This Valentine’s Day weekend, a stage will be transformed into late 19th century Paris, and an artist and a dancer will fall in love in the romantic atmosphere of the Moulin Rouge cabaret.Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) will present five performances of the Pittsburgh debut of “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” at the Benedum Center for Performing Arts Downtown from Feb. 14-17. Tickets are still available for between $20.75 and $90.75 online at www.pbt.org or by calling 412-456-6666. Discounted tickets for between $15 and $30 are available for Point Park students by using the code PBTPPU online.”I think [‘Moulin Rouge – The Ballet’] is going to be a big success, and it will be great fun for Pittsburgh to see something new,” said PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr in a phone interview on Friday.Choreographed by Jorden Morris for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” takes place in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. It tells the story of Nathalie, a launderette who washes clothes for the wealthy, but dreams of being a dancer at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. She meets Matthew, a visiting artist, and falls in love. Romance, drama and tragedy fill the production, and the PBT dancers are “loving it and having a good time,” according to Orr.Alexandra Kochis, a principal dancer in her seventh season with PBT, will perform the role of Nathalie in several of the shows.”I’m really enjoying it. [Nathalie] is kind of a feisty, vivacious, fiery character, which is always a lot of fun to portray onstage,” said Kochis over the phone after a full day of rehearsals on Thursday.The choreography in “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” has a more contemporary feel than this season’s previous ballets —”Giselle” and “The Nutcracker” —without losing its classical ballet roots.”[‘Moulin Rouge – The Ballet’] is sort of a hybrid between some of the can-can movements and ballet choreography, and it incorporates that whole Moulin Rouge flavor into it,” Kochis said.The ballet features 27 songs from the time period in France, including a mix of slow, dramatic tangos and high-energy can-cans.The slow piano piece, “Clair de Lune,” is the background music for Kochis’s favorite part of the ballet to perform —a pas de deux at the end of the first act that she dances with her husband, PBT principal dancer Christopher Budzynski, who performs the role of Matthew.The romantic atmosphere for Nathalie and Matthew’s dance is Paris at sunset, with the Eiffel Tower and an arched bridge in the background and romantic-style costumes to match.”We just wore [the pas de deux costumes] today, and I wear this champagne-colored long, fitted dress. It has a sweetheart neckline with really beautiful satin ruching along the hip,” Kochis said. “It’s very elegant, and it’s really, really beautiful.”Orr, Kochis and the PBT dancers have been preparing for the one-weekend event of “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” for five weeks. Although there is always room for improvement in the world of ballet, the dancers are seeing their weeks of hard work come to fruition as opening night approaches.”Everybody is really honing in on their characters. I feel like more and more, every day what I see in the studio is not so much the steps, but it’s actually the story coming to life,” Kochis said.Because “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” is one of Pittsburgh’s top Valentine’s Day weekend date ideas, PBT added a Saturday matinee performance to meet the popular demand.”It’s just such a fun show, and it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day because it is a love story,” said PBT marketing director Aimee DiAndrea in a phone interview on Friday. “This is definitely the show to see this season.”Whether audiences are regulars at the ballet or this is their first show, Kochis thinks “Moulin Rouge – The Ballet” will be a production that appeals to everyone.