Original subtitles

(film reel clicks)

(drum banging)

(speaking French)

- [Translator] Cabaret always attracted me,

and I always thought about the Moulin Rouge.

(drum banging)

- [Translator] As a dancer,

you dream of dancing at the Moulin Rouge.

- [Translator] Sometimes I feel troubled by the thought

that one day I won't be able to dance anymore.

(drum banging)

- I can audition up to 500 girls, 500, 600 girls

in a year and only come home with five, maximum 10, 12.

(jazz music)

- [Narrator] Ladies and gentlemen, let us take you

on a journey through a parallel universe,

somewhere between reality and imagination.

Let's wander through the history and present times

of the most famous revue theater of all times,

and take a look at the secret world behind the curtains

of this most legendary of all cabarets.

(drum banging)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to

the heart of the Moulin Rouge.

(drum banging)

- The Moulin Rouge started and the cancan started

as a shout, when they shout, they shout.

A scream for a little bit more

freedom and liberty for women.

("Cancan Music" by Offenbach)

(speaking French)

- [Translator] In the year 1889,

and even until 1925, women had no say.

Had to squeeze themselves in much too tight dresses,

weren't allowed to drive a car or smoke in public.

There was no tolerance towards women.

Going out was something for rich men,

accompanied by women in evening gowns and lots of jewelry.

In contrast to this were the poor,

the factory workers, the bakers and washerwomen.

These two worlds rarely ever met.

It was the high society from Boulogne and Orleans

with their tailcoats and top hats who went

to the Moulin Rouge to have a good time.

("Cancan Music" by Offenbach)

La Goulue, the greedy one's, real name was Louise Weber.

She was an ordinary girl who went out at Montmartre,

drank a lot and danced the cancan at the Segale.

She was called Goulue because she liked to drink a lot.

One evening she was discovered

at the Segale by Joseph Oller.

He convinced her to show her cancan at the Moulin Rouge,

and it became a huge success.

- [Translator] It was always my dream to be like the Goulue,

even though it was a completely different

dancing style back then.

- [Translator] Joseph Oller, the founder of

the Moulin Rouge, decided that this cancan should become

the official dance of his establishment.

People hadn't seen anything like that before,

girls throwing their legs in the air

and showing themselves to the audience half-naked.

The men were absolutely mesmerized.

- They wanted to go out and prove their independence,

and the cancan was a way of doing that,

of showing their independence, that they could do this,

and show their ankles if they wanted to.

- [Translator] The men gathered around the stage.

They wanted to be as close as possible to the dancers.

From one day to the next, this dance became very popular.

Toulouse-Lautrec put it on canvas,

the bourgeoisie discovered the place.

It gave men the opportunity to see women

in a never before seen laxity.

And for the women, it was a way of expressing their freedom.

They were even allowed to touch the men,

which was considered inappropriate elsewhere.

(women cheering) (cabaret music playing)

From 1925, the general public discovered

the revues of the golden '20s.

From then on, not only the Parisians and people

from the suburbs came, tourists came from other countries

like the United States or Great Britain.

They visited the Moulin Rouge that had become

a symbol for Paris, the City of Lights.

- The difference with the cancan is

it's improved technically.

- [Translator] The cancan is difficult to dance.

You need to train for it almost like a professional athlete.

It requires a lot of physical fitness.

- [Translator] It's quite demanding

in regard to muscular power.

It requires a lot of body control.

If you don't have that, you can easily

pull your muscles with the cancan.

- [Translator] Despite my experience,

I had to train three months for it.

Running, dancing, and a strict diet.

(sultry instrumental music)

- The legs are higher, it's more rigid,

it's built up over the years.

("Cancan Music" by Offenbach)

- [Translator] One thing is crucial,

always do a warmup, it puts a strain on your body.

You need to warm up properly if you want

to keep up doing it for a long time without injury.

Warmup is the biggest part of the work as a cancan dancer.

They spend 30 seconds to one minute on stage,

but warmup time before that is one hour, with every show.

- The figures, as such, that were quite historically-based

around political skits, you know, the cathedral, hmm,

and wink at the church, the pour dame,

a wink at the military.

There's lots of little, it's almost like a comic script.

("Cancan Music" by Offenbach)

And maybe a little bit like today, on a Friday night

they would go out, and create mayhem.

