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Robert Carter (ballet dancer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Carter is an Internationally known African-American primo donna
Also known as a ballerina assoluta, see Finis Jhung, "Interview with Robert Carter", q.v. ballet
dancer for the famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
, or "Trocks". He is perhaps the best known drag
ballet dancer in the world who is currently performing as of late 2008. As a lead dancer and its most senior member, Carter is the public face of the all-male dance troupe, granting many interviews and garnering significant international reviews. A full time dancer, he is "paid enough" as a lead dancer, despite being non-union, to avoid having a "side job."
roles under the name of "Olga Supphozova""Olga, supper
is over." a "glamorous" and "feisty platinum blonde
" who is, in his own words, "fastidiously delicate and pretty." He also performs under the male persona
known as Yuri Smirnov. As Olga, he claims to have started in a KGB
lineup, and as Yuri, he supposedly was in the Kirov Ballet. These personas use "cod-Russian stage name
s," according to one British critic. The names used by the "Trocks" are "fake ballerina names" that are part of the joke.
. He started dancing at age eight, and first saw the Trocks at age ten, which inspired him to dance like them, en pointe
, at age eleven or twelve. He trained at the Ivey Ballet School and the Joffrey Ballet School. He performed with a number of dance groups, including the Florence Civic Ballet, Bay Ballet Theater, and the Dance Theater of Harlem.
Carter joined the "Trocks" in 1995. He started with "the easier stuff" like Go for Barocco, followed by "harder stuff" such as Paquita
and Swan Lake
, especially works by Balanchine
.
Dancing with the Trocks, was his life dream, says Carter:
from significant critics. These include Jennifer Dunning and Gia Kourlas of the New York Times, Robert Gottlieb of The New York Observer, Joan Acocella of The New Yorker
, Sanjoy Roy of The Guardian
, and Susan Reiter of Newsday
. ABC News
said, "And it's more than just hilarious -- it's hilariously impressive."
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
Also known as a ballerina assoluta, see Finis Jhung, "Interview with Robert Carter", q.v. ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer for the famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an American all-male drag ballet corps which parodies the conventions and clichés of romantic and classical ballet. The company was co-founded by Peter Anastos, Natch Taylor and Antony Bassae in New York City in 1974, producing small, late-night shows, in...
, or "Trocks". He is perhaps the best known drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
ballet dancer in the world who is currently performing as of late 2008. As a lead dancer and its most senior member, Carter is the public face of the all-male dance troupe, granting many interviews and garnering significant international reviews. A full time dancer, he is "paid enough" as a lead dancer, despite being non-union, to avoid having a "side job."
Personas
Carter has performed femaleFemale
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
roles under the name of "Olga Supphozova""Olga, supper
Supper
Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English - ordinarily the last meal of the day. Originally, in the Middle Ages, it referred to the lighter meal following dinner, where until the 18th century dinner was invariably eaten as the midday meal.The term is derived from the...
is over." a "glamorous" and "feisty platinum blonde
Platinum Blonde
Platinum Blonde may refer to:* Platinum Blonde , a 1931 film starring Jean Harlow* Platinum Blonde , a Canadian New Wave music band, popular in the 1980s* Platinum blonde, a color of hair...
" who is, in his own words, "fastidiously delicate and pretty." He also performs under the male persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
known as Yuri Smirnov. As Olga, he claims to have started in a KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
lineup, and as Yuri, he supposedly was in the Kirov Ballet. These personas use "cod-Russian stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s," according to one British critic. The names used by the "Trocks" are "fake ballerina names" that are part of the joke.
Career
Carter was born and was raised in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. He started dancing at age eight, and first saw the Trocks at age ten, which inspired him to dance like them, en pointe
En pointe
En pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...
, at age eleven or twelve. He trained at the Ivey Ballet School and the Joffrey Ballet School. He performed with a number of dance groups, including the Florence Civic Ballet, Bay Ballet Theater, and the Dance Theater of Harlem.
Carter joined the "Trocks" in 1995. He started with "the easier stuff" like Go for Barocco, followed by "harder stuff" such as Paquita
Paquita
Paquita is a ballet in two acts and three scenes, with libretto by Joseph Mazilier and Paul Foucher. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Edouard Deldevez. First presented by at the Salle Le Peletier by the Paris Opera Ballet on 1 April 1846...
and Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, especially works by Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
.
Dancing with the Trocks, was his life dream, says Carter:
Accolades and criticism
Carter has received many kudosKudos
Kudos is an English word meaning acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement.Kudos may also refer to:* KUDOS, a vocational-counseling computer program* Kudos , a chocolate-covered cereal bar...
from significant critics. These include Jennifer Dunning and Gia Kourlas of the New York Times, Robert Gottlieb of The New York Observer, Joan Acocella of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Sanjoy Roy of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and Susan Reiter of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
. ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
said, "And it's more than just hilarious -- it's hilariously impressive."