Post by The Exodus on Aug 19, 2011 16:26:11 GMT -6
Character: Madeleine de Chandon/Ledoux
Age: A lady never reveals her age (30s)
Gender: Female
Occupation: Choreographer at the Moulin Rouge.
Resume Highlights: Ballet Mistress (Opera Garnier), former burlesque star (Moulin Rouge), former Prima Ballerina (Royal Ballet, London), former dancer (Opera Garnier)
AI: Monica Bellucci
Personality: Madeleine is an extremely passionate person. She does everything in excess—drinking, smoking, making love. She lives life to the fullest because she figures that one day, you’re just going to drop dead anyways. Why not die doing something that makes you happy? Her many friends and acquaintances know her to be irrepressible, fun, and not too serious. She manages to keep her life looking glued together, even when it’s a total mess (it always is).
Madeleine is an incredibly social person. She’s never without a friend or a lover to talk to. She’s something of a gossip, but Madeleine lacks the energy to be malicious about it. Most of her energy is instead devoted to her work and to the pursuit of a partner. Madeleine is an incorrigible flirt and the word “commitment” is scarier to her than death or taxes. The idea of marriage turns her cold and Madeleine would rather cut her losses than get too attached.
Madeleine has a special talent for reading people and using that to her advantage. Although she can be a very cool customer, it’s very clear to those who know her best that Madeleine—however meticulous in her work and however poised and sociable she is—has a slew of problems. Her impulsive nature creates wild fires and she doesn’t always bother to put them out. Madeleine has very addictive tendencies. She’s always looking for a new way to feel alive and doesn’t mind flaring up a bit of drama for the hell of it.
History: Madeleine was born in the heart of Paris to Blanche Ledoux, an unwed teenage ballerina. Madeleine never knew who her father was and whenever she inquired after him, her mother would spin some fantastic tale about some wealthy lover or another—An Italian architect, a Spanish artist, an American lawyer. And as pretty as the stories were, Madeleine knew from an early age that they were exactly that: pretty stories. Madeleine never knew her father and never even came close to unraveling his identity. She no longer has any desire to find out.
Madeleine’s relationship with her mother was a tempestuous one as long as Madeleine lived at home. Blanche never bothered to hide that Madeleine was an unwanted pregnancy—and the reason Blanche’s parents tossed her out. However, there were times when Blanche behaved more like an unruly big sister to Madeleine than a mother. During those times, they would go to the park, dance, eat ice cream, do each other’s hair, and generally have a good time. Those days grew scarcer the older Madeleine got. Her teenage years were marked by an ongoing mother-daughter battle—shouting matches, hair pulling, name-calling were all common occurrences during Madeleine’s last few years at home. However, most days, the pair coexisted in a bitter, grudging peace. Sometimes, Blanche offered decent advice about dancing or dating. More often, though, Blanche frequently had men over to their one-bedroom flat and Madeleine did her best to drown out moans and creaks while she slept on the couch. She got very good at telling neighbors everything was fine. And really, things were fine. Madeleine threw herself into dancing and she was good.
Better than her mother.
When Madeleine got promoted to leader of her row at thirteen, things between her and her mother first became strained. As Madeleine improved, Blanche’s advice came less and less often, and when it did, Blanche urged her daughter to get out of the ballet world and ‘make a better life for herself’. Madeleine refused. When she was fifteen, one of Blanche’s boyfriends drunkenly gave Madeleine her first kiss and Madeleine vowed to get out of Paris. At seventeen, she left to dance with the Royal Ballet Company in England. There, she schmoozed her way to the top. She trained in other forms of dance—particularly jazz, modern, and burlesque—while in London. Madeleine was determined to be the best dancer she could be.
At age twenty-three, she became the Prima Ballerina of the Royal Ballet Company, and remained such for five years. And that was when things in Madeleine’s life began to spiral out of control. It started when her British boyfriend left her for an American woman he met while on a business trip. Madeleine, who was already a frequent social drinker began to drink heavily. One night about six months after her lover’s betrayal, Madeleine performed the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet drunk and took a bad fall, breaking her ankle in two. She was unable to work for six months and by the time she could return to the Royal Ballet Company, her position had long been filled by her former understudy. Even still, she’d made plenty of money as Prima Ballerina and was able to rely on celebrity status and her “retirement nest”, such as it was. But as money ran low, Madeleine did what any destitute, prodigal child does. She slunk back to Paris, hoping to reconcile with Blanche.
