Famous French cabaret troupe Moulin Rouge performs in Delhi

On their maiden trip to India, the world famous cabaret troupe Moulin Rouge set the stage on fire with their stunning performance of 'Cancan', a dance form which is always set against the iconic backdrop of a windmill.

In the 10-minute preview show here, 17 cabaret girls took to stage to perform two set of dances - one a feather clad performance which saw them doing breathtaking acrobats and the other 'Cancan', a funny dance where they screamed and lifted their skirts.

Besides their seductive moves and dancing abilities the dancers' elaborate costumes help epitomise the richness of the French culture.

The girls wore rhinestones embedded skimpy outfits paired with huge bright orange feathers for the first routine while for the second they wore a red, blue and white frilled dress with a red feathered head gear.

The 123-year-old cabaret is based in Paris and was formed in 1889 by Joseph Oller. It is one of the oldest cabarets in the world and has toured in countries like Australia, Japan and China.

It was Accor, international hotel operator, which brought the world-acclaimed dance and entertainment troupe from Paris.

The troupe consists of dancers from 14 different nationalities and they go through a rigorous training and selection process to be a part of Moulin Rouge.

"I was 12 when I auditioned and now its been 7 years since I have been with the group.
Dancing is my passion and the troupe was my inspiration since I was 2. It is difficult job and very demanding but I enjoy it.

We perform six days a week and do two shows per day, so yes it is hectic," said Natalie, one of the dancers.

The new dancers have to rehearse for five weeks before they can do a show on stage and have to go through a very tough competition to get selected in the troupe.

"I auditioned two years back and of 300 girls and boys only two of us were selected. So it is a very scary experience and I just think I got lucky," said another dancer Katie.

Also the Moulin Rouge girls say they have to keep a strict watch on their weight and take regular dancing and gyming classes besides Moulin Rouge to keep fit.

On their brief visit to India, the dancers say they got an opportunity to eat Indian food and learn a few Bollywood dance forms from an Indian choreographer.

"One of the highlight of the trip was that we got to learn Bollywood dancing. It was amazing fun and I will always remember this. I also wanted to try Indian food and am just in love with the Indian curries," Natalie added.

The auditions for the cabaret happen world wide and when asked Moulin Rouge's Press relations manager, Fanny Rabasse, if they plan to take any audition in India, she said, "We are planning a new show next year so we hope to come to India.

Ballet dancing is a must for the cabaret and what I noticed is that India doesn't have many ballet schools. We would love to have Indian dancers on board."