Sophistication, skill, and satire – these are just a few of the many words one could use to describe the gender-skewing, globe-spanning phenomenon, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. This all-male ballet troupe founded in 1974 has turned the ballet world upside down, merging slapstick humor with expert pointe. Whether you’re a well-versed aficionado or you’re just a big fan of wigs, it’s hard not to love The Trocks.
With no women in the troupe, these ballerinas stay busy. Each artist in the Trocks portrays two personas (one female and one male), who dance the roles in each performance.
And we’re beyond excited to have them at the LC, just in time to help close out Pride Month! We caught up with Shohei Iwahama (AKA Anya Marx and Chip Pididouda), a third year Trock, to learn what it’s like to be a member of the silliest, sassiest, most unique ballet troupe in the world.
Long Center: Welcome to Mid-Week Intermission! We usually like to ask folks for a song to go with their interview – anything come to mind? Is there a song that gets you in the zone to go on stage?
Shohei Iwahama: I don’t usually listen to music before getting on stage, but I often listen to the Disneyland theme park soundtrack when working out. The Space Mountain soundtrack (Anaheim Disneyland version) is especially exciting and perfect for hyping yourself up before a workout!
LC:Tell us about yourself! What’s your dance background, and how did you find yourself becoming one of The Trocks?
Shohei Iwahama: My early dance background was actually in modern and contemporary dance. Ballet was something I took as part of my training, but for a long time, I never considered myself a “ballet dancer.” That began to shift after college, when I started working with more ballet-based companies and choreographers. My focus gradually transitioned from modern/contemporary to contemporary ballet, and eventually to classical ballet, especially after I joined the Trocks.
Still, I’ve always loved ballet, both taking classes and watching it, for many years. Back in college, around 2009, I discovered videos of the Trocks on YouTube and was instantly hooked! I saw them live in 2013 when they came to Houston. From that point on, the idea of auditioning for the Trocks stayed in my mind (or stayed in my dance bag I would say…) It was kind of like “Wouldn’t it be so cool if I got to do that someday?”
Fast forward to 2021, during my final year of grad school, working toward my MFA in Dance, I saw an audition notice on the Trocks’ Instagram page and decided to take a chance. I flew from Texas to New York City to audition in December 2021. The next thing I knew, I was touring with the company just two weeks after graduating!
LC: For those who might not be familiar, how would you sum up The Trocks in a few words?
Shohei Iwahama: Classical ballet is already fun, but the Trocks will give you more reasons to enjoy ballet!
LC: This troupe just celebrated its 50th anniversary. What does it mean to you to be part of a company that has such a legacy, and witnessed so much cultural evolution?
Shohei Iwahama: It has been an honor to be part of this company, especially during such an important year. Having watched so many Trocks videos from the 1990s and 2000s, it still feels surreal to realize that I’m now part of this family. Although it’s still not considered the “norm” for male dancers to perform in pointe shoes, it has become much more accepted for boys and men to train en pointe—thanks to the trailblazing work of former Trocks and what they’ve accomplished in the ballet world.
LC: Do you have a favorite ballet to perform or character to play? Which parts bring you alive on stage?
Shohei Iwahama: My favorite role is the iconic Joke Swan in Swan Lake, which I’ve had the joy of performing consistently for the past two years. This one swan in the corps has many special moments throughout the ballet. As someone with a comedic spirit, this role really helped me grow as a Trock. I also love dancing in romantic-style ballets. Giselle in Giselle and Carlotta Grisi in Grand Pas de Quatre are two of my other favorite roles to perform.
LC: How do you find the balance between exhibiting both grace and gags within one pirouette?
Shohei Iwahama: I’ve never really thought about how I balance grace and gags. I just focus on the character I’m portraying, and that usually guides me. Also, grace and gags aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
LC: Obviously, this is no ordinary dance troupe. What’s your favorite thing about being part of a company that’s so different from a standard ballet company?
Shohei Iwahama: One of my favorite things about this company is that we’re like a family. Unlike traditional ballet companies, there are only 14–16 of us dancing and touring the world together (and about 20 of us, including our amazing production team!). We come from all over the world, such as Japan, Spain, Italy, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and our home base, the USA. We get to share such special moments both on and off stage.
LC: We can’t wait to see the Trocks at the LC on June 29. Is there anything about the show you’d like to tease to our readers?
Shohei Iwahama: In addition to the Trocks’ signature ballets like Swan Lake Act II, we’ll be premiering a new contemporary ballet piece on this tour. We can’t wait to share it with audiences in Texas, which I consider my home in the US!
Thanks, Shohei!
Grab your tickets to see Les Ballets Trockadero at the LC this Sunday!
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
Drop-In season is really heating up, and we don’t just mean the weather! To keep us cool, we checked in with Mama Duke ahead of her headlining performance on the H-E-B Stage this summer. Fresh off a recent album release — You Can Open Your Eyes Now — in this Mid-Week Intermission she tells us what keeps her writing, experimenting, and advocating here in Austin. And if you don’t know her music yet, better get listening!
Long Center: Welcome to Mid-Week Intermission! We usually like to ask folks for a song to go with their interview – anything come to mind?
Mama Duke: Absolutely! By the time everyone is reading/seeing this, my new single “Feels So Good To Be You” will be out. It’s ironically the same song I auditioned with for America’s Got Talent. I’m so damn excited to finally share it with everyone.