But her return to Paris was not at all the loving reunion she’d fantasized between mother and daughter. Blanche, whether jealous of her daughter’s comparative success or embittered by the long years without contact, turned Madeleine away, leaving Madeleine entirely to her own devices. Madeleine’s only skill was dance. She searched for jobs and just when she was desperate enough to make rounds at the local strip joints, Madeleine was hired to join the dance troupe at the Moulin Rouge.
At the Rouge, Madeleine took on many lovers. Often, this meant that she exchanged “favors” for financial support. She was determined to build a nest-egg that wouldn’t run out. This continued until Madeleine became a soloist at the Rouge. She quickly dropped her surname in favor of something a bit classier. “de Chandon” became her stage name. She was one of the best the Rouge had—classy, sensual, and able to perform above-average moves thanks to her years as a ballerina.
After a few years, however, Madeleine turned thirty and word spread that she was past her prime. She fled the Moulin Rouge in search of job stability.
In the summer of 2009 Madeleine became the ballet mistress at the Paris Opera house. She was replacing an old woman who’d retired and Madeleine sought to inject “fun” back into ballet. Her shows were noted for their lighthearted, whimsical nature—she has received accolades for her work from several art magazines and critics across Europe. However, as time wore on, Madeleine missed the Moulin Rouge. Her shows became flashier, more sensual, and experimental at the Garnier. It raised some eyebrows and excited others. But Madeleine missed being on stage and she missed the playful art of burlesque. She returned at the start of 2013 as the Moulin Rouge’s choreographer.
But when Madeleine sees the young women she’s in charge of, she misses being on stage. She misses it more than anything in the world and there are some days where she can’t help but want to steal a little of that spotlight back for herself.
AI: Monica Bellucci
Age: A lady never reveals her age (30s)
Gender: Female
Occupation: Choreographer at the Moulin Rouge.
Resume Highlights: Ballet Mistress (Opera Garnier), former burlesque star (Moulin Rouge), former Prima Ballerina (Royal Ballet, London), former dancer (Opera Garnier)
AI: Monica Bellucci
Personality: Madeleine is an extremely passionate person. She does everything in excess—drinking, smoking, making love. She lives life to the fullest because she figures that one day, you’re just going to drop dead anyways. Why not die doing something that makes you happy? Her many friends and acquaintances know her to be irrepressible, fun, and not too serious. She manages to keep her life looking glued together, even when it’s a total mess (it always is).
Madeleine is an incredibly social person. She’s never without a friend or a lover to talk to. She’s something of a gossip, but Madeleine lacks the energy to be malicious about it. Most of her energy is instead devoted to her work and to the pursuit of a partner. Madeleine is an incorrigible flirt and the word “commitment” is scarier to her than death or taxes. The idea of marriage turns her cold and Madeleine would rather cut her losses than get too attached.
Madeleine has a special talent for reading people and using that to her advantage. Although she can be a very cool customer, it’s very clear to those who know her best that Madeleine—however meticulous in her work and however poised and sociable she is—has a slew of problems. Her impulsive nature creates wild fires and she doesn’t always bother to put them out. Madeleine has very addictive tendencies. She’s always looking for a new way to feel alive and doesn’t mind flaring up a bit of drama for the hell of it.
History: Madeleine was born in the heart of Paris to Blanche Ledoux, an unwed teenage ballerina. Madeleine never knew who her father was and whenever she inquired after him, her mother would spin some fantastic tale about some wealthy lover or another—An Italian architect, a Spanish artist, an American lawyer. And as pretty as the stories were, Madeleine knew from an early age that they were exactly that: pretty stories. Madeleine never knew her father and never even came close to unraveling his identity. She no longer has any desire to find out.
