Moulin Rouge 24 Hours Inside The Dream

Photographer Géraldine Aresteanu immersed herself within the Moulin Rouge’s daily life. For 24 hours, she sought to capture the essence and emotions of those who make the most mythical venue of Parisian nightlife come alive

- Lisa Charbonneau

Géraldine enters the fairytale cabaret at dawn to a warm, family welcome. “Mémèd”, as he is fondly nicknamed, is the first to greet her. A former light technician, he has become the place’s warden and is about to go home from his night watch. Then, Géraldine encounters the maintenance crew, and is particularly taken by one of its women as she watches her work at making the cabaret beautiful. As she makes her way further into the establishment and discovers all its spaces, Géraldine is in awe, but also increasingly lost. Even though the place is quite modestly sized, the backstage is a complex maze. Turning a corner, she comes across the petite mains, French for ‘small hands’: the seamstresses, costume designers and embroiderers who have taken residence behind the scenes. The atmosphere is joyful but quiet: theirs is a meticulous work, and every detail counts. Garments in need of repair come on hangers with notes explaining what has to be done (sequins that need to be added, fishnet stockings to be darned), sometimes with a “thank you” or a word of affection. Two women supervise the whole operation, and everything is still written by hand first thing in the morning, laying out each person’s role for the day.

Céline is one of these petites mains. The young feather worker had always dreamed of working here, ever since she saw a show on television as a child. For five years, she wrote letters to the Moulin Rouge, in an effort to be hired. Her tenacity finally paid off, and she was brought in as a dresser. Today, she works for Maison Février, the only remaining expert in the art of feather work, created in 1929 and now a part of the Moulin. In this small team, there is also Sylvie - with her quirky rock look, she is