Moulin Rouge to Kick off Atlanta Ballet Season 10/22-31

The enchantment of Paris and the glamour, vivacity and allure of the Moulin Rouge, the world-famous Parisian cabaret, will burst to life this fall as Atlanta Ballet opens its 81st season with Moulin Rouge - The Ballet.

With high-kicking Cancan choreography and a story of love, adventure and indulgence revolving around the legendary cabaret, Moulin Rouge - The Ballet will have its southeastern premiere October 22-31 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

The production is the original creation of renowned Canadian choreographer Jorden Morris, who plots his full-length ballet in the late 1880s when the Moulin Rouge first opened its doors.
Originally built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, the Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the Quadrille and the provocative Cancan dance. During its heyday, the cabaret was an extravagant place featuring huge dance floors, wall-to-wall mirrors, and elegant galleries. This excess was accompanied by a wild atmosphere on stage featuring gaudy Cancan girls in long skirts and heavily frilled undergarments who performed high kicks, splits, cartwheels, and other acrobatic tricks.
Moulin Rouge - The Ballet tells the tale of laundress-turned-Cancan star Nathalie and her romance with a painter namEd Matthew. Drawn to Paris by the city's throbbing allure of ambition and desire, Matthew and Nathalie tempt the fates as they seek love and destiny in the magical atmosphere of the Moulin Rouge.

Morris brings the ill-fated love story of Matthew and Nathalie to life by channeling the opulent panache of the Moulin Rouge through illustrative dance and scenery. This critically acclaimed production transforms the stage into a grand spectacle of elegance and seduction, magnifying the euphoria of Paris Atlanta Ballet's corps of dancers pushes the envelope as it weaves the grace of classical ballet with the athleticism and artistry of the French Cancan and the verve of the tango. Spectacular staging, vivid costumes and a score from period French composers, create an engaging and authentic experience.

The Moulin Rouge has been the subject of many books, paintings, movies and musicals, but this is only the second ballet production after the successful world premiere by Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet last fall.

Like Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Atlanta Ballet collaborated with the Moulin Rouge in Paris and has been granted the rights to use their trademarked name for the title of this ballet.

Tickets start as low as $20 and are on sale now. For tickets, call 800-982-2787 or stop by the Cobb Energy Centre box office. To purchase tickets online, visit www.atlantaballet.com or www.ticketmaster.com.