Moulin Rouge: Plenty of leg room

You'd expect the 'most experienced' of dancers to be a little older. Especially when they're part of a 100-year-old tradition - the Moulin Rouge, who will perform at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower on Thursday.

Russian Olga Lazko is just 26 years old but has around six years of experience. She and her fellow dancers have always dreamt about dancing for the world's most famous cabaret since they were little girls.

"Being part of the Moulin Rouge itself is an amazing feeling. From the first time I heard about it in Australia, I wanted to be part of it," smiles 23-year-old Diane Robertson.

The troupe will perform segments from their current show, 'Feerie'. Fifteen dancers including one boy for the Can Can, 70 costumes and 50 pairs of shoes (400 kgs of freight) will make up this spectacular evening.

Star chef from the Moulin Rouge restaurant, Laurent Tarridec will put together French gastronomy like duck foie gras, snails in cases with herbs, champagne sauce, etc.

Having already performed for Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, they'd love to shake a leg with Patrick Swayze, John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Orlando Bloom.

"Though a lot of celebrities can dance, we doubt they can do what we do!" says 23-year-old Nora Mogalle. Performing in Delhi as well, there's a tight schedule that the girls are keeping to but are hoping to look around the city. "Mumbai is a lot like Paris - the city that never sleeps!" says Nora.

Mention Bollywood and the girls get excited. "The one thing we've heard of is that old song 'Disco Dancer', and we love it," says Olga. Besides, Diane wishes she could act in a Bollywood production and Nora wants to learn, "how to move my eyes the way the actresses do when they dance."
r_preeti@dnaindia.net