Moulin Rouge (Royal Winnipeg Ballet) at the Vancouver Centre for the Performing Arts

photo credit: virgirm

I love Paris. I really do. Having spent a substantial amount of time in this amazing city (and sometimes wondering what would have been of my life had I done my PhD at Sorbonne Nouvelle instead), I can’t help but always have a soft spot for anything that reminds me of the time I spent in Paris. And of course, I *have* been to the Moulin Rouge. An interesting spot, to say the least.

I have watched the Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman “Moulin Rouge” movie more times than I care to remember. I knew the story even before it was written in its current form. This ill-fated love story of a young aspiring artist (Matthew) and a newly-minted courtesan (Natalie) develops within the confines of the Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge. Tales of lovestruck birds with tragic endings have been depicted in other storylines (Orpheum and Euridice, Romeo and Juliet, just to give a couple of examples). But Moulin Rouge has managed to capture audience’s imaginations in part, I believe, because it develops in Paris, and because in one way or another, despite knowing that the love story will end up tragically, we intrinsically (and not-so-secretly) want them to end up living happily ever-after. The promise of never-ending love.

JT took me last night to the Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver to see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of Moulin Rouge. We were both really excited about watching this show. Him, because it was the first time he had seen live ballet, and me, of course, because I’m still a dancer, someone who appreciates movement, rhythm, technique and passion.

Despite lukewarm reviews I just read on The Georgia Straight and The Vancouver Sun, I truly believe that the Royal Winnipeg Ballet accomplish something that very few people are able to achieve: transport the viewer to Paris to bear witness to the star-crossed romance of Matthew and Natalie, while almost flawlessly melding very disparate dance styles (ballet with tango and ballet with can-can).

I was hypnotized by the strength of Natalie’s fouettés, the graceful and beautifully coordinated grand jetés of the collective can-can troupe and the powerful ways in which the ensemble captured my soul in the two final numbers for each act. First, the story of lovestruck Natalie and Matthew completes Act I and at the end, as Natalie meets her ill-fated destiny. I shed tears during both numbers, deeply moved by the main leads’ performances. Overall, I was most impressed with the tango collective ensemble and the can-can, where I appreciated the synchronization and deeply complex moves that involve putting together a show of this caliber.

A little United Nations in and of itself, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet succeeds where I have seen others fail. Kudos to them for a phenomenal performance that brought the audience to its feet (JT and myself included) in a standing ovation. I’d strongly recommend this show (although, to be quite frank, I found the tickets to be slightly pricey – but it’s a really good show, and worth seeing).

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2. Black Comedy (at The Arts Club)
3. Rally to Protest Arts Funding Cuts in British Columbia (upcoming event)
4. Les Miserables (The Arts Club production)
5. A bunch of geeks at the Future Shop Park Royal opening