This Girl is On Fire: At The Moulin Rouge, The Dance

1890
This Girl is on Fire
Woman as Goddess
Curated by Emma Krasnopoler

Henri Toulouse-Latrec, At the Moulin Rouge, The Dance, 1890


You see her from across the room, there, on the dance floor. She dances with passion, each movement as energetic and animated as the last. She does not stop, does not falter. Men come up to dance alongside her, only to discover that they cannot keep up. She is electric.

It’s no wonder why Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was so captivated by the dancing, music, and excitement of the Moulin Rouge. The cabaret music was like nothing found anywhere else in the city. It was a circus of dancers and singers and entertainers. This scene portrays a crowded dance floor where couples mingle and the hustle of bodies overwhelms. Yet, amid it all, one dancer is the most prominent. It is this woman, adorned in scarlet, who catches Lautrec’s eye. She is bright and energetic, from her fiery hair to her stockings. She is in motion, twirling and jumping and sliding around the floor, unlike the other women who stand still, without emotion or animation. Her face is hidden, allowing her body to tell us her story. She moves with passion, a fury of tapping and bucking and twisting. Her movements are unrestrained and spontaneous; she is the living definition of “Dance like nobody’s watching.”

There is something about her that hypnotizes me. Perhaps it is the way I can sense her energy emanating from the painting, or how I can feel the rhythm of her body. I feel privileged to be able to watch her, as if by doing so I may take away a portion of her intensity and immersion. She is absorbed in her dance, yet I, like Lautrec, cannot take my eyes off of her.


  • 7:00 AM

Gentlemen’s Club - La Goulue Arrivant au Moulin Rouge

1892
Gentlemen’s Club
Courtesans and Seductresses Depicted in Art
Curated by Gabbi Fenaroli

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, La Goulue Arrivant au Moulin Rouge, 1892
“It was tough to please La Goulue, but always easy to make her happy.
Just tell her she is the Queen of France and everything will be fine…”
- Jane Avril

She is the one people see on posters of the Moulin Rouge. Never putting a face to a name. She remains a symbol of carefreeness and the wonder years of the Moulin Rouge. Fans of hers would line up as soon as tickets became available to see her show. The woman behind all the fame and acclaim was often referred to as La Goulue. Instantaneously after her start at the Moulin Rouge, she became a hit. Her can-can stole the show every night. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec could not help but notice the captivating face he saw on the stage. He wished to immortalize her through his paintings. In his 1892 painting La Goulue Arrivant au Moulin Rouge, Lautrec brings her to life. Although she might not be considered aesthetically pleasing, the way she holds her self is what grabs the viewers’ attention. Her proactive clothing choice proves to be a bold statement. Her stare should not be mistaken though, she knows she is better than everyone around her.  With that critiquing glance and pressed lip, she knows as soon as she enters the Moulin Rouge, the night will be in full swing.

Lautrec enjoyed creating this moment and being able to capture it on canvas. The fierce anxiety in his brushstrokes over the anticipation for her performance is evident. Lautrec has fallen under La Goulue spell, and will remain there until she chooses to let him go.

  • 8:00 AM