Wyre-born dancer lands '˜dream' role in the Moulin Rouge

Anna Coope, 23, from Garstang, is a showgirl in the Moulin Rouge.

Anna Coope, 23, performs twice a night at the ‘home of the can-can’ in Paris.

The Wyre-born cabaret performer has been dancing since the age of two and says she is now living out a childhood fantasy.

She said: “I’ve always loved dancing and from an early age began doing ballet, tap and jazz. Then my teacher told me to audition for a specialist school.”

Anna Coope is starring in the Moulin Rouge in Paris

Anna began her education at Garstang Community Primary School but after auditioning she took up a place at Hammond boarding school in Chester at just 11-years-old.

After five years honing her dancing, singing and drama skills, Anna auditioned and won a place at the Elmhurst Ballet School in Bristol.

“That was when I got my big chance to be in the Moulin Rouge,” she said.

“I went down to London and lined up outside Pineapple Dance Studies with hundreds of girls and they eventually whittled us down to a final 15.

“They tested everything like our flexibility, our dancing and our height. You have to be 5ft 9ins to be in the show and I was really worried because I’m 5ft 8ins! It was all very nerve-wracking but luckily they didn’t measure me and we had to wait to find out if we had