Moulin Rouge

My sister and I celebrated Valentine's Day by going to see the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's production of Moulin Rouge. (The plot was not based on the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, by the way.) When I was little, my dad and I were season ticket holders, but I haven't gone to the ballet regularly since I was in middle school. Even though I tend to be hyper-critical of dance performances, there was a lot to love about Moulin Rouge, like the costumes (the launderettes were basically dressed in Edwardian underpinnings) and the music (songs like "Clair de Lune" and "La Vie en Rose" are cliche, I guess, but I adore them anyway). Plus, for me, going to the ballet has always been a form of escapism, and it was nice to put aside grad school stress for the evening.

I thought this 1940's dress, with its red polka dots and ruffled sleeves, was a good marriage of Valentine's Day enthusiast and can-can dancer. And though I felt completely mortified taking pictures with all those people around, I eventually ended up with a shot I liked.

I also took a picture of the Benedum Center's epic chandelier, which both fascinated and terrified me as a child, because it reminded me of that scene in Anastasia where the chandelier comes crashing down in the middle of the ballroom. (Please tell me someone else remembers that movie; it was one of my favorites!)

Outfit details:
1940's dress via Dear Golden
Coach belt
Nine West heels

And now for something completely different...

Thank you, first of all, to everyone who left a comment on my last post. It's really nice to hear that other people feel the same way that I do. :)

I don't have any outfit photos to post today. Instead, I thought I would post a video of me dancing. Dance has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember! I started taking classes at a studio when I was 3, majored in Dance in college, and currently teach beginner-intermediate tap and ballet. I feel completely in my element on stage; the jitters and stage fright that lots of people experience are replaced by a sense of peacefulness and joy.

This particular piece was choreographed by my friend and fellow dance major Eileen during our senior year of college. The piece is about Eileen's feelings in the absence of her military boyfriend, but I think it's the sort of thing that's pretty open to interpretation (like most modern dances are). I hope you enjoy it! (And just for reference, I'm the dancer who starts between the other two performers. For the first 45 seconds or so, I move around the other two dancers as they perform a duet holding hands.)