What it means to be a Moulin Rouge dancer today

A location on nearly every tourist’s list of where to go in Paris is undoubtedly the Moulin Rouge. Recognised by its signature bright red wind mill, as its name would suggest, the mythical location opened during the height of the Belle Époque, opening its doors to French folly. Alas, the glory days filled with pearls, furs, and cigarette holders may be over, but today the Moulin Rouge still holds strong. Holding nightly shows featuring talented dancers scouted from all over the world, the location hasn’t lost its charm. With the art of cabaret once again finding its footing in the Parisian nightlife scene, with recent choreographed shows at Silencio, and a residency from Blackpink’s Lisa at Crazy Horse, can the Moulin Rouge reaffirm its position as a staple of French culture rather than nothing more than a tourist attraction?

We were fortunate enough to speak with Toronto-born model and dancer  Allie Goodbun to get a better understanding of what a day in the life is like for a modern day Moulin Rouge performer. From her viral TikToks acting as a guide for hopeful travellers to her advice for young dancers who might be looking to get into showbiz, the Canadian expat gives us some insight on her move to Paris and her role in one of the world’s most coveted cabarets. 

How did you first get into contact with the Moulin Rouge? And what did you think of it as a foreigner?

I was in second year of university at the time. I went to university for kinesiology at the University of Toronto. I'd been training and doing little classes here and there at night, but I wasn't doing anything proper, so I just Googled "showgirl musical theater auditions". Moulin Rouge came up after a while of searching and I thought I'd give it a shot. At first I thought it was the Broadway musical, but I quickly realised it was the iconic Paris cabaret that the show is based off of. I saw all the directors and choreographers were coming to Canada that month, so I flew out to Vancouver for the audition. I had planned to stay just one night so I did a class beforehand to get my bearings and figure out the style. I had never done cabaret style, never done the cancan, never known any of the elements. I just kind of winged it. But I tried my hardest and I did a lot of research going into it. I think I watched every Youtube video on cabaret, I honestly didn’t really know what I was signing up for, but I kind of just had this instinct. I really looked into how they dress, the makeup looks, the proper hair, I really had to study. It was about a 4 hour-long audition. There were about on hundred of us, and they kept about ten girls that they liked. At the end the director just kind of whispered in my ear «take your time leaving, we want to talk to you.» I got an email about six months later inviting me to come to Paris to join the cast, but it was a bit complicated. The pandemic hit in March 2020, so that kind of derailed things. But they told me they’d maintain my contract so I just spent the next two years training really hard and finishing school. 

Sounds intense. Did you experience any cultural shocks moving from Canada to Paris?

Yeah, for sure. I had been to Paris only once and it was on a high school trip, so I knew the vibe, but not fully I guess, we had a tour guide. When I first moved I was expecting to feel the same as I had on that trip, but it was totally different. Being this far away from home and family was also challenging. Obviously there was a culture shock with the language, the food, and just the culture in general. It was weird not to have friends outside of work and not to be able to see my family or my partner back at home. We had to coordinate FaceTime schedules, but we made it work. Luckily the Moulin Rouge owns an apartment complex nearby the theatre, so I first moved into a three bedroom apartment with two other girls, which helped us figuring it out together. 

Can you walk us through a typical night of work at the Moulin Rouge?

There's two types of days: rehearsals and shows. We don’t start anything till the afternoon at the Moulin because we’re up almost all night, 1pm is essentially our 9pm. On rehearsal days we get at the theatre at 1pm and rehearse until 4:30pm on the dot, then we have a few hours to go home, chill and cook dinner. 7:30pm is when we need to have our bags ready and head to the theatre. The first show starts at 9pm and each show is about an hour and 45 minutes. We do two shows a night, so we finish at around 1am. By the time I get showered and changed, put away my costumes and clean up my space it’s around 2am, so I’m home by 2:30am. I had to get used to it because I'm a big morning person, but nothing starts before 2pm in the showgirl world. 

How do you manage to balance your social life with such an intense work schedule?

Sometimes we have non-rehearsal days, there’s just a show so I don’t have to think about work until 7:30pm. It gives me the whole day to go and explore Paris, meet friends, go for coffee, work on little projects or on my TikTok account.  As for nightlife, the best case scenario is taking advantage of your night off - luckily, mine is Friday. Sometimes I just take it for myself and have a self-care day. To be honest, I’m not sure what's the best way to balance my schedule, it’s challenging. It’s important for me to find friends outside of work and I’ve been able to do that with my TikTok videos. Sometimes, when I leave the theatre people are waiting outside the stage door, so it’s really cool to put a face to a fan. It has created a community that I never would have thought of. 

Is it safe to say that you and all the other dancers have a pretty familial relationship? 

Even though it is important for me to find friends outside of work, I’d say absolutely. It’s not your typical dance studio setting, it’s such a great working environment because the directors strategically hire people with good personalities. You could be the most amazing prima ballerina, but you won’t get in if you don't have that sparkling personality, a little bit of funk or the willingness to be outgoing. It's nothing like other work environments, most people come to work and sit at their own desk, maybe eat lunch together but then leave at the end of the day. With us, we’re always together. We’re partnering, we’re side by side all night. 

What’s some advice you would give to someone looking to develop their dance career, especially in the cabaret space?

Well the directors and choreographers pick a different location every year to hold auditions in addition to Paris. It’s whenever we need new girls, a dancer’s career doesn’t last forever. I would say the best advice I could give is to research. Dance jobs don’t just land in your lap like a lot of people would expect. If you see a job that you really like, find one of the dancers through social media, message them and ask them how to get in. Take every opportunity that comes your way: if I hadn’t gone to Vancouver that one night, I wouldn’t be here now.