(laughing)

- The cathedral, and we do it together,

and we're right at the front.

- Yeah, everybody gets to do it with two hands,

but we have to just do it with one hand.

- [Translator] As we always cross each other

during the dance rounds, we're never

really absolutely safe from injury.

- And so you're trying to keep something that's

technically good and aesthetically harmonious,

while still trying to keep that sense of freedom,

and riot, and total letting go.

("Cancan Music" by Offenbach)

(audience cheering and applauding)

(cabaret style music)

(speaking French)

- [Translator] Lisette, my dear friend, welcome.

- [Narrator] It's a reunion with one of the

Moulin Rouge's biggest stars, Lisette Malidor.

Thierry used to be her stage partner back in the day.

Today, he's the director, and responsible

for the whole stage program.

- [Translator] Do you remember Brazil?

You had an amazing dress and we danced

in rather edged movements, to the left, to the right,

and then you climbed on my shoulders.

- [Translator] Such small shoulders.

(cabaret style music)

And all the musicians were up there.

- [Translator] 17 musicians and a conductor.

- [Translator] There was another orchestra,

as well, that was there to motivate

the audience to dance during dinner.

They all danced, I remember that very well.

We sat in the dressing room, put on our makeup,

and heard the music and the clanking of the plates.

It was really impressive, and there was that water basin.

- [Translator] The basin is under here, it's still there.

- [Translator] Oh, it is?

- [Translator] It was and still is.

- [Translator] But this is new, right?

- [Translator] These two platforms, yes, they're new.

- Ah, Moulin Rouge.

Follement.

- [Narrator] As a young woman, Lisette worked

at a small hairdressers in la rue Milton.

In the evenings, she sold bills at the Casino du Paris,

where she was discovered for the stage

by a famous choreographer in 1970.

Six years later, she was the star of the Moulin Rouge.

- [Translator] 1976, Follement.

It was the premier of the new revue at the Moulin Rouge.

Lisette Malidor was the opening act.

The Moulin Rouge is one of the biggest

commercial consumers of champagne,

240,000 bottles per year, that was in 1976.

But today?

I never drank much, I had to be sensible.

(laughs)

- [Translator] You're naked here, do you remember?

- [Translator] Well, not really naked.

We covered the crucial parts!

- [Translator] Covered, okay, but you wore no string

and no bra, everything's hidden under the rhinestone.

And those amazing tight boots,

it was the perfect costume for you.

- [Translator] This was the bill for Follement.

All the managers are listed.

Jackie Cherico, Doris Haug. (speaking French)

People called me the new Josephine Baker.

- [Translator] Lisette used to work at the greatest

vaudeville theaters in Paris.

She had this special radiance, something exotic and wild

that worked wonderfully on stage.

Roland Petit discovered her and told her

get on that stage immediately.

I want you to be there.

(cabaret style music)

- [Translator] It's true, it was difficult

to switch from vaudeville to theater.

I then understood that there was some sort

of cultural racism.

People knew me from vaudeville and

they expected me to stay there.

- [Translator] You wanted to destroy this image.

First you wanted the girl with the feathers

going ole ole ole and then you talked about negritude,

quoting black writers.

That required a lot of courage.

Nobody else did something like this.

- [Translator] It's not a natural thing

to find your place if you're different.

At the vaudeville theater, I somehow could forget

this difference as I could laugh, show my body.

I was allowed to be looked at, be desired.

- [Translator] Lisette Malidor fits very well

in the image of the Moulin Rouge.

When she entered the place, people wouldn't recognize her.

She got to her dressing room, put on her makeup,

her dress and the rhinestone and feathers

and became a star when she got on stage.

She wore the star's costume.

The audience was mesmerized once the show started.

After the show, she left the theater through the back door

and nobody recognized her in the streets.

People think she's just an ordinary Black woman,

nobody would think that she's a Moulin Rouge dancer.

No matter how great or majestic she may be.

- [Translator] It was wonderful to experience that

because it let me forget my own past for some time.

For a while it helped me forget that I'm Black.

(instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Dancers from all over the world dream

of a career on the stage of the Moulin Rouge,

but it will remain a dream for most of them.

- Today, everybody will start arriving and then we have

to try and control where they go.

We're expecting about 80 people, which is a large number.

This means this time we can't actually

do the audition in the rehearsal room.

