An Evening in Montmartre, Sunday, November 4, 2012 was a fabulous gala benefit event featuring an afternoon ballet performance by Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, followed by a gala reception and dinner at The Palmer House Hilton. The dance performance "Moulin Rouge - The Ballet" was spectacularly produced with outstanding performances by principal dancers, Amanda Green, Dimitri Dovgoselets, Yosuke Mino and Sophia Lee (who stole the show by the way). Moulin Rouge is the most famous cabaret in history which produced the famous and scandalous Cancan dance. The event was hosted by the Consul General Gitane De Silva of Canada, Consul General Graham Paul of France, Nicolas and Kathleen Amatangelo, and Frantz and McGhee Osse.
The post-performance reception at The Palmer House Hilton featured Cancan greeters, caricaturists and a juggler. The three course dinner, a smoked salmon with white truffle oil appetizer, stuffed filet oscar with crabmeat entree, and a french dessert sampler was superb and served with either a Cadet d'Oc Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon from Languedoc-Roussillon, France. My tables mates at the dinner included Pianist Ramsey Lewis and his wife Jan. The City Lights Orchestra played an unobtrusive set during dinner with just the right tone and volume to allow guest to converse with each other.