Madeleine’s relationship with her mother was a tempestuous one as long as Madeleine lived at home. Blanche never bothered to hide that Madeleine was an unwanted pregnancy—and the reason Blanche’s parents tossed her out. However, there were times when Blanche behaved more like an unruly big sister to Madeleine than a mother. During those times, they would go to the park, dance, eat ice cream, do each other’s hair, and generally have a good time. Those days grew scarcer the older Madeleine got. Her teenage years were marked by an ongoing mother-daughter battle—shouting matches, hair pulling, name-calling were all common occurrences during Madeleine’s last few years at home. However, most days, the pair coexisted in a bitter, grudging peace. Sometimes, Blanche offered decent advice about dancing or dating. More often, though, Blanche frequently had men over to their one-bedroom flat and Madeleine did her best to drown out moans and creaks while she slept on the couch. She got very good at telling neighbors everything was fine. And really, things were fine. Madeleine threw herself into dancing and she was good.
Better than her mother.
When Madeleine got promoted to leader of her row at thirteen, things between her and her mother first became strained. As Madeleine improved, Blanche’s advice came less and less often, and when it did, Blanche urged her daughter to get out of the ballet world and ‘make a better life for herself’. Madeleine refused. When she was fifteen, one of Blanche’s boyfriends drunkenly gave Madeleine her first kiss and Madeleine vowed to get out of Paris. At seventeen, she left to dance with the Royal Ballet Company in England. There, she schmoozed her way to the top. She trained in other forms of dance—particularly jazz, modern, and burlesque—while in London. Madeleine was determined to be the best dancer she could be.
At age twenty-three, she became the Prima Ballerina of the Royal Ballet Company, and remained such for five years. And that was when things in Madeleine’s life began to spiral out of control. It started when her British boyfriend left her for an American woman he met while on a business trip. Madeleine, who was already a frequent social drinker began to drink heavily. One night about six months after her lover’s betrayal, Madeleine performed the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet drunk and took a bad fall, breaking her ankle in two. She was unable to work for six months and by the time she could return to the Royal Ballet Company, her position had long been filled by her former understudy. Even still, she’d made plenty of money as Prima Ballerina and was able to rely on celebrity status and her “retirement nest”, such as it was. But as money ran low, Madeleine did what any destitute, prodigal child does. She slunk back to Paris, hoping to reconcile with Blanche.
But her return to Paris was not at all the loving reunion she’d fantasized between mother and daughter. Blanche, whether jealous of her daughter’s comparative success or embittered by the long years without contact, turned Madeleine away, leaving Madeleine entirely to her own devices. Madeleine’s only skill was dance. She searched for jobs and just when she was desperate enough to make rounds at the local strip joints, Madeleine was hired to join the dance troupe at the Moulin Rouge.
At the Rouge, Madeleine took on many lovers. Often, this meant that she exchanged “favors” for financial support. She was determined to build a nest-egg that wouldn’t run out. This continued until Madeleine became a soloist at the Rouge. She quickly dropped her surname in favor of something a bit classier. “de Chandon” became her stage name. She was one of the best the Rouge had—classy, sensual, and able to perform above-average moves thanks to her years as a ballerina.
After a few years, however, Madeleine turned thirty and word spread that she was past her prime. She fled the Moulin Rouge in search of job stability.
In the summer of 2009 Madeleine became the ballet mistress at the Paris Opera house. She was replacing an old woman who’d retired and Madeleine sought to inject “fun” back into ballet. Her shows were noted for their lighthearted, whimsical nature—she has received accolades for her work from several art magazines and critics across Europe. However, as time wore on, Madeleine missed the Moulin Rouge. Her shows became flashier, more sensual, and experimental at the Garnier. It raised some eyebrows and excited others. But Madeleine missed being on stage and she missed the playful art of burlesque. She returned at the start of 2013 as the Moulin Rouge’s choreographer.
But when Madeleine sees the young women she’s in charge of, she misses being on stage. She misses it more than anything in the world and there are some days where she can’t help but want to steal a little of that spotlight back for herself.
AI: Monica Bellucci