We're going to have to start onstage.

Okay, what I'll do is there's less boys,

as always, unfortunately.

I'm just gonna start over here.

Joe's going to staple you.

Bianca.

Nice to meet you, Bianca.

Hi, there.

It might be easier if you lot come over here for Joe.

Whoo, the Sydney Showboat. - [Dancer] Yeah.

- Gosh, you've come a long way.

And it will show them some choreography.

They will come across the floor doing the choreography.

That will give me the first look.

We try to relax everybody.

- Pas de bourrée, pas de bourrée, en turnout.

You move forward on the turning pas de bourrée.

Soutenu with the arms up.

Jump, drop.

Push.

It goes seven and eight.

Yeah, now with me.

Just mark it where you are.

Five, six, seven, eight.

And one and two, three, and four,

five, six, up, seven and eight.

Yes or no?

- [Translator] As a young dancer you have the choice

between some shabby ballet and opera.

And the Moulin Rouge is somewhere in between.

If you come from Australia or some other place

at the end of the world and are offered the chance

to dance at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, the City of Lights,

you won't hesitate for a second.

- You start to get the feel by the way people stand,

by the way they look and they listen to the choreography,

and by the way they behave during the audition,

how they follow instructions.

Already you can see, you can get a feel for them.

The way they smile, the way they laugh.

(Don't Tell 'Em by Jeremih)

- [Dancer] I'll tip you off, don't worry.

Okay, here you go, ready?

- And then I will start thinning out.

(pop music)

(choreographer giving instruction)

- [Choreographer] Five, six, seven, eight, one.

- Gail.

- [Natalie] Natalie Bukra.

- [Victoria] Victoria Bell.

- Victoria Bell, 'cause's there's two Victoria's today

as we have a feast tonight.

Basically, I'm looking for dancers that can learn fast.

I will be looking for very good figure and long legs

to look good in the costumes.

And then I'll be looking at the faces.

Face, very, very important.

So I'll be looking for height, of course.

Preferably one meter, 75 for the girls

and one meter, 85 for the boys.

- [Translator] Why do you choose to dance

at the Moulin Rouge instead of a ballet?

It's all a question of body height.

Once you're bigger than one meter, 70

you have no chance at the ballet

so you try your luck at the Moulin Rouge.

- Janet has got a lot of hair, ha!

172. (speaking French)

- [Rick] Name?

- Tanya. - [Janet] Tanya.

- Tatiana. - [Janet] Tatiana.

(speaking French)

You watching the heels there, Rick?

- [Rick] Yeah.

- Hang on a minute, I've got, oh.

Okay, 173.

It's only rough.

- [Translator] That's mean.

- [Janet] 169 and a half.

- [Translator] 69.

(dancers laughing)

- You realize that, as I audition around the world,

if people are better than you or if there is somebody

like you I will always choose the taller girl, okay?

Yes?

So your chances of actually being offered a job

are very much diminished now.

- Have you heard of like what they do in Paris

with the tall dancers, 'cause being like

five-eleven, six foot.

- I knew that they loved tall girls and

because I'm five-foot-eleven I thought

it'd be a good idea to audition.

- So I haven't always thought I wanted to do it

'cause I went to a ballet school

so I thought I might do ballet first.

- And then I was doing gymnastic until my 14 years old,

and then at 14 years old I was too tall

to continue the gymnastic.

(upbeat dance music)

- 20 minutes, well, you let 'em go to the toilet

and have a drink of water. - [Rick] Okay.

- Anybody need the bathroom?

- Well, I auditioned last year in July,

and I had to do two auditions because

there were two around where I lived.

And the first one they told me I was too short to come here.

And then I did one I think three days later

and I was the right height so must have grown overnight.

(laughing)

(speaking French)

- [Translator] It's very stressful as you need

to shine among hundreds of other girls.

You need to show your motivation.

- [Translator] I had no training,

my job was selling programs in the hall

and I was clueless what to do when someone came

to me and said I'd like to see you onstage,

let's find out if you can move.

And I was very clumsy and felt

like a little animal when I got onstage.

I just heard Roland Petit say,

"Oh boy, what shall we do with her?"

- [Translator] I'll never forget how it started with me.

I spent the night in a hotel near Gare de Lyon

and got up very early as I hadn't slept a minute.

And as I didn't bring a dress I went to some shop,

a clothing store.

