Oil on cardboard – 8 x 8 inch – Unique work

Her childhood dream will finally come true. Starting tomorrow, Lauriane is officially a dancer at the Moulin Rouge. No more French Cancans in her living room to impress the gallery. From now on it will be on a stage with the pretty red dress that goes with it and especially in front of a subdued audience.

Lauriane worked hard, very hard. From the age of four, she joined a classical dance school in her small hometown. Nothing too extravagant, but endurance and perseverance began in her earliest years. After four years, she was able to join the school of “little rats” at the Paris Opera.

Until she was eighteen, she sweated blood and water. The hard life of an apprentice dancer as we imagine it. She has been through it all: pain, anger, frustration, tears but also joy, mutual help, success, love.

And then, one day, something clicks inside her. As she gets up in the morning to join her class, she realizes that the life she leads is more her parents’ dream than her own dream. Her dream is the Moulin Rouge. Since this television report on cabaret dancers, she has kept this little spark in a corner of her mind. Is it the red, the upbeat music, the spotlight that attracts her? Is it the festive side, the relaxation of the body? The straitjacket of classical dance is difficult, very difficult and Lauriane can no longer find her way around.

So, without her parents knowledge, she auditions. Obviously, her classical base, in one of the most prestigious dance schools in the world, is an undeniable asset. But that’s not all. Her physical condition is important, both resistance and appearance. She’s always had trouble with it. Watching himself for hours and hours in a mirror during rehearsals weighed heavily on her. Her lack of self-confidence has often played tricks on her and important roles have passed under her nose. She would never have made it to become a « danseuse étoile », that’s for sure. She never really wanted to, anyway.

So when she found out she was accepted at the Moulin Rouge, she didn’t tell her parents but invited them to a performance tomorrow night. They will see for themselves how far she has come and maybe they will be proud…