[0:11:52] TM: Absolutely.
[0:11:53] GM: Because you ideally probably are going to be teaching those techniques to new dancers someday or –
[0:11:59] TM: Absolutely. And that's why I got into it is because I – well, first of all, I just wanted to be the filmo dancer. I wanted to do the pointe roles. I remember always doing the pause.
[0:12:07] KM: You wanted to be what kind of dancer?
[0:12:09] TM: Huh? I wanted to be the filmo dancer? I wanted to be doing the roles. I was ready to be Sugar Plum.
[0:12:14] KM: Did you know about the Trocks?
[0:12:15] TM: I did. I started learning about them when I was in undergrad at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock through a dance history course. And then I did a lot more research on them when I was in graduate school at Florida State University. And that's when I auditioned for them was right after graduate school.
[0:12:30] KM: All right. Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to continue our conversation with Mr. Trent Montgomery, a professional ballerino. That is a word, y'all.
[0:12:39] GM: Mm-hmm. It's real.
[0:12:41] KM: Okay. The first time I heard, I thought, "That's not real. They're making that up." But that's a real word. That's a male ballet dancer. A professional ballerina for Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, a world-famous, all-male, gender skewing comic ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet. Up next, the path from Northeast Arkansas to the world through the artistic expression of ballet. We'll be right back.
[BREAK]
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[0:13:35] GM: You're listening to Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, a production of flagandbanner.com. In 1975, with only $400, Kerry founded Arkansas Flag and Banner. Since then, the business has grown and changed, along with Kerry's experience and leadership knowledge. In 1995, she embraced the internet and rebranded her company as simply flagandbanner.com. In 2004, she became an early blogger. Since then, she has founded the nonprofit Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, began publishing her magazine, Brave. And in 2016, branched out into this very radio show, YouTube channel, and podcast.
In 2020, Kerry McCoy Enterprises acquired ourcornermarket.com, an online company specializing in American-made plaques, signage, and memorials. In 2021, Flag and Banner expanded to a satellite office in Miami, Florida, where first-generation immigrants keep the art of sewing alive and flags made in America. Telling American-made stories, selling American-made flags, the flagandbanner.com. Back to you, Kerry.
[INTERVIEW CONTINUED]
[0:14:38] KM: Thank you, Gray. We're speaking today with a professional ballerino, Mr. Trent Montgomery, from the world's foremost gender-skewing comic ballet company, the Le Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a.k.a. the Trocks. They are a high-art, clever camp, pantomime variety show, popular. Probably really big in Christmas and New Year's because pantomime is really big in Christmas and New Year's.
[0:15:09] TM: I did not know that.
[0:15:10] KM: That's what it said on Wikipedia.
[0:15:13] TM: Wow.
[0:15:16] GM: Sure. Sure.
[0:15:17] KM: How did a boy from Southeast Arkansas end up having such an illustrious ballet career? I got to hear this.
[0:15:25] TM: That's a great question.
[0:15:27] KM: I just can't imagine.
[0:15:28] TM: It was a surprise for me.
[0:15:30] KM: You got wonderful parents.
[0:15:31] TM: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I grew up with a very big family. I have five brothers.
[0:15:36] KM: Are any of them gay?
[0:15:37] TM: No, I'm the only queer one in my family.
[0:15:39] KM: Isn't that interesting?
[0:15:40] TM: Yeah, it is. But I had very supportive family. I think that was the biggest thing for me –
[0:15:46] KM: What number are you?
[0:15:47] TM: I have one younger brother and the rest are older. A lot of fighting, as you can imagine in the household. But I actually started dancing recreationally when I was three years old. My mom put me into dance classes very young, mainly because my friends were doing it and I saw them. I was like, "You know what? I want to do this too." And I was very fortunate that she did that. I started with a local choreographer and dancer down there. Her name was Jill Chingalani at the time and she had a little studio. And then after two years, Candace Howard took it over and it became Candyland Dance Studio. That was where my early dance training was Candyland Dance Studio.
[0:16:22] KM: That's cute.
[0:16:24] TM: It was. And I think it was a very special time for me because it allowed me to really find my passion for dance. It wasn't super serious. I wasn't taking like daily ballet class. I didn't even know that you took ballet class to become a dancer until I got to college.
[0:16:38] KM: Really?
[0:16:39] TM: Yes, yeah.
[0:16:40] KM: You were just doing it because you loved the dance.
[0:16:42] TM: I just love to dance. And we would do little recitals and dance for the community. And so it really brought me into a passion for the arts and also a passion for performing for people that I love.
[0:16:51] KM: Did you get all the male roles?
[0:16:53] TM: I did. Well, I was the only male dancer there. Of course, I was center stage for a lot of the stuff. And of course, my mom had to make a lot of the costumes. Because back in the time, they didn't have a lot of male dance costumes in costume catalogs. My mom actually had to create and make all of my costumes when I first started doing dance.
[0:17:09] KM: Sure. I can't wait to meet your mother. I hope I get to meet her soon.
[0:17:12] TM: Oh, she's fabulous.
[0:17:14] KM: Not bad. She sews.
[0:17:16] GM: Yeah, man.
[0:17:17] TM: She's very creative. And that's where I got all of my creative, I think, energy and very strong feminine energy from her, for sure.
[0:17:24] KM: You went to UALR for ballet? They've got a great ballet program.
[0:17:28] TM: Yeah. Well, I started there. Actually, started UALR as a dance minor and I was a graphic design major because I was really into art and I felt like I needed to do something that was more functional and more practical.