I bought some clothes, went to the audition,

and got my contract.

(upbeat pop music)

- Cha cha!

♪ I got the matches, you got the gasoline ♪

♪ Light up the floor like it's Billie Jean ♪

♪ The way we're movin' by the end of the song ♪

♪ They're gonna have to pull the fire, fire alarm ♪

- There were some good elements, some not so good.

So I was very happy at the end.

Had a lotta kisses, very sweaty kisses,

so I'm happy that they all enjoyed themselves.

I think that was great.

(soft instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Every day, every evening,

each year, the magic awakens.

Everything is spot on.

Routine becomes a ritual and movements

are turned into choreography.

More than 80 male and female artists prepare for their show.

120 people will provide sustenance for the 900 guests.

The show is sold out, almost as always.

There are two shows per day and the 60 dancers,

the so-called Doriss Girls,

are the main attraction of the program.

Their name comes from German native, Doris Haug,

who founded this cancan troupe in 1957

and helped put the Moulin Rouge back on the map

with her choreographies and shows.

In 2014, she died at the age of 87,

but her Doriss Girls keep on dancing day by day.

(dancers and staff chattering backstage)

(dancer speaking foreign language)

(cabaret music)

- [Translator] The first time always feels strange.

(bell dings) (speaking French)

I used to be a solo dancer for cancan

and I did this job for four years at the Moulin Rouge,

but then the girl who did the snake show left and asked me

if I wouldn't want to try it, possibly take over the act.

(dramatic instrumental music)

It's strange to jump in a pool full of snakes,

but in front of an audience with all the rhinestone

and the light, you tend to forget the risk

even though it's not really dangerous.

(dramatic instrumental music)

It may sound funny, but they know me.

There are some snakes that become very calm

when I work with them.

If I'm not there, due to vacation, for example,

they're much more busy and nervous.

There are 15 snakes in total

and they're changed for the evening shows.

It's like a rotation.

Some are really lovable and you build

up a relationship with them.

(audience cheering and applauding)

When I jump in, they're already in the pool,

but when the pool closes I take them out of the water

and give them to the animal handler.

They can't stay in the water the

whole time and neither can I.

(staff chattering in French)

- [Translator] Everything okay?

- [Translator] Yes, how about you?

- [Translator] Everything's fine.

- [Translator] Got it?

- [Translator] Yes.

- [Translator] The animals can feel if

you're afraid so it's better not to be.

- [Translator] Everything's perfectly organized.

The animal handlers arrive shortly before the show starts,

bring the animals in, and take them away again.

The snakes are treated like stars.

Animals at the Moulin Rouge can consider themselves lucky.

I can imagine that they talk among each other

if there are still some vacancies.

There should be auditions for them, like for the dancers.

(cabaret music)

- [Translator] When I worked as a dancer,

we had two big horses that got onstage.

Today it's six, but they're small ponies.

They have their space here before and after their show.

I believe they recognize us.

I'm not sure, as I've never asked them,

but every evening we say hello to each other.

(gowns rustling)

- [Narrator] Times change, the costumes,

the program, the music.

Everything evolved during the past decades,

but still, there is always a hint of nostalgia

inside the Moulin Rouge, all around the stage.

Back there is also the space where the approximately

1000 hand-sewn costumes for all the shows are stored.

It's a colorful realm of feathers, rhinestone, and sequins.

- [Translator] How are you?

- [Translator] Good, thanks.

- [Translator] Great to see you again, did you bring photos?

- [Translator] Yes, photos from back

when I started working here.

This is from my early beginnings in 1965.

- [Translator] Frenizille.

- [Translator] You really remember that?

I can't recall all the names.

- [Translator] I'm sure it was Frenizille, when was this?

Do you remember the choreography?

- [Translator] Sure, the small ones.

- [Translator] The diagonal.

- [Translator] We had to tilt our heads,

but it was really difficult as we had our hats on

and we couldn't really do it because the hats

were so heavy and often fell down.

- [Translator] I love this one.

Do you remember the rehearsals for this one?

- [Translator] Do you see where my leg goes?

- [Translator] You did that every evening, right?

- [Translator] Bye then.

- [Translator] It was great to see you, take care.

- [Translator] Bye.

- [Translator] See you soon.

- [Translator] Later I switched to a job doing costumes.

