Travel
The historical Moulin Rouge opened its doors to the public in 1889, and almost instantly became famous worldwide due to the quirky dance performed on its stage. This dance was called the Quadrille, and the girls were amateurs who by day were washerwomen, linen maids, laundresses and seamstresses. Nevertheless, through their revolutionary movements combined with screams and the unexpected gesture of lifting the skirts to show legs and panties, they became famous even across the Channel, where their dance received the name of French Cancan.
The traditional French cancan is only performed towards the end of the show. It's the one number everyone has been expecting. As the Doriss Girls take the stage again dressed in flamboyant dresses in the three colors of the French flag, it gives me goose-bumps. High kicks and perfect long legs are revealed. These girls are among the most pretty and talented stage performers in France and they surely manage to make an impression.
We were guests of Moulin Rouge, however, all opinions expressed here are entirely our own and based on our personal experience.
Photos courtesy of Moulin Rouge
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Travel
An Evening at Moulin Rouge
We are both romantics at heart and we immensely regretted not making it to Moulin Rouge the first two times we visited Paris. But you know what they say, third time is a charm, and there we were, in front of the red windmill, thickening the tourist lines.
The historical Moulin Rouge opened its doors to the public in 1889, and almost instantly became famous worldwide due to the quirky dance performed on its stage. This dance was called the Quadrille, and the girls were amateurs who by day were washerwomen, linen maids, laundresses and seamstresses. Nevertheless, through their revolutionary movements combined with screams and the unexpected gesture of lifting the skirts to show legs and panties, they became famous even across the Channel, where their dance received the name of French Cancan.
The theater is plush, decorated in strong reds and dim lights, and as we sip a glass of champagne, the show starts. Between the 1,000 costumes that parade in front of our eyes during the next couple of hours, there is enough rhinestones, sequins, and feathers to last us into the next century.
The Moulin Rouge cabaret is a beautiful reminder of the bohemian Belle Epoque. Throughout the years, it provided inspiration for artists and a venue for French and international performers, like Edith Piaf, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, and Elton John. The famous painter Toulouse-Lautrec painted a number of portraits of Moulin Rouge performers and some of his masterpieces are today housed at Musee d'Orsay in Paris.
The show is excellent and the different parts blend together to perfection.
The songs are in all in French, and this is probably the first time I'm actually happy they don't try to reach to the international audience. Nevertheless, the entertainment numbers are in plain English and good, very good, to be honest. Though when an Aquarium full of snakes emerges from the stage, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor creatures that supposedly should curl around the underwater dancer, but instead seem bored and too lazy to perform.
The songs are in all in French, and this is probably the first time I'm actually happy they don't try to reach to the international audience. Nevertheless, the entertainment numbers are in plain English and good, very good, to be honest. Though when an Aquarium full of snakes emerges from the stage, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor creatures that supposedly should curl around the underwater dancer, but instead seem bored and too lazy to perform.
At one point, six ponies make it to the stage, and the stand-up comedy number is great and puts a smile on everyone's face. When the comedian chooses four participants of different nationalities from the audience, I thank God our table is further back. The number is very entertaining, though for the sake of everyone in the crowd, I do hope it is rehearsed, in spite of its spontaneity.
The atmosphere is of total euphoria, and it gives the feeling that all social classes mingle here, just like in the good old days. The attire is smart-casual, but you would find anything from jeans to fancy evening gowns, depending on just how serious each spectator takes the decadent show.
Truth is, the "Féerie" show is glamorous and it certainly has the power to take us to a different dimension. There is magic in the air and as the Doriss Girls kick in, we can't stop but admire the whirl of fantastic costumes, sets and choreography. Though for the lady at the next table the performance is apparently just as scandalous today as it was over a century ago. Semi-nudity on European stages is not uncommon but it can certainly take by surprise the less experienced ones.
Our evening at Moulin Rouge was great fun! The show is a beautiful and colorful reminder of the days when the cabaret was the talk of the town, casting a soft and nostalgic look over a bygone era.
Nowadays, the performance creates the proper environment for a whole industry to develop around it. The neighboring streets are flanked with sex shops, though the business is much more sanitary than it used to be in Toulouse-Lautrec's times, when Montmartre was a dangerous place, and life here was pitched between the brothel and the hospital.
Nowadays, the performance creates the proper environment for a whole industry to develop around it. The neighboring streets are flanked with sex shops, though the business is much more sanitary than it used to be in Toulouse-Lautrec's times, when Montmartre was a dangerous place, and life here was pitched between the brothel and the hospital.
All in all, one of the best shows we've ever seen! Worth going if only for all the feathery costumes!!
We were guests of Moulin Rouge, however, all opinions expressed here are entirely our own and based on our personal experience.
Photos courtesy of Moulin Rouge
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