Dear Diary                                                                                                                                                                                                       Lundi 4 Janvier

Mama Fromage* has just given me this diary to record my thoughts and feelings, honestly I know this is quite unjust of me, but how can a cancan dancer know of such things? I guess I should tell you a bit about myself, it's a sad story I call my life.

 My mother married my father at a young age, my father being penniless and my mother, well the opposite, loved him at first site. My mother's parents disapproved but they wed and were very happy. Their bliss grew when my sister Satine was born, she was an only child for six years then I was born, I was born to the name Chérianne Alexandre Nicole Rousseau, just Chéri for short. After I was born my family's money started to run out as the years progressed my life became less and less frugal. My father developed a gambling problem and bet money he didn't have causing his abysmal murder by France's notorious Gang, Les Fantomes, my mother stricken with anguish became ailing and was bed driven, and within the next five years she to was dead. All I had left was Satine, the next few years were a struggle for survival, we wondered around Paris until we reached the village of Montmare. My sister tried to find work there as an actress but had no success, we saw a poster for the Moulin Rouge I was only ten at the time I did not understand what the Moulin Rouge was, Satine did, she knew she could get work there easily for she was a stunning girl of sixteen she could easily satisfy men, Satine knew it was vulgar and moraless, she also knew it was necessary. We headed over to the Moulin Rouge and were greeted by a man named Ziddler her accepted Satine on the spot."You will be a star, our sparkling diamond"  he with great enthusiasm. Satine agreed to be the new showgirl if he gave her and me a place to board.

That was six years ago, I am currently sixteen years old, and despairing that I will end up with a job like Satine's, I hope not. I know there is more to life then money and men, those two words go together like bread and honey. I also doubt I could be a cancan dancer let alone a "sparkling diamond" for several reasons first off I am incredibly vociferous, I cannot contain my thoughts on certain subjects I just can't help that I'm brutally honest so making men believe I love them would be pretty hard. I am also no where as beautiful as my sister instead of her rich red hair that falls in beautiful waves, I've got a light brown mess of curls, that I cannot seem to tame and instead of sky blue eye's framed with dark eyelashes I've gotten a horrible shade of green that is framed by too long eyelashes, There are hundreds of other things I could say like how beautifully pale her skin is and…oh I'll stop boring you with my sorrows. As I said Mama Fromage gave me this diary to record my thoughts and feelings, so that is what I have done.

Dear Diary                                                                                                                                                                                           Mardi le 5 Janvier

I guess I have not told you a lot about me, well my dream is to become a writer, though it is hard to have a dream like that when Cancan girls and ignorant men constantly surround you. I guess I am making my life sound terrible, which it is not. There are a few kids my age here at the Moulin Rouge. A few of the other Cancan dancers had been in similar situations and had brought along their sisters or even daughters. In addition, of course there is the servants, none of us are seen during the nights when the club is open though. My best friend is Charlotte a maid for the Ziddlers. She is so sweet and very timid quite the opposite of me, but she always knows what's going on in the Moulin Rouge, she overhears all the Ziddler's conversation's, which could prove quite useful and amusing at times. The other girls here are ZsiZsi, Sophia, Genevieve, Jacqueline, Amile and Katrine. Some of them are nice and others are just how you say "des miserables". Let me tell you about them, ZsiZsi and Sophia are twins, they are nice enough but all they are interested in is the same thing as their mother Nini…money. Genevieve is one of the sweeter girls, but I just don't always find her a friend, she is too busy worrying which boy will like her or if she will ever get out of Paris and go to America so she can be a club singer, she says American's find the French irresistible, I don't think I should tell her that most American's don't even understand French. Amile and Katrine is really who you have to stay away from, they are cousins. They both have blonde locks and beautiful blue-gray eyes, they are both incredibly arrogant and rather stupid, they can charm there way into and out of anything. They both came with their sisters here to the Moulin Rouge. The only other I can confide in is Satine, without her I don't know what I'd do, she just inspires me so much. She hates what she does yet she goes on with her head held high everyday just so we will have some money and a place to stay, I really look up to her. I must go Satine is calling me to help do up her corset.

Dear Diary                                                                                                                                                                                                       Jeudi le 7 Janvier

I noticed in my last diary entry I forgot to enter what Jacqueline is like, maybe it is because I find her very hard to explain, she is so…mysterious, I wish she would open up a bit, she just came to the Moulin Rouge a few months ago, I don't blame her for being so..So...I don't know…I guess what you call her is sad, you see dear diary the reasons she came here with her Cousin is that she has no family left whatsoever her mother, father, grandparents, and nine brother and sisters were all killed in a terrible blaze in her home, she and her cousin, Tattoo were the only one's left. It is all very tragic. She is very black, her hair is black her eyes are black her dresses are all black; her skin is chalk white, which contrast very beautifully in my opinion. Amile and Katrine tease her, I feel bad and occasionally I do stand up to them but I usually receive no thanks so lately I have not. Jacqueline writes poetry I caught her once but she took it away before I could read it though from what I saw it was very pretty. Someone is coming I must hide you, good-bye my chere amie!

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Okie so how'd you like it?

* Mama Fromage is the extremely large can can dancer, personally, I think she is cool ;)

Oh ya by the way Amile's sister is Babydoll and Katrine's sister is Sailor girl (I think that is one of the cancan dancers) I am sorry I don't know all the names (In the DVD it comes with extra that shows all the Cancan dancers) if anyone knows the names of them or the site where it has the names. I would be very happy to know!

Peace Out

ReVieW hErE

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