The iconic Moulin Rouge in Paris is launching a brand-new professional dance company on its 137th anniversary to honour its late artistic director and Maîtresse de Ballet, Janet Pharaoh.
Born in Lancashire and raised in Leeds, Janet Pharaoh passed away in March 2025 following an illness. Over a career spanning nearly 30 years at the famous venue, including 14 years as Artistic Director, she shaped the artistic standards of the world-renowned Parisian cabaret.
The newly established Janet Pharaoh Dance Company brings together the Moulin Rouge’s 95 dancers, representing 18 nationalities, under a single collective identity dedicated to preserving her creative legacy.
Along with managing show performances, the company will conduct global auditions, deliver professional artist training, and offer workshops, tuition, and masterclasses to both professional dancers and non-professionals. Future expansion plans also include developing new creative and training hubs under the famous red windmill.
“Janet Pharaoh was the beating heart of the Moulin Rouge for thirty years,” said Jean-Jacques Clerico, CEO of the Moulin Rouge. “Her creative flair, exacting standards and drive to scout the world for the best talent have made the Moulin what it is – the best spectacle in the world. We cannot replace Janet, and we still miss her every day, but we can commemorate her legacy and ensure that the lessons she taught us become part of who we all are.”
Her son, Jason Clerico Pharaoh, added: “My mother never saw ‘good’ as ‘good enough.’ She was always looking for the next dancer, the next idea and the next way of making the show better. The greatest tribute we can pay her is not simply to preserve what she created, but to keep building on it to protect and enhance the Moulin’s future.”