It's something quite different,

but I could stay in the same surrounding.

- [Translator] And this was the premiere?

- [Translator] Yes, in 1965.

Great.

It was my first revue.

- [Translator] What a beautiful hairdo.

- [Translator] I had to be careful

as it could tear out my hair.

- [Translator] Really?

- [Translator] It was quite heavy and as there was wire

in the back I lost a lot of hair

in the middle and the back of my head.

- [Translator] Because of the hair slides?

- [Translator] Right, they held it all together.

- [Translator] But I'm sure it made quite an impression.

And look at that face, oh la la!

It's still the same picture.

- [Translator] Yes, by Toulouse-Lautrec, it's still there.

(upbeat instrumental music)

- [Translator] Great memories, right?

- [Translator] Yes, I brought them for you to look at.

- [Translator] All those cancan revues.

You worked here for 50 years.

You're a true celebrity at the Moulin Rouge,

everybody knows you.

- [Translator] It's been 50 years, but not 50 years onstage,

but I worked onstage as long as I could.

- [Translator] Every evening.

How was the atmosphere back then?

- [Translator] It was great, wonderful.

I remember the string tangos.

When I started working in 1965,

there were these costumes that were called la neige.

We wore knickers underneath,

but if we moved a lot and swung our legs in the air

at the beginning of the show, the knickers somehow

slipped between our butt cheeks.

So I told Ouineverge who still works with the costumes,

listen, why don't you attach a string there

and it would make things a lot easier?

She did and that's how it is still today.

We used to party a lot up there,

but that's forbidden today.

- [Translator] Yes, that's right.

- [Translator] We celebrated all the birthdays.

There was always cake and champagne.

- [Translator] That's according to my taste.

- [Translator] You only have cake now and a bottle of water.

- [Translator] Water, that's right.

- [Translator] That's sad.

Sometimes I was a naughty girl.

Those birthday parties were fabulous.

I invited them all and they came over.

I'll watch the show tonight.

- [Translator] We'll give our best and lift our legs high.

Lift our legs.

- [Translator] No, I don't dance anymore,

only when I'm on vacation.

(laughing)

- [Translator] Those were the golden days, do you remember?

There were so many venues in Paris.

(cabaret music)

People went from one theater, from one cabaret to the next.

- [Translator] I remember that there were girls

who danced on the stage at the Casino and then

went straight to work at other cabarets.

They worked until five o'clock in the morning.

(cabaret music)

- [Translator] We worked a lot back then.

The girls still do, but we also did many TV appearances,

but it all changed.

There's not much dancing on TV anymore.

We worked with Carpentier and I even

did an appearance with Jean Noir, do you know him?

- [Translator] I also think that the dancing

forms have changed.

There are more movements and it's more complicated.

(cabaret music)

- [Translator] If you compare a 1970s show

with one today, it still follows the same principles.

It's still the same revue,

but still it's completely different.

The rhythms, the melodies have changed, the movements,

the stage decoration, but it's still the same show.

The Moulin Rouge is an undying idol.

As long as there's Paris there will be the Moulin Rouge.

- [Translator] You worked at the Moulin Rouge

for three years without a single day off.

That's really tough.

- [Translator] It wasn't that tough for me.

I considered it rather normal.

- [Translator] I can relate to that.

But seven days per week is quite something,

but we'd gotten use to it.

- [Translator] But to be honest, once you had your place

here you didn't want to leave it again.

(laughing)

- [Translator] That's not how it is today.

People won't be allowed to work seven days per week.

Luckily, there are laws for that now.

- I think they followed the style of the society.

Society is more modern now, there is a rhythm.

Everybody's connected to the planet.

Before we had no connection except, you know,

in the dressing room side.

I knew all the life of my colleagues.

Now it's so different.

Everybody is focusing on the smartphones

and Facebook, whatever.

(upbeat instrumental music)

- That's the main difference.

The personality, the way they behave,

exactly the same as it's always been.

The aspirations, the fears, the way the job--

It's the same, that hasn't changed at all.

(instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Many dream about being on the stage

of the greatest vaudeville theater in the world,

but they're not alone there.

They're just one star among many others.

- [Translator] It's not easy as everyone wants

to be the most beautiful.

- Beautiful and you probably know it

because, you know, you have eyes.