[0:17:40] KM: And pays better.
[0:17:42] TM: Yes. I started my first year of UALR doing graphic design and I was a dance minor. And then I just vividly remember doing a show. We were doing a disco number for that piece or at least I was doing a disco number and I remember just watching the performance. I was only in at the end of the show. I was watching the performance and I just sat there and I was like, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life." After that, I immediately changed my major to a dance major and then finished out my degree there. And that was the time that I met Rebecca Stalcup at Arkansas Academy of Dance and Arkansas Festival Ballet. And that's when I started my collaboration with her. She was my first ballet teacher actually at UALR. She was adjunct at the time and she taught my ballet one class. I was learning like Tombé Pas de Bourrée, a plié, a tendu. And then she asked me to come in and take her company class with Belinda Topien. And I was like, "Yeah, that sounds great." I show up. I have no clue what this woman is saying. She didn't demonstrate. So I was like, "I had no clue what this terminology was." I was just watching.
[0:18:41] KM: Oh no, she calls the steps out?
[0:18:43] TM: Yes. And she would be like, "Plié, tendu. Do this. Do this," and play the music and I was terrified.
[0:18:49] KM: Oh, no.
[0:18:50] TM: But it was such a great learning experience for me because I realized I was a very visual learner. I could just kind of watch the other dancers in this space and pick up from their movements. And it also pushed me to work even harder to get to that point to where I wanted to be there. I wanted to understand what she was talking about. So I worked and took class daily. And then I would also go to the studio at night and take daily class there just to get called up with my ballet.
Actually, when I was at UALR, I received the Accademia Dell'Arte scholarship. This is when it was happening in the program.
[0:19:22] KM: What's it called?
[0:19:23] TM: Accademia Dell'Arte . It was a study abroad program in Arezzo, Italy.
[0:19:27] KM: Do they still have it?
[0:19:28] TM: They don't have it anymore, no. But it was funded through Chip and Cindy Murphy. And it was a wonderful scholarship. It was a competitive scholarship, but I was fortunate to get it the year that I did. After this, I came back and worked as a freelance dancer and just danced with gigs all over Arkansas. And then through Rhythm McCarthy, who was one of my professors at UALR, she highly encouraged me to go to grad school. She thought it would be perfect for me. And I started looking into it because I was kind of considering what I wanted to do next. And I auditioned for Florida State University for their graduate school program. And I got in in 2017 and went into that program for three years, and it was an MFA program. And it was so fortunate because I think a grads program is so good for artists who want to figure out their voice in the field. I think of it like a toolbox. It gives me a toolbox that I can pull from in a lot of experiences of my life. And it was such a great experience because I really got to dive into who I was as an artist. What impact I wanted to make on the art world and also in the dance world.
And from there was when I started really researching queer ballet and looking into the pointe shoe. And that's when I also found out a little bit more about the Trocks. And they came there for a tour in February of 2020 right before the pandemic. And that's when I auditioned for them.
[0:20:49] KM: Which town were you in Florida?
[0:20:51] TM: In Tallahassee.
[0:20:51] KM: Tallahassee.
[0:20:52] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:20:53] KM: They came to Tallahassee.
[0:20:53] TM: They came to Tallahassee. They were a part of the opening nights, which is a production –
[0:20:58] KM: Did they have a big show? Were there very many people there?
[0:21:00] TM: They did, yeah. It was sold out, I believe.
[0:21:02] KM: They sell out everywhere.
[0:21:04] TM: They do. They do. I think, again, it's just like such a niche thing that people don't get to see. And also, there's not a lot of ballet that you can go and just laugh about and enjoy.
[0:21:13] KM: Well, yeah. It makes it open to the public where everybody can –
[0:21:17] GM: Accessible.
[0:21:16] KM: Accessible, yeah.
[0:21:18] TM: Yes. Yes. And there's jokes for everyone in the audience. If you have more ballet knowledge, we have a lot of ballet jokes in it. If you're just a regular human and you've never seen ballet before, you'll get the jokes of the people falling or being out of the wrong spot. It's great for every kind of type of audience.
[0:21:33] KM: 50 years ago when it started, it was sort of a rebellious and only older people win and gazed probably. And it was, like you said, at midnight. And then it got a little more notoriety. But now it's a family event.
[0:21:48] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:21:47] KM: Kids go.
[0:21:48] TM: Yes. That's my favorite is having kids in the audience. Being able to hear their laughter is such a fulfilling moment for me as a dancer.
[0:21:56] KM: What part of the Trocks did you perform? Which dances did you do?
[0:22:00] TM: Everything.
[0:22:00] KM: Really? Did you do Swan Lake?
[0:22:01] TM: Yes, we do Swan Lake all the time. Yeah, that's like one of our main ballets.
[0:22:04] KM: Were you the swan?
[0:22:05] TM: I am normally the first one that comes out. And I have understudied the role of the Odette, the prince, or the princess, or the queen of the swans.
[0:22:16] KM: Everybody should go Google the Trocks.
[0:22:18] TM: Yes.
[0:22:20] KM: Swan. When he's the swans dying.
[0:22:23] TM: Oh, the dying swan. Yes, yes, that one is stunning.
[0:22:26] KM: It's stunning and funny.
[0:22:28] TM: And hilarious, yes.
[0:22:29] KM: But it's two things. It's emotional because the swan is dying and growing old and losing her feathers. But at the same time, she's falling down and pigeon-toed and –
[0:22:41] TM: Exactly. Trying to run away.