LC: We are beyond excited to have you at The Drop-In this year, but before we get to the music, we have to point out that you do so much more. Can you tell us about ATX Social Club and your other projects?
Mama Duke: Sure! I always say that artists (especially musicians) are way more layered than we’re often given credit for. People hear “musician” and imagine one lane, but we wear so many hats. I used to say, “If I wasn’t an artist, I’d create a platform for artists.” A space where we’re not boxed in, where we can just fully exist.
Then it hit me — I can do that now. I don’t have to wait. That’s how ATX Social Club was born.
It started as a live-streamed hip-hop show, but it quickly evolved into something bigger. It’s a rotating hub. It’s a club, really for artists to build, share, and connect. One week we’re doing live interviews, the next it’s a jam session for the community, and then we’re sitting in a private listening session giving real-time feedback on unreleased music and demos. It’s fluid, just like us.
Lately, with my own career picking up speed, it’s naturally taken a back seat. But I”m excited to say that some things are moving behind the scenes that’ll allow me to pour more into it again soon. ATX Social Club is and will always grow as I do.
LC: We especially love your relationship with Austin FC. How did you get so involved and why is it impotant to have community spaces like Austin FC and The Drop-In?
Mama Duke: What I’ve always admired about Austin FC is how deeply they’ve been rooted in real community since day one. When they first started planting their flag in Austin, they showed out for the people who make this city what it is.
They first reached out and asked me to bang the drum and help lead the team onto the field — a moment I’ll never forget. From there, they brought me in for a commercial, then invited me to host a soccer benefit tournament, then again to host a workout camp at Q2 Stadium, and eventually even brought me back for another campaign. This time with Matthew McConaughey. And the rest is history.
What sticks with me is that they could’ve chosen any artist, big or small, at any point. But they chose me — and they keep choosing artists like me, who may not have the biggest platform yet, but have the heart, hustle, and potential to represent this city authentically.
That’s powerful. That’s why spaces like Austin FC and The Drop-In are so important. They’re not just showcasing the artists already shining, they’re helping light the fuse for the ones about to. Big names, big brands, and big opportunities shouldn’t just spotlight what’s already known, they should be bridges to what’s next. And when they do that, everybody wins.
LC: We have to confess that “1987” from your newest album has been on repeat in the LC office this summer. How has it felt getting this project out? What was this album all about for you?
Mama Duke: Omg! That’s the coolest shit ever! *wait, can I cuss*? Lol! Mannnnnnn. I needed that energy this morning. It’s honestly the coolest thing in the world to pivot and drop a pop album at the top of the year and it be embraced. No questions, no concerns, just a “Hell yeah… we like this new sound!” It’s so fun performing these new songs. It’s even cooler to watch my fan base grow. There’s a whole different demographic that these songs have opened me up to and I’m loving it! This album was 100% a breakthrough into the new me. No hang-ups on what I should be doing or what genre I need to be focusing on. Just a break-up (experimental) album that worked out enough to release! lol
LC: You are everywhere right now. Austin Woman Magazine’s “2025 Change Makers,” The Contemporary, awards & collabs galore, and all over The Austin Chronicle.
What did it feel like to be called a “local rap icon,” as they said?
Mama Duke: I have truly waited my whole life for these opportunities and exposure. Imagine how delusional you have to be to see this in your future. But I saw it! There’s a feeling everyone has that they should be doing something and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been tuned into my inner voice for as long as I can remember. Of course I have doubts. I still have a normal job that humbles me. Lol! But I’m lucky enough to have changed my perspective on it all. The goal is obviously to do this full time but there’s lessons in all this. How cool is it to say that I’m headlining one of the nights of The Drop-In? What a wild wild wild wild wild wild wild ride. I want people to know that you can really create your own reality by yourself.
LC: What’s your take on the Austin hip-hop scene, and how do you think it’s changed since you got started?
Mama Duke: You know, if I’m being transparent, all of my friends are experimenting these days. So the “rap scene” that I started out in is slowly looking like something else. Maybe I’m not tapped in enough? That could be a possibility but my experience is that the small spotlight Austin put/puts on the rap scene has caused a lot of artists to explore and pivot. We are by no means leaving the rap scene but I think some of us are such big hustlers that we haven’t slowed down enought to even think this question out fully. We’re too busy out here making it happen!
LC: Do you think there’s a “secret sauce” for Ausitn where music is involved? What keeps you writing and creating here?
Mama Duke: Yes! I think people are so bothered with a ton of people moving here but I choose to look at it through a different lens. How cool is it that people want to come to the place where we’ve already got planted roots? We know the streets, we have the connections, we have the contacts, etc. I think Ausitn feels so alive lately. The security sauce is finding your community. Finding the like-minded folks that move how you move — want what you want, and can move the needle. The secret sauce is making your own magic!
LC: And because we can’t wait — what can folks look forward to at your Drop-In set? Any teasers you can leave with us?
Mama Duke: I’m performing with my first full band for this set! Sheeeeesh. I had to bring out all the tricks for this one! …and obviously the biggest one (I spoiled in the first questions) is that I’m performing my new single for the very first time. The same song I auditioned with on America’s Got Talent, “Feels So Good To Be You” — what is even life right now!
Thanks, Mama Duke!
Keep your eyes on @longcenter on social media so you don’t miss Mama Duke with Skateland at The Drop-In.
🌟 Don’t forget, it’s FREE
✍️ RSVPs appreciated
🤙 Drop-ins always welcome
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
