That scene then shifted as dancers pushed the movable set piece depicting the Café du Monde to the opposite side of the stage and flipped it round to reveal the interior of the shabby atelier of artist friends Rodolfo, Marcello, Colline (Leiland Charles), and Schaunard (Zachary Guthier). Here, Wörtmeyer cleverly blended slapstick humor with athletic dancing as the friends teasingly fought over who would sit in front of an electric fan that Schaunard had brought. Their fun ended after they caused a power outage in the building. 

After a brief and humorous encounter with their landlord, who demanded the rent, the friends parted, leaving Rodolfo behind to answer a knock at the door from Mimi, who asked him to light her candle.  

In the first of several nods to famous ballet scenes seemingly incorporated into the ballet, it was love at first sight for the pair, à la Romeo and Juliet. A 14-minute pas de deux expressing their love and jubilation ensued. Packed with intricate partnered spins, lifts, and embraces, Anaya and Miklosovic danced the soul-stirring pas de deux with passion and technical prowess. 

Infused throughout Miklosovic's brilliant portrayal of Mimi was a recurring cough that flared up when she was under physical and emotional distress. Venturing out into the Mardi Gras festivities that had a butterfly theme (as a metaphor for Mimi's fragile health), Rodolfo and Mimi encountered tarot card reader Josephine (Katelyn Yang), who swooped into the festivities like Sleeping Beauty's Carabosse. In a card reading for Mimi, she warned of her impending death, which filled Mimi with terror.