You know you have maybe a better body

and everything from other people in the street.

- [Translator] The most beautiful, the best dancer.

You want to be better than the others

and it's not easy to cope with this every night.

- When you come here, though, you're going to be part

of 70, 80 other beautiful people so really that's put away.

There's no point having a big head about things.

We have no big heads here,

that you leave your ego at home.

- [Translator] Nowadays the troop of the Moulin

Rouge is anonymous.

The dancers with their so-called captain don't

get in contact with the audience.

They enter the theater via the staff entrance

and aren't allowed to step into the hall.

The audience admires them when they're

onstage and they're completely anonymous

when they're on the street again.

- [Translator] If I play a major part,

I have my own dressing room and someone by my side

who helps that things go smoothly, I like that.

You're treated like a little star

and during the show you are the real star.

(singing backstage)

Actually, I sang that song once.

(instrumental music)

- [Translator] Nicola used to be a cancan solo dancer, too.

- [Translator] That's true, we both were.

- [Translator] We performed onstage together.

- [Translator] I danced for the show for 20 years

and now I continue working as a dresser,

so I'm still somehow part of the shows.

(staff and dancers chattering backstage)

(cabaret music)

They shouldn't miss their appearance

if there's a costume malfunction at the last minute.

- [Translator] Luckily there are the dressers

who help us and explain everything,

otherwise we wouldn't be able to manage.

- [Translator] I always dream about not being able

to get onstage because my costume isn't ready.

It would be a nightmare if I miss my cue.

- [Translator] It's our duty to prepare the dancers

for their show onstage in exactly the costumes

that are meant for them.

- [Translator] They're not responsible

for us being on time, though.

- [Translator] The dresser and costumer do a great job

especially in regard to maintenance of the costumes.

They need to be cared for properly as they are in daily use.

That's not to be taken for granted.

- [Translator] In order to save some time,

we prepare each of the costumes backstage.

It takes about 40 seconds.

They need to change there costume

during that period of time.

(cabaret music)

It's routine work.

(laughing backstage)

But there may be small accidents.

- [Translator] But we'll find a solution.

I'll go out anyhow, right?

- [Translator] Things happen.

- [Translator] Sometimes you lose an earring

during all that fuss and it lands at the strangest

places or even near the office.

- Well, the first time my string came off

and then the second time-- (dancer laughs)

The second time, there's like these beads

and they're attached to our ankle and that came undone

and I tripped over them and kinda like fell over,

but that's okay.

It's not gonna happen tonight.

I'm gonna be very careful of it.

- [Translator] There have been some mishaps.

I fell onstage during a performance.

- [Translator] The heel of my boot cracked

so I did everything on the ball of my foot

trying not to show anyone.

It went okay in the end. (laughing)

- [Translator] I wouldn't mind going onstage

with bare feet. (laughing)

- [Translator] It can be funny, too,

you just need to improvise.

(music playing backstage)

- [Translator] Let me put that on the rack.

I'll be right with you.

(speaking French)

- [Translator] Jeanne, this is one from the cancan.

Could you exchange the zipper please?

- [Translator] The zipper didn't close properly

as it was quite worn, therefore I had it exchanged

so that it wouldn't cause any trouble in the future.

It's always better to be prepared for eventualities.

The costumes must be of very high quality.

The materials must be robust so

that they don't wear out too soon.

Two shows put quite a strain on the costumes.

If the seams aren't sturdy, they may tear open.

(instrumental music)

- [Narrator] The Moulin Rouge isn't like

any other workplace, it's a dream factory that never stops.

Whoever wants to be part of this carousel

must be completely dedicated to it.

- [Translator] At night, we turn into princesses.

We perform in front of thousands of people.

It feels almost like a dream.

(soft vocal music)

There are two different worlds for me.

At home, there's my daily life as a mother,

but everything changes when I get here.

I focus on myself and become a different person.

I put on makeup, become this character.

I love it because of this heavy contrast.

But now I need to get onstage.

(costume beads rattling)

I'm hardly ever there to put my child

to bed in the evenings, that's tough,

but once a week I have an evening off, on Sundays.

- [Translator] It complicates life if you work

in the evenings and raise a child by yourself.

I was lucky because my mother helped me a lot

when my kids were young and later they got used to it.

They stayed at home or I picked them up later.

- [Translator] I don't know how they manage.