[0:22:44] KM: Yeah. That person that used to perform that show was there for like – or that performance, that particular dance was there for 20 years, I believe, also.
[0:22:54] TM: Mm-hmm. Yes, that used to be performed by Ida was one of the company dancers.
[0:22:58] KM: Oh, that's not who I was thinking it was. I was thinking it was that another man who had been there 20 years. And I was going to ask if he's still there.
[0:23:05] TM: No. The only dancer that we have right now is Robert Carter, who's been there since for the 25 years. He just celebrated his 25th year.
[0:23:12] GM: Crazy. That's awesome.
[0:23:13] TM: Yeah.
[0:23:15] KM: Did you have a favorite performance of all the dances that you've done?
[0:23:20] TM: I think one of the – maybe not my favorite, but the most impactful performance for me was when we were in London. And this was in 2022. We were in London right when Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and we were performing that night when we got the information that she had passed away. And we were all just sitting in the dress rooms, putting on our full B, getting the lashes on and we get the message and we were like, "Okay. So how is this going to go?"
[0:23:46] KM: Yeah.
[0:23:47] TM: And that rest of that week in London was so special because the audience members came in and we would start off the show very quiet. There wasn't a lot of laughter.
[0:23:57] KM: Did you change that because of her –
[0:23:59] TM: We did. When we were there, we normally have a little overture where someone speaks about the company dancers and the dancers that are going to be in the show tonight and the costumes by Coco Chanelsky and these kind of jokes to kind of build up the show. Well, we took that out and we just played their national anthem. And so for us to start the show, it started off a little bit slow for us. But throughout the period of performing, their excitement, and their enjoyment, and their laughter was so powerful.
[0:24:28] KM: Have your relief.
[0:24:28] TM: Yes, exactly. And that's what it felt like for us too, is like we were allowing, giving them a little bit of relief from the grief that they were feeling. And so for me, those were the most powerful performances that I've experienced.
[0:24:41] KM: What role did you play that night?
[0:24:42] TM: Well, we typically do probably three or four ballets a night. And I believe in this one, we were doing Swan Lake. I was a swan. And then we did – [Name inaudible 0:24:54] was our third act of ballet. It was a male dancer. And that one, it's a Spanish Cuban ballet. And then we also had Vivaldi Suite, which is a very, very difficult pointe, heavy work. And I was a core dancer in that one, too. A lot of dancing.
[0:25:09] KM: Is that the one where Robert does a million spins?
[0:25:12] TM: No, that one is in Paquita. Or we also have that in Swan Lake. Yes. The traditional 32 Fouettes. That one is in Paquita.
[0:25:18] KM: 32. I was going to ask you how many. I couldn't even count them on pointe. This guy is phenomenal.
[0:25:24] TM: Insane.
[0:25:25] KM: I love it has like a title to it.
[0:25:27] TM: Oh, yes. This is the 32 Fouettes. Yes.
[0:25:31] KM: I feel like the choreographer was cruel, whoever designed that.
[0:25:35] GM: Oh, it's meant to be virtuosic.
[0:25:37] KM: What's that mean?
[0:25:39] GM: Show off your talent. Yeah.
[0:25:40] KM: Well, it does.
[0:25:40] GM: It's like that. I mean, you're saying Vivaldi. It's very difficult because like everything Vivaldi did was really difficult to be virtuosic.
[0:25:46] TM: Absolutely. Yes. Yes.
[0:25:49] KM: You know, one thing that they said in the documentary was that the way the Trocks attack the ballet is kind of like the way – it's kind of rough like a man. They call it attacking the ballet because they're men. Even though they're queer men, they're still going at that ballet.
[0:26:11] TM: Oh, absolutely.
[0:26:12] KM: Yeah. What's your stage name my stage name?
[0:26:15] TM: My stage name, we have two. We have our female, which is Ludmila Beaulemova.
[0:26:19] KM: What now?
[0:26:20] TM: Ludmila Beaulemova. Like Beaulemover.
[0:26:22] KM: Oh.
[0:26:22] TM: Yes. And then my male name is Mr. Jens Witzelsucht, which is just like a comedy on
[0:26:29] KM: Mr. Jens Witze –
[0:26:30] TM: Witzelsucht.
[0:26:32] KM: Witzelsucht.
[0:26:33] TM: Yes.
[0:26:34] GM: What's with the Russian theme again, of all the names and everything?
[0:26:38] TM: That's just how the company started. Yeah. And a lot of our repertoire comes from Russian ballet, yes, and Russian theater, because that was the pinnacle of ballet during that time period.
[0:26:49] GM: Right. Cool.
[0:26:51] KM: Describe the life of a Trockadero dancer.
[0:26:55] TM: It's a lot of time on the road, a lot of bus, a lot of driving.
[0:26:59] KM: How many days do you think you're on the road?
[0:27:03] TM: Well, I'll just go off of it. This last past tour we just did was a full month tour. It was all of March. From March 2nd until March 31st is when we came back. And the first week we're in Salerno, Italy. That rarely happens for us. We're normally do a show and then go to the next city, do a show next, go to the next city. We had four shows in Salerno. And that was, of course, a long travel from New York to Salerno. And then we get there, have about a day or two off to rest and recover and get used to the time change. And then the rest of the performances, we were traveling all over France. We would do like a show in Chartres. And then we would do a show in Provence. And then we would go to Fréjus. For that tour, we were kind of all over the place where we would do one show, travel the next day, do a show, travel the next day. It's more of a stop and go.
[0:27:52] KM: Are you nervous before every performance?
