FNQ dancers sought for Moulin Rouge auditions

l EDGE HILL

| Gail Sedorkin

THE most famous cabaret in the world is back to audition for dancers in Cairns on July 20.

The Moulin Rouge will welcome the chosen artists from these auditions into the current show Féerie and into its team of dancers.

For many years, the artists from Australia have been the most represented nationality among the cast, including Cairns dancer Rhylee Hensler, who was chosen in 2017 and was dancing for the world-famous Moulin Rouge in Paris from 2018 to the start of 2022.

The Moulin Rouge artistic team, who was last here in 2018, is now in Australia to pick up new talent for the cabaret in Paris.

Eagerly awaited, the Moulin Rouge’s first casting outside Europe since COVID-19 will take place in Australia under the expert eye of Janet Pharaoh, artistic director of the Moulin Rouge and assisted by Erik Sorensen, resident choreographer. Miss Pharaoh said she expected to employ at least 25 Australian dancers in the next year found at the nationwide auditions. “Australia is the most represented nationality at the Moulin Rouge because you have so many good dancers with great spirit and personality. The dancers here are naturally tall, athletically built, healthy and beautiful,” she said.

“You also have so many good, organised dance schools so there is a massive choice of dancers for us.”

Miss Pharaoh said there was no restriction on the number of dancers at auditions. “We want to see them all, their personality, and what kind of person they are. We can’t see that on a video. We have to make sure they are the right person for us.”

She said the auditions were long, but it was important to see the dancers performing different dance styles and to talk to them.

Dancers are encouraged to register for the auditions in Cairns on Thursday, July 20 from 11.30am at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, 96 Abbott Street. Register at: https:// www.moulinrouge.fr/en/auditions-2023/ However in Cairns, Miss Pharaoh said dancers could also turn up and register on the day. “I also strongly encourage male dancers to please turn up.” l MANOORA

The lucky dancers will travel to Paris for a month of rehearsals and will join the team of 80 artists, from 17 different nationalities. Castings will be based on strong classical dance and advanced modern/jazz training as well as minimum size (175cm tall for female dancers and 185cm for male dancers), well-balanced figure but also and mainly personality, charisma and the capacity to assimilate choreography (the minimum age is 18).

Gail Sedorkin

SHOWCASING the rich diversity and artistic talent of Far North Queensland’s First Nations artists, UMI Arts’ 10th annual Freshwater Saltwater exhibition officially opens tonight.

Featuring 20 works on canvas and paper, fabrics, ceramics and artefacts by 11 of the region’s best-known, mid-career to established artists, Freshwater Saltwater is UMI Arts’ popular, premium exhibition.

UMI Arts’ exhibitions and gallery officer Robyne Pacey said Freshwater Saltwater was a curated group exhibition featuring a distinct and diverse line-up of artists spanning two distinct cultural groups. She said the exhibition was so named to reflect Far North Queensland’s two distinct and diverse cultures from an artistic perspective in which mainland Aboriginal custodians were mostly connected to ‘freshwater’ while Torres Strait Islanders find a closer association to ‘saltwater’.