Being at home with such a schedule.

They're real fighters.

- [Translator] You need to be present 24/7

and you need to give up your private life.

- [Translator] Of course, you pay for it and so did I.

My dream was to have children.

- Forget going out in the evening,

forget meeting people at eight o'clock in the evening

to go to dinner, that is not happening.

And that can be very hard for a lot of young people.

You know, the boyfriend, you are not going to see him.

- [Translator] There's no boyfriend.

This is my family. (laughing)

(dancers chattering backstage)

(cabaret music)

(cabaret music)

- [Translator] I already wanted to become a dancer

when I was little, but it wasn't easy.

My parents were against it and told me no way,

that's not going to happen.

- [Translator] My parents were okay with it.

- [Translator] I was afraid and didn't tell

my parents anything about it.

- [Translator] In Cuba, culture has something

of a military character, which is

somehow related to politics.

Even though there is a lot of dancing,

people expect from young men to attend

military school instead of becoming a dancer.

(laughing)

- [Translator] I first performed onstage when I was nine.

- [Translator] My ballet teacher asked me,

did you tell your parents that

people will see you nude onstage?

I answered, no.

You're crazy, she said.

- [Translator] First my sister came to see the show.

She saw me perform for the first time

the day before yesterday.

She'll watch me tomorrow doing a leading part.

She told me that she had to cry.

- [Translator] After the show, I went to my parents

to see what they had to say about it,

but they didn't say anything.

I waited for a reaction and finally asked them,

so did you like it?

And they said you seem to have a lot of fun.

That was it. (laughing)

This was the only time they said something

about my decision to present myself in the nude

onstage of a vaudeville theater.

(cabaret music)

You decide yourself that you present your body onstage.

You need to adhere to this decision

and that's what I always try to do.

- [Translator] It's all about the costume,

the feathers, the rhinestone, the sequins.

This composition is there to promote the beauty

of the female form, the beauty of us as women.

There's nothing shocking about it, I think.

- [Translator] And everybody's naked today, aren't they?

- With the nudity, I think that's something very prominent

in all the shows, especially in Paris.

You've got nudity, they all have it.

I think here it's so classy.

It doesn't seem sexual or anything whatsoever.

It is done in such a classy manner.

It's really nice.

- There isn't as much nudity for the new girls.

I guess that's an option a bit later on

once you've been here for a while.

I don't know.

- Hopefully it all goes well and eventually

I'll get used to doing the shows

and it'll become easier, yeah.

(cabaret music)

- Women are allowed to have their own opinions

and should be listened to.

The rest, showing your body wearing costumes or makeup

really has nothing whatsoever to do with it.

That is just putting a value on the attributes

that you have that are different

to what other people have.

(cabaret music)

(instrumental music)

- [Translator] Giving up this job was very hard for me.

I went to Monsieur Clericourt's office and he said,

well then, of course, I was all in tears.

- [Translator] You miss it.

I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt to leave.

It was hard.

As I wasn't really prepared for it,

I had to face a lot of problems.

- It's a little bit different.

They have more opportunities now to study.

- The Moulin Rouge giving us this chance

to studies if we want to do something else.

And everybody use it or not.

It depends of people.

- The ones of my generation are somewhat jealous,

can we say, because they had

to sort all this out themselves.

Now, we actually help.

- I did use like, I already study and I know

what I'm gonna do after the Moulin Rouge.

- [Translator] My goal is to continue working

in the show business and I'd like to pass

on all the experience I gained here

during all those years to other dancers.

- [Translator] I'm a bit undecided in that regard.

I keep asking myself this question,

but I haven't found an answer yet.

- [Translator] Life goes on.

You don't always stay on the same path.

It's important to keep your head up and not lose your

courage just because you're not part

of the vaudeville life anymore.

It may be a dream, but you can't always live in a dream.

Even though dreaming can be quite magical.

- That's great what we live now,

but we all understand that it's gonna

finish not too far, you know--

- [Translator] You can't turn back time.

You're not always 20. (laughing)

Only once a year.

(cabaret music)

- [Narrator] Ladies and gentlemen, the wheel of life

keeps on turning like the wings of the red windmill,

but the Moulin Rouge remains.

It seduces, amuses, and mesmerizes,

as it has done for over 125 years now

and maybe will do so forever more.

(cabaret music sung in French)