“Pas de Q” in the Sophiensäle: choreographer Tomi Paasonen combines ballet and drag

A dream in tulle: The four graceful creatures, who come tripping onto the stage of the Sophiensaele to the lovely sounds, wear white tulle skirts that reach above the knee, and pointe shoes, tutu and pointe shoes are the insignia of the romantic ballerina.In “Pas de Q ‘ it is now a queer quartet of male and non-binary dancers who appropriate and play with these feminine attributes.

There have been funny satires of famous ballets – the New York company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is a pioneer of the cross-gender movement in dance. The drag ballerinas with hair on their chests and tight calves quickly achieved cult status – and not only in the gay subculture.

White tulle skirts above the knee

The Finnish choreographer Tomi Paasonen is not breaking new ground with “Pas de Q”. But he makes it clear straight away that he’s not interested in parody. And the dancers: Kai Braithwaite, Leonardo Mancuso, Llewellyn Mgnuni and Joel Small do not want to ridicule the ballet-like floating dream. They also bring the necessary technique with them, without the attitudes and pirouettes becoming slapstick.

Llewellyn Mgnuni from South Africa is the perfect embodiment of a gender fluid ballet elf. The Italian Leonardo Mancuso beguiles with his elegant line. Kai Braithwaite from New York, small and muscular, delights with his jumps. And Joe Small from Sydney is the long-legged supermodel of the ballerina quartet.

Tomi Paasonen wants to stir up classical ballet, which is strongly influenced by traditional gender roles. This also has something to do with his own history. He danced as a soloist with the Hamburg Ballet, San Francisco Lines Contemporary Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago.

After a serious accident he had to end his dancing career in 1997. Paasonen turns to contemporary dance as a choreographer, experimenting with all kinds of forms and bodies. But the ballet won’t let him go. In Dock 11 he already showed the etude “Attitude” in April. In “Pas de Q” he again combines ballet and drag.

The four dancers do not disappear behind their roles. Paasonen incorporates her life experiences into the performance. You can hear their stories on tape, which sometimes resemble intimate confessions. It’s about the fascination of dancing and the suffering of the heteronormative ballet business, about love and broken hearts. But the dance with the veil sometimes doesn’t go with the (self-)critical statements.

The four elves transform into radiant goddesses

“Drag is a door opener,” says Joel Small, who goes by the name of “Reflectra.” And the ballet here is a launch pad for the four. The romantic ballerina embodies innocence and purity. The drag ballerinas not only want to embody their fantasies of femininity, they also want to express their sensuality.

In the center of the graffiti set with its voluptuous lines and body shapes is a gate with a phallic symbol. A conférencier with glittering fringes and a strong Scottish accent invites you on a journey to a distant sex planet where very different forms of life and love flourish.

At the end, the four elves transform into radiant goddesses from another galaxy. Each has a glamorous appearance in a glittering costume – and here, too, they dance on pointe. But now no floating is announced, the poses are inspired by voguing. Buttock shaking as you know it from twerking can also be seen.

In “Pas de Q” the queer community celebrates itself. Everything is mixed up here: ballet, cabaret, burlesque and ballroom. The result is a fun and lustful extravaganza. Tomi Paasonen takes queer aesthetics to the extreme in every respect. And the four drag ballerinas are real grenades.

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