[0:27:55] TM: Not anymore. No. I used to. I think when I first joined the Trocks, yes, for sure, because I felt the pressure and also just being a new dancer there. But I don't get nervous anymore. I think I've had a lot of experiences. And also with the Trocks, I've done a lot of performances very quickly and I feel like I've had a span of a career in maybe 10 years and fore because we just go nonstop. Yeah, I don't really get nervous anymore. I
[0:28:18] KM: think that you are on the road probably two-thirds of the year.
[0:28:23] TM: Absolutely, yes. We typically do. If we're looking at a normal – our Trocks schedule, it'll be January through March as our US tour. Then we'll take a little break and do an international tour, maybe two or three weeks. Then we finish out our US tour, like April to May. We'll get a little bit of time off in the summer and then we go international and then it's –
[0:28:42] KM: Of all the art forms, to me, ballet is the most rigorous because you can't ever rest. You can't let your body ever – you're an athlete.
[0:28:53] TM: Yes. Yeah.
[0:28:54] KM: You're an athlete performing art.
[0:28:56] TM: Yes. And that's something that like took me a little bit to get used to especially with the touring company because I was used to – I would do a nutcracker show or do a couple nutcracker shows. Then I would have like a week or two off to recover. Whereas with this, you do a show and then you're immediately on a bus or a train to go to the next city. Your recovery time is a lot shorter. That means you have to spend a little bit more time to rest and to recover.
[0:29:20] KM: What's broken on you?
[0:29:22] TM: Luckily, nothing right now.
[0:29:24] KM: No bad hips? No bad knees? No broken ankles?
[0:29:24] TM: No. No. I feel like I've been very fortunate. I've had injuries in the past. But since joining the Trocks, I've been very fortunate. And I try to take care of my body the best that so that it's working functionally.
[0:29:38] KM: Do you ever drink alcohol?
[0:29:39] TM: I don't so much anymore, no.
[0:29:41] KM: Do you eat everything perfect?
[0:29:43] TM: No, I don't actually. Because, I mean, a lot of times in the US tours, we're in the middle of nowhere. So you're in a city where there's only like a McDonald's or you have to go get some fried food or something like that.
[0:29:52] KM: You have to do fast food.
[0:29:53] TM: Yeah. But I'm dancing so much that I have to eat a lot to be able to keep the weight on.
[0:29:59] KM: And you're so thin.
[0:30:00] TM: Well, that's what happens is like I'll take a break and I – I come from a Southern grandmother. She loves to cook and she wants me to eat. And she'll come home every time, she's like, "You're so skinny. You need to eat." Yeah. She's like, "Here's gravy." And so I normally –
[0:30:12] KM: Here's chocolate gravy.
[0:30:13] TM: Exactly. I'll normally just try to gain a bunch of weight when I'm not touring, so that when I go on tour and I'm dancing so much, I just automatically loses it.
[0:30:23] KM: Sounds horrible and wonderful all at the same time. All right, this is a great place to take a break. When we come back, we'll continue our conversation with Mr. Trent Montgomery, a professional ballerina for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, founded in New York City in 1974. This world-famous, all-male drag ballet troupe, parodies the elite conventions of classical ballet with a comical performance to be enjoyed by all. Up next, retiring from touring the world with the Trocks and how Trent plans to bring his artistic gifts and talents back to the people of Arkansas. We'll be right back.
[BREAK]
[0:31:00] TW: Flagandbanner.com reminds you we are just about into the patriotic flag display season. It begins with Memorial Day, continues through 4th of July and then Labor Day. It's a special time at flagandbanner.com. And there are resources on our website and our YouTube channel where you can learn everything from how to mount the flag poles you've been thinking of getting to flag etiquette and great ideas on how to decorate your home. The resources at the flagandbanner.com YouTube channel are incredible. And there's always great advice waiting for you at Flag and Banner in downtown Little Rock. The patriotic flag display season. Remember, it starts with Memorial Day.
[INTERVIEW CONTINUED]
[0:31:45] KM: We're speaking today with Ballerino, Mr. Trent Montgomery, whose career in ballet has taken this East Arkansas boy to touring the world with the famous Le Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a gender skewing comic, all-male drag ballet company called The Trocks. Do you perform in Little Rock ever?
[0:32:02] TM: The company has actually performed in Fayetteville, but we haven't performed in Arkansas.
[0:32:05] KM: Fayetteville gets all the good stuff. The Walton Art Center.
[0:32:06] TM: I know. Yes.
[0:32:08] GM: They've got a good airport with good connections.
[0:32:09] TM: Yes.
[0:32:11] KM: You travel a lot. And we've talked about how many days you're on the road. But how many people travel in your troop?
[0:32:19] TM: We typically have – our company is compiled of 12 to 13 dancers, and then we also travel with our stage manager, Shelby. She is incredible. We also have our ballet master. And we typically come with a wardrobe and lighting. It'll probably be like four or five extra people besides the dancers. Total 18, around 20.
[0:32:38] KM: Do you travel on a bus?
[0:32:39] TM: It depends. If the travel is longer than eight hours, then we'll do a flight. But if it's under eight hours, we'll try to do a bus.
[0:32:45] KM: When you dance, I can see why you were sitting in the audience and you were watching these – when you first decided to be a dancer and you're watching your people on stage perform and you have that euphoria that comes from dancing. There is something about dancing, and the grace of it, and the stretching of it. And I don't know, there's something about it that makes it very euphoric. And it would have to be that way because the pay's not good.
