It’s the next best thing to having ballet dancer Eric Nipp visit his hometown.
The second principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet will be featured in the prestigious company’s film production of Moulin Rouge at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 2 at the Salmar Classic.
Along with a rousing French-inspired soundtrack, the ballet features high-kicking choreography and a passionate story of love, ambition and heartbreak. Since its World Premiere in 2009, Moulin Rouge – The Ballet has been seen by more than 100,000 people in 30-plus cities across North America, bringing cheering audiences to their feet wherever it tours.
Featuring French period music and high-flying choreography, the ballet follows two innocents drawn to fin-de-siècle Paris in search of romance and stardom.
Their passion ignites a powder keg of emotion and ultimate heartbreak in that most glittery and infamous of cabarets.
For the world premiere of Moulin Rouge – The Ballet in 2009, choreographer Jorden Morris created the role of Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge, for Nipp.
A native of Salmon Arm, Nipp trained in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School professional division.
After graduation he danced with the Kelowna Ballet for one season before joining the RWB as an apprentice.
Nipp joined the corps de ballet in 2008 and was promoted to second soloist 2011.
Nipp’s repertoire includes The Sleeping Beauty, Serenade, Carmina Burana, Hikarizatto, Dracula, Quantz by Quanz, Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Val Caniparoli’s A Cinderella Story.
A career highlight was partnering Tara Birtwhistle in The Ecstasy of Rita Joe for Birtwhistle’s farewell performances. Nipp was also selected to partner Paloma Herrera in Twyla Tharp’s The Princess & The Goblin.
Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet company, he performed Itzik Galili’s Hikarizatto and Mark Godden’s As Above, So Below at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Cultural Olympiad and was part of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s memorable 70th Anniversary tour to Israel.
