Narrator: For over 130 years,
dancers have strived to perform in the most famous cabaret
in the world:
the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
Romane Bollengier auditioned three times
before landing a spot.
Her biggest challenge was the cancan.
Narrator: Today, she's one of 85 people
who kick and twirl every night
in one of the most expensive stage shows in Paris.
It took 8 million euros to bring it to life.
Half of that went into costumes alone.
That's at least 1,000 outfits adorned with feathers,
rhinestones, and sequins.
The cancan's revealing costumes and acrobatic movements
were once considered rebellious and scandalous.
Today, Romane feels proud to perform the dance
twice a night, six days a week.
Narrator: But many cabarets struggled in the second half
of the 20th century
as newer forms of entertainment became popular.
So how did the Moulin Rouge survive,
and even thrive, through so many decades?
We went to Paris to see how the cabaret is still standing.
The cancan was first performed in the early 1800s
by working-class men and women in France's public ballrooms.
And these girls, after a hard day working, washing, sewing,
they wanted to let off steam.
And so they started kicking their legs, shaking their skirt.
But it became such a phenomenon, especially at that time.
Showing their ankles - ooh, daring.
Narrator: But it was the Moulin Rouge
that made the dance famous
towards the end of the 19th century.
The cabaret opened in 1889,
the same year the Eiffel Tower made its debut.
It quickly became a cultural melting pot
where people from all walks of life mingled
and enjoyed music, dance shows, and comedy.
Its garden featured an elephant statue
with a hidden stage inside where many artists performed,
including a comedian known as Le Pétomane, or "Fartomaniac."
He had the ability to play melodies
and blow out candles with flatulence.
The cabaret also featured
one of the most famous cancan dancers of all time,
La Goulue.
She became the muse for the French painter
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,
who was a regular at the Moulin Rouge.
Dancers today are still inspired
by early cancan performers like her.
Instructor: Watch your lines. Feet together.
OK, back up. Run to the positions, please.
Narrator: Romane started dancing at age 4
and has trained in classical, contemporary,
and modern dance.
Still, she says the cancan is one of the hardest acts
she's ever performed.
While it might seem like a chaotic party on stage,
the actual steps are meticulously choreographed.
Narrator: Romane joined the cast five years ago
after finally passing an audition in Paris.
Narrator: The current cast represents
18 different nationalities,
but most dancers are from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Instructor: Push that knee over, especially on the last one,
so you can open it.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Narrator: Today, four new dancers are joining the show.
New spots rarely open, and up to 80 dancers
can compete in a single audition.
They need to be tall. At least 5'8" if you're a woman,
or 6'3" if you're a man.
Narrator: Costumes are constantly breaking,
so a team of 15 seamstresses repairs them every day
in a workshop right above the women's dressing room.
This makes it easier to fix them
if something breaks between shows.
Narrator: Each dancer wears about 12 costumes
during the show.
Narrator: It can cost 5,000 euros
to make just one cancan costume.
One dress can have over 230 meters of frills.
Narrator: About one-third of all the costumes
have real feathers,
and the Moulin Rouge runs its own feather shop
inside the building.
Narrator: It can take 280 hours
to finish some of the most complex feathered looks,
like this 13-pound costume, which cost about 12,000 euros.
Narrator: The current show, Féerie, or Fairyland,
debuted in 1999.
But it came with a hefty price tag.
The company has spent an additional 8 million euros
just to maintain the costumes since the show premiered.
If you want a lot of dancers and artists on stage,
if you want them in fabulous costumes
and you want original music, it costs money.
Narrator: Janet Pharaoh started as a Moulin Rouge dancer
in the '80s and now is the associate artistic director
overseeing the performances,
the costume department, and the auditions.
I think some places didn't survive
maybe because what they were offering wasn't enough.
Narrator: But the Moulin Rouge also faced challenges
in the 20th century.
A fire destroyed the building in 1915,
forcing it to close for six years.
When it reopened, it faced new competition
from a new form of entertainment: film.
The cabaret converted its theater into a cinema
with a nightclub,
but it always maintained live shows on stage.
It also survived
the German military administration of France
during World War II.
Over the years, many legendary singers performed there,
including Édith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, and Liza Minnelli.
In 1955, the venue launched the dinner-show format
it still follows today.
Janet: The style of choreography that changes,
but you know,
essentially, things stay the same.
And it's still about the public coming
and having a great evening
down there watching a fabulous show.
Narrator: Every evening, the restaurant staff
prepares a 7 p.m. dinner.
About 600,000 people attend the show every year.
While the sounds of Champagne pops and conversation
fill up the room,
the dancers get ready for the show backstage.
Narrator: Dancers do their own makeup
to suit their skin tone and features,
but two elements are mandatory:
red lipstick and false eyelashes.
Narrator: All the female dancers tie their hair
in ultra-high buns.
Narrator: Romane and her fellow dancers
stretch before changing into their opening look.
Narrator: Nearly every number requires heels.
The costumes are so elaborate that a team of dressers
has to help the dancers get ready. And every detail matters.
Narrator: As a lights dim and the curtain goes up,
the audience enters the world of Féerie.
Act one is set in the gardens of the Moulin Rouge,
paying homage to the venues past.
Dancers quickly get ready for act two,
which is set on a pirate ship.
Sometimes, the window to change between numbers
is just two minutes,
and Romane actually prefers that.
Narrator: The cancan comes in the fourth and final act.
Romane and each dancer takes a few minutes to stretch again.
Dancers have to be physically and mentally ready
for the intense cardio to avoid any injuries.
Narrator: After two shows and four hours of dancing,
Romane exits the stage at 1 a.m.
still full of energy.
Narrator: Romane hopes to one day be lead dancer
at the Moulin Rouge.
Narrator: But for now, this stage is like her home,
and she doesn't plan on leaving it anytime soon.