[0:33:13] TM: Yeah. And I think it's also like a spiritual experience for a lot of people.
[0:33:16] KM: I think it is too.
[0:33:18] TM: And I think that the audience can pick up on out when they see these performances. Yeah. Because for me, I think my body is my instrument. I spend a lot of time trying to take care of my body in terms of listening to it all the time. I think I'm very fortunate to have a great connection to my body. And to me –
[0:33:35] KM: And your body's your temple and religion.
[0:33:36] TM: Exactly. Yes, yes. And so for me, it's a very spiritual experience and the spirituality of getting ready for the performance, putting on the makeup, putting on the pointe shoes, putting on the wig.
[0:33:47] KM: You just like to get in drag [inaudible 0:33:47].
[0:33:49] TM: I do. I mean, who doesn't?
[0:33:51] KM: I love it.
[0:33:52] TM: We all love a good lash.
[0:33:58] KM: You know, I think I'm a makeup artist. They call them makeup artists for a reason because it is an art form to put on good makeup.
[0:34:04] TM: Yeah. And also, it takes time. For me, when I first started, I didn't have no clue what I was doing. But through working with some of the other dancers and obviously a lot of the expertise that was there, my makeup just continued to improve.
[0:34:15] KM: The guy you said that's been dancing for 20 something years, Carter –
[0:34:20] TM: Robert Carter.
[0:34:20] KM: Robert Carter, he in the documentary said, "Some people dance because they want to or they like the feeling of it." And then he said, "I dance because I need to."
[0:34:31] TM: Yes, yes.
[0:34:32] KM: And you can feel that when he talks about it.
[0:34:34] TM: Absolutely. And you can see it when he moves, too. You see it in the class. You see it in the way that he does the dying swan. It's very evident. And I think a lot of the dancers in the company are very much like that too.
[0:34:45] KM: Y'all perform in I don't even know how many cities. I tried to figure it out. I couldn't decide.
[0:34:49] TM: Everywhere.
[0:34:50] KM: Everywhere. And I think you really are more famous in other places besides the US.
[0:34:55] TM: Yeah. Actually, our biggest fan bases in Japan and we actually have a separate kind of corporation, Trockadero Corporation in Japan that we work with.
[0:35:03] KM: You do?
[0:35:04] TM: Yes. When we go to Japan, we don't take our full crew. We have a full wardrobe crew there. We have a full presenting crew and everything.
[0:35:13] KM: They have huge sellouts in Japan.
[0:35:16] GM: That's so cool.
[0:35:16] TM: Yes.
[0:35:17] KM: And the audience throws flowers and stuff at them.
[0:35:18] TM: Flowers. And they'll come up at the end of the show because you stand there and clap and you wait for them to give you gifts. Yeah, it's the biggest thing ever.
[0:35:25] KM: And they come up and hug all the sweaty men up there in tutus.
[0:35:28] TM: They do. They love the sweaty men in their tutus.
[0:35:31] KM: I was like, "Oh, don't hug him. Oh, no. Oh, no."
[0:35:34] TM: Yeah, as we're pouring, the makeup's flying down.
[0:35:35] KM: Yeah. They have worked so hard. How long is a performance? One hour or two hours?
[0:35:41] TM: We've tried to shorten it. It's typically around one and a half hours or a little bit shorter.
[0:35:44] KM: Is there an intermission?
[0:35:45] TM: Yeah. We typically do at least one intermission for 10 to 15 minutes.
[0:35:49] KM: I think an hour and a half is the perfect time to hold an audience. I do not like these long movies.
[0:35:55] TM: No. And I think, also, we've realized after the pandemic that the audiences can't sit there as long.
[0:36:01] KM: We don't have the attention span.
[0:36:02] TM: Exactly, yeah. We've actually tried to shorten our shows a little bit more to do more of a break instead of a full intermission.
[0:36:07] KM: And it has a bigger impact. You don't want the audience to get to where they're like, "Gah, when is this going to be over?"
[0:36:13] TM: Exactly. And especially with like humor, again, it's all about the timing. If you can keep that timing kind of going throughout their performance, then it keeps the show going and also the show evolving.
[0:36:22] KM: How long have you been touring with the Trocks?
[0:36:23] TM: I'm going into my fourth year now.
[0:36:26] KM: And you're going to retire after four years?
[0:36:28] TM: Yeah, I think so. I think I'm just getting to the point in my career where performing isn't as fulfilling as it used to be. I love performing for my friends and my family. I'm at the point now in my career where I want to be able to give back everything that I feel like I am very fortunate in getting through my career with my mentors and everything that I've learned throughout my time. And I want to bring that to the Arkansas community and to the Arkansas dance community.
[0:36:53] KM: And let's be honest, it's tough to be on the road.
[0:36:56] TM: It is, yeah. And also, that.
[0:36:58] KM: It's not wonderful condition.
[0:36:59] TM: Yeah, and I'm also ready for other parts of my life. I'm ready to be around my family more. I want to be around my dog, be able to see him a little bit more. It's a little bit –
[0:37:06] KM: Yeah, you can't really have a life.
[0:37:08] TM: Yeah. You kind of take a pause in your life to do it.
[0:37:10] KM: Which is why I think Robert Carter is so interesting. He's done it for so long.
[0:37:13] TM: Absolutely. Yes. I don't know how. I could never. But some people are like that and some people can continue.
[0:37:17] KM: What's the other longest running one you think of the Trocks?
[0:37:21] TM: It depends. I mean, it's different with every dancer. Some dancers will come and stay there for 12 years. Some will stay for maybe two or three.
[0:37:29] KM: If you were married to somebody who was also a dancer, I think I could do it because you'd have your partner with you. You'd be touring the world. You'd be eating dinner with them every night.
[0:37:37] TM: But then it also would be very difficult because you're with them all the time, too.
[0:37:40] GM: Well, family business, we know all about that.
[0:37:42] TM: Yes. Oh, yeah. But yeah, it feels very much like a family to me. It will be difficult to leave a family because it feels –
[0:37:49] KM: So you didn't fall in love and want to get married to a Trock?
[0:37:51] TM: No. No. No, I have not.
[0:37:55] KM: Okay.
[0:37:58] GM: I don't know what that was supposed to mean.
[0:38:00] KM: It just seems like a good place to go fishing. What's the average size of an audience, or is there an average size? Japan is huge.
[0:38:08] TM: Japan is huge. That's over 2,000. It really depends on where we go. Because a lot of the times in the US, we'll go to very small cities, and then we'll go to very big cities, which I think is great.
[0:38:17] KM: Is it going to be hard to leave them?
[0:38:20] TM: I think so. Yeah. I think for any dancer who has had like a performing career, it's going to be hard to leave and like moving your body that much because, I mean, we're so in tune with our bodies. And I have such a known lineage of performing. That's been my entire career so far.
[0:38:35] KM: Talk about the audition to go audition for them.
[0:38:37] TM: Yeah. The audition is actually very different because you kind of audition for them when they're touring. For me, I did the audition when I was at Florida State University, and it was in February of 2020. They were coming there to perform and they did a master class in the School of Dance. First, I took the master class with the School of Dance, and that was with the ballet master. And then I went and also took the company warm-up class that night before the performance as my actual audition. I took two classes in one day.
[0:39:07] KM: So they got to see you twice.
[0:39:07] TM: Yeah, they got to see me twice. Yeah. And then I also got to meet the dancers during that second audition. And then they also allow me to sit and watch the spacing rehearsal so I could kind of get an idea.
[0:39:15] KM: What's that?
[0:39:18] TM: With the Trocks, obviously, every theater we go into is different. And so it's a different space or a different stage. Every time we have to space every single piece.
[0:39:25] KM: Mark the floor.
[0:39:26] TM: Yeah, mark the floor and make sure that we're in the right spaces depending on the space that we're in.
[0:39:29] KM: What do you think it was about you that they were like, "Yeah, he could be a Trock."
[0:39:35] TM: I think for me, I think I have a very, very positive personality, and I think I bring a very positive atmosphere to any type of environment that I'm in. And I also think my work ethic, they were surprised by it. And the fact that I also had prior pointe training before coming into the company was very helpful.
[0:39:52] KM: It is so unusual. Yeah, that is really unusual for you to have pointe training.
[0:39:57] TM: Well, I did a lot of it, again, through Arkansas Festival Ballet and Rebecca, yeah. And then also when I got to grad school, I was taking a regular pointe class every week. And my thesis was looking at the pointe shoe and the gendered body on pointe.
[0:40:11] KM: 30 years ago, men were not allowed to even take a pointe class.
[0:40:14] TM: No. No, not at all. And I remember my first pair of pointe shoes were a pair that one of my friends had at the ballet school and she just gave them to me because we were around the same size. They didn't even fully fit properly, but I was so excited to put them on that I was like, "Yes, I just want any type of pointe shoe."
[0:40:29] TM: You're moving back to Arkansas and you're going to be at the Arkansas Festival Ballet.
[0:40:33] TM: Yes.
[0:40:33] KM: And that's in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.
[0:40:36] TM: Yes, it is. Yes. And I love the fact that there are two ballet companies on Main Street. And I know they're competing a little bit, but I like the fact that you've got art group together. There's the rep on that street. There's the Arkansas Ballet. Then there's the Arkansas Festival Ballet right next door to each other. And I think you're all kind of incestual the way you've – I mean, dancers, like every community, they all know each other, just like I know everybody in the flag business.
[0:41:02] TM: Absolutely. And a lot of the dancers from the community either grow up, went ballet school and then go to somewhere else, or there's a lot of kind of cross –
[0:41:10] KM: Does UALR here in Little Rock, does anybody know? Do they still have a big ballet program at UALR?
[0:41:16] TM: Well, no, because they shut down the program right after the pandemic.
[0:41:21] KM: Gosh, the arts really suffered after the pandemic, didn't they?
[0:41:22] TM: Yeah, after the pandemic. They had maybe one more year of the graduating class, and then they shut the program down.
[0:41:29] KM: How many people apply for a Trocks job and get turned away? What percentage? How unique are you that you got accepted into that program?
[0:41:37] TM: I think it just depends. I think it depends on like who's leaving the company and who's also coming into it.
[0:41:42] KM: Oh, timing.
[0:41:44] TM: Yeah, timing. I think also think, for me, I was very fortunate that it was right after the pan – or it was right before the pandemic. So then by time that the company re came back around, they were open availability. But it really depends on timing. And, also, the company is an international company. We have dancers internationally from Japan, from Spain, all over the place.
[0:42:03] KM: Everywhere.
[0:42:05] TM: Yeah, everywhere, which is –
[0:42:06] KM: Cuba.
[0:42:07] TM: Yeah, exactly. And so people auditioned when we were in Europe, and then maybe they won't hear back for like a year or so. For me, it was a whole year before I heard back.
[0:42:15] KM: Oh, you're kidding.
[0:42:16] TM: Yes. Well, yeah, because it was right after the pandemic.
[0:42:20] KM: Were you working in Florida, or did you come back to Argentina?
[0:42:23] TM: Yeah, I worked in Florida for a little bit. I was running a studio down there called Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee, and it was also a pre-professional youth company that I worked with and I was Associate Artistic Director.
[0:42:33] KM: Are you a choreographer?
[0:42:34] TM: I am, yes.
[0:42:36] KM: Do you think dancing or choreography is your strength?
[0:42:41] TM: I think a little bit of both. I think it evolves. I think performing used to be my strength and it's something that I used to bring me a lot of passion, but now I want to create more and I have more of an artistic creative sensibility that I want to push. I would say a little bit of both. For me, I'm just an all-over creative person. I love to do any type of art. I paint, I do embroidery, just any type of that. Any type of like creative expanse for me, I want to be able to do it.
[0:43:10] KM: So, you know, in the opening, when I said most of the people that I interview have the heart of a teacher. That's him. Work hard. That's him. The other one was believe in a higher power. Were you able to take these risks? You believed in a higher power? It doesn't have to be Jesus. But I mean, just the universe or something.
[0:43:24] TM: Yeah, absolutely. Again, like I said, like my body and also like dance for me is a spiritual thing. For me, that was my understanding of spirituality.
[0:43:33] KM: Isn't that interesting? Over and over, we see that over and over.
[0:43:37] GM: You feel like there's a calling greater than yourself for a pull. Yeah.
[0:43:42] TM: Yeah.
[0:43:43] KM: And teaching seems to always be a part of –
[0:43:45] GM: And that's a pretty normal trajectory for a lot of professional dancers is to be a performer and then become a teacher, or a choreographer, or something.
[0:43:55] KM: When I got into that a lot in graduate school because it was more of like a teaching type of program. So you got a lot of working with non-majors and working with a lot of the majors in the dance department. I was also teaching at a local studio. I've also done a lot of fitness world teaching. For me, just being able to give back to people I think is one of my driving passions and something that I want to continue doing.
[0:44:20] KM: And I think you stand on the shoulders of the people you teach.
[0:44:23] TM: Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, I agree.
[0:44:25] KM: Okay. You're going to go to work at Arkansas Festival Ballet?
[0:44:26] TM: Yes, I am.
[0:44:28] KM: What are you going to do?
[0:44:29] TM: I think I'm going to be kind of taking on more of an artistic director type of role. I'll be working a lot with the youth company, and teaching them, and also rehearsing, choreographing ballets for them. And I honestly cannot wait to work with those dancers again. They're such a talented group of dancers. And also, just working again with the next generation of youth and inspiring them to have a career out of this that I never thought I could have I think is so special.
[0:44:52] KM: Mm-hmm. And Rebecca's great to work with.
[0:44:55] TM: Exactly. And I love Rebecca, yes.
[0:44:56] KM: She's very passionate about what she does. She's an excellent teacher.
[0:44:58] TM: Yes. She is. She is. And she has created such a beautiful environment in that space, and I want to be able to be a part of that, too.
[0:45:07] KM: Well, she's a mother of four.
[0:45:10] TM: Yes.
[0:45:11] KM: So she knows how to handle those little kids in tutus.
[0:45:13] TM: And also, she created that while she was a mother of four, which is incredible.
[0:45:19] KM: We're speaking today with ballerino, Mr. Trent Montgomery from the famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a queer ballet troupe that has been performing for over 50 years. There's not a lot of things that say they can be performing for 50 years. I'm so impressed with that number, especially such a unique thing that, let's face it, not everybody loves the gay guys. I mean, you know? But you have given them a voice in traditional ballet and in the arts where it's okay to be them.
[0:45:51] TM: Absolutely.
[0:45:51] KM: I just love it. I really, really loved it. AIDS was tough on the dance community and on the Trocks in the 80s. Did the Trocks talk about how it changed them during that time?
[0:46:02] TM: Yeah, we do. And actually, there's one of our pieces called Concerto Barroco or Go For Barroco. It's based off of Balanchine's Concerto Barroco. The dancers wear a red ribbon in support of all of the dancers through the Trockadero that I've passed away from AIDS and through that crisis.
[0:46:17] KM: Still. They still do that.
[0:46:18] TM: Yeah, it's still a part of the legacy of Trockadero.
[0:46:22] KM: Let's get down to the teaching it, paying it forward. What is your advice for budding ballerinas?
[0:46:28] TM: That's a great question. I think, especially just for a budding artist in general, is just trusting your instincts and following through with them. I also just think, lean on your mentors. Your mentors are there to help you. And so really understand the expertise that they're coming from and take the knowledge that you can, but also know that you can take their knowledge and run with it. So it doesn't have to be something that you have to stand by completely, but it's something that you can look at, and you can process, and you can think about, it will help you in the future too. I mean, I wouldn't be here without my mentors and the connections that I have.
[0:47:01] KM: I think it's sometimes hard for young people to listen to their mentors because they're just naturally rebellious. But one thing that I think that ballet teaches all young people is discipline and to listen.
[0:47:14] TM: Yes.
[0:47:14] KM: Nutcracker is the most performed ballet in the world. I think it's performed 600. I think there's 600 cities that perform it in America alone.
[0:47:25] GM: Mm-hmm. Probably.
[0:47:25] KM: How many times have you done the Nutcracker?
[0:47:28] TM: Well, actually, I've not done the Nutcracker since I've joined the Trockadero, because we don't do a Nutcracker. We will maybe do like a Sugar Plum Pop. But throughout all of my time, I would say at least 50 Nutcrackers.
[0:47:40] KM: When you were growing up.
[0:47:41] TM: Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that's just through freelancing and working with Arkansas Festival Ballet. Yeah. A lot, a lot of nutcrackers.
[0:47:49] KM: We talked about dance, and the freedom, and the euphoria, and the fact that you're an athlete. And I'm shocked that you don't have any muscle or joint problems. I'm glad that you're retiring before you get hurt and that you're going to be teaching and paying it forward.
[0:48:05] TM: Absolutely.
[0:48:07] KM: If somebody wants to train maybe with you or with the Arkansas Festival Ballet, do they just call the Arkansas Festival Ballet?
[0:48:14] TM: Yeah, they can contact the Arkansas Festival Ballet. Or if they wanted to reach out to me personally, they can reach out to me.
[0:48:20] KM: How do they do that?
[0:48:22] TM: The best way is through social media. My Instagram handle is @trentaustin. Or you can find me on Facebook @trentmontgomery.
[0:48:29] KM: Before we go, Trent, I want to do some breaking news for all of our listeners. You and I met a couple of nights ago with Rebecca from the Arkansas Festival Ballet to talk about a partnership between the Dreamland Ballroom and Arkansas Festival Ballet. And I am thrilled. I mean, the ballroom is an auditorium, a performance venue. And we are ready for, let's see, 15 years now. We've been having, since 2009 maybe, dancing into Dreamland to showcase amateur and professional dancers. And it's a feel good, everybody feels really good about it. Even though we judge the dancers and we have text voting, we don't really judge dancers.
[0:49:08] TM: Yeah, it's more of like a social dance experience.
[0:49:11] KM: You know, it's dancing with the stars, with love and acceptance. I mean, you could be you could be eight years old and you could be 60 years old performing or older. And so it's all types. It's not just ballet. But there's usually eight performances that night. Like I said, amateurs and professionals. And so I'm trying to keep the art of dance alive because it's – like I said earlier in the interview, it's so difficult to be a dancer because you can never relax. You can paint a picture. I guess musicians feel the same way. They can never quit practicing either, you know? You can never really relax. And so I love giving them an opportunity to perform.
[0:49:55] TM: Absolutely.
[0:49:56] KM: But with you moving home, we're talking about a partnership between Arkansas Festival Ballet and Dreamland Ballroom. And we may have a fundraiser called Ballet in the Ballroom, I think was kind of –
[0:50:12] TM: Ballet in the Ballroom, I think, yes.
[0:50:12] KM: Ballet in the Ballroom. Can you talk a little bit about what Rebecca and you were thinking about doing?
[0:50:17] TM: Yeah. I think our biggest thing is just, again, wanting to bring dance back into the ballroom and also bringing more dance to the community of Arkansas and the Little Rock community. What we're looking at now is to do our storybook ballets in Dreamland. That would be like our storybook ballets that we do. And we want to bring the dancers to that performance space because I think there's a lot of opportunity with ballet to only put it on a proscenium stage where the audience sits back and isn't really a part of it. I think it's very important for us to use that space to its advantage and make it a more of an immersive experience for the audience to see and be a part of.
[0:50:55] KM: And it just fits.
[0:50:55] TM: It does. It does.
[0:50:56] KM: I don't know why it feels so right, but it feels really right.
[0:51:00] TM: Yeah.
[0:51:00] KM: And I hope that we can become your home for Arkansas Festival Ballet, and that people will come to not just for the love of ballet, but for the love of old buildings and the love of history. Ballet's history is so deep. And the Dreamland Ballroom's history is so deep. I just feel like they go together so much.
[0:51:17] TM: I agree. I agree. And it gives the dancer something to learn about Little Rock History, too.
[0:51:21] KM: Well, I have sure enjoyed talking to you. I want to tell our listeners that we've been speaking today with ballerina, Trent Montgomery, of the world-famous queer ballet company, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Thank you, Trent, for coming on and sharing your story of success and expanding our knowledge about the world of art and ballet. And for your gift, we have you a desk set with the US, Arkansas, and Florida Flag.
[0:51:42] TM: Amazing. Thank you so much for having me.
[0:51:43] KM: You're welcome. I've really enjoyed speaking with you. And I hope, when you move home, that we could spend a lot of time together.
[0:51:49] TM: Absolutely.
[0:51:50] KM: This show was recorded in the historical Taborian Hall in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas and made possible by the good works of flagandbanner.com, Mr. Tom Wood, our audio engineer, Mr. Jonathan Hankins, our videographer, daughter, Ms. Megan Pittman, production manager, DeLore DeVore, and my co-host, Mr. Grady McCoy IV, a.k.a. Son Gray.
To our listeners, I'd like to thank you for spending time with us. We hope you've heard or learned something that's been inspiring or enlightening. And that it, whatever it is, will help you up your business, your independence, or your life. I'm Kerry McCoy, and I'll see you next time on Up In Your Business. Until then, be brave and keep it up.
[0:52:32] GM: You've been listening to Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy. For links to resources you heard discussed on today's show, go to flagandbanner.com, select radio and choose today's guest. If you'd like to sponsor this show or any show, contact me, gray@flagandbanner.com. All interviews are recorded and posted the following week. Stay informed of exciting upcoming guests by subscribing to our YouTube channel of podcast wherever you like to listen. Kerry's goal is simple, to help you live the American dream.
