125 years behind the scenes of the Moulin Rouge

On October 6, 1889, almost immediately after the completion of the Eiffel Tower, entrepreneurs Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler opened the doors of the Moulin Rouge cabaret for the first time near the Pigalle red light district in Paris. The place for the establishment was chosen optimally — it was not difficult for lovers of famous night entertainment to walk a few steps from Pigalle Square to the cabaret, and decent Parisians did not consider it shameful to visit an area that, being in the vicinity of the red light district, still did not enjoy such a bad reputation. The highlight of the program of any evening show "Moulin Rouge" was an energetic cancan dance performed by half-naked (although not always) girls. It is thanks to the cancan that the cabaret has not yet lost popularity and remains a favorite place for tourists to visit, and for Parisians themselves.

(15 photos in total)

1. February 19, 1924. The Hoffman Girls group is preparing to go on stage at the Moulin Rouge in Paris

The Hoffman Girls dance group is the brainchild of dancer and choreographer Gertrude Hoffman. The performances staged by Hoffman, including on the stage of the Moulin Rouge, often not only aroused the interest of the public, but also shocked — as a rule, because of eroticism and sensuality, which at the beginning of the XX century was definitely disapproved of.

2. January 1930. A special expert evaluates and measures the legs of potential Moulin Rouge dancers

The selection criteria for any Moulin Rouge show are very strict. They were installed more than 60 years ago and have been strictly observed since then. Only candidates with a height of 168 to 172 cm, athletic build, with perfect skin are considered. For a certain number, all the parameters of the girls should be the same — the length of the legs and arms, even the distance between the breasts. The viewer gets the feeling that the same girl is in front of him, and the rest are a play of light and shadows.

3. Circa 1930. Preparation for the performance

The face and body are the working tools of the artists, the administration treats this strictly. For example, once a week all the dancers are weighed ("rainy day"). If a girl has gained more than one extra kilogram, then she is not allowed to the show until she gets in shape.

4. 1989. Dancers in the Moulin Rouge locker room

The managers of the Moulin Rouge carefully monitor the intimate inviolability of their dancers. After each show, the girls go outside through a secret passage, where they are picked up by drivers and taken home. If the artist herself allowed inappropriate behavior, she will be fired without talking.

5. 1989. The show is attended by 50 dancers selected according to special criteria

Some shows are prepared for a year or more — every element of the performance must be honed to perfection. That is why choreographers all over the world are equal to the dance numbers at the Moulin Rouge, and celebrities often invite the participants of the show for their concerts. Cabaret dancers, for example, performed with Christina Aguilera, Dita von Teese and Carmen Electra.

6. 1989. Dancers backstage before going on stage

All the girls at the Moulin Rouge work under pseudonyms. No one knows their real names. Choosing a pseudonym is the prerogative of top cabaret managers, a dancer can only refuse the proposed option once, the second time she will somehow have to take a new name, which will remain with her until the end of her work at the Moulin Rouge.

7. 1989. Acrobats warm up before going on stage, where they will perform numbers in the music hall genre

Acrobatic numbers and pole dancing are permanent elements of the show at the Moulin Rouge.

8. 2001. Artists relax behind the scenes of the Moulin Rouge

The administration of the Moulin Rouge has tried many different theatrical and musical genres. Operettas and revues were staged on the cabaret stage, sometimes even films were shown, but today, as always, the audience comes to the Moulin Rouge to see the signature French cancan dance.

9. 2001. What is not visible on the Moulin Rouge stage

Six full-length films have been made about the cabaret. The last of them, released in 2001, restored the former glory of the Moulin Rouge. The tape itself revived the genre of the movie musical, under its influence the film "Chicago" appeared, which received the most positive reviews from the public.

10. 2001. The dancer warms up before the performance

The "calling card" of the Moulin Rouge cabaret is an incendiary cancan, which mainly attracted visitors. "To dance the cancan, you need to have a very special temperament, an exceptional spirit, here you can not limit yourself to reproducing a figure composed according to the rules. There is a need to invent, to create. Cancan is the madness of legs. When I dance, a kind of insanity takes hold of me: I forget everything… The music shrinks in my chest, rushes to my head like champagne fumes," Margarita Rigolbosch, one of the most famous Moulin Rouge dancers, recalled about her work.

11. 2002. In the "Moulin Rouge" dressing room, dancers apply makeup

The competition between the dancers in the cabaret is huge. To ruin a suit or slip smaller shoes to a rival just before the performance is in the order of things.

12. 2002. A ball of red feathers

Contrary to popular belief, the Moulin Rouge has never performed and does not perform a striptease. Although there is a legend that it originated here, when two slightly tipsy guests climbed onto the tables and undressed to the music until they were completely naked. Since then, the striptease has begun a triumphant march around the world, eclipsing the signature French cancan.

13. September 17, 2009. Australian dancer Alix warms up before a performance

The artistic troupe "Moulin Rouge" holds six world records. For example, a group of cancan dancers was awarded for the largest number of leg swings during a performance.

14. September 17, 2009. It's time for the stage

Headache, poor health is not a reason to disown the performance. In any condition, girls should go on stage smiling.

15. September 17, 2009. Last preparations before the room

The costumes at the Moulin Rouge cabaret are worked on as carefully as the musical numbers themselves. Each show is not just a dance, but a bright theatrical performance, and stage costumes are very important.