A terrific night at the ballet

Thank-you, Linda Erwin, for one final lead on a great performance. Over the years, the longtime arts and performances coordinator booked most of the touring productions that played the Weidner Center and, before that, the Visiting Artists Series, dating to the 1970s. To be honest, we probably wouldn’t have given Thursday night’s Moulin Rouge performance by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet of Canada a second look if not for the fact that Erwin’s former colleagues chose it as the occasion for a post-show reception honoring her memory. (She died earlier this year in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at age 69.) Well, it was a terrific ballet — full of color, beautiful music, a compelling story and superb dance — and a fitting tribute to Erwin and her love of dance. Several dozen friends and colleagues gathered in the Signature Lounge afterward to share stories and browse photo albums. If you’d still like to submit a message to the memory book that will be forwarded to her family, well… check the end of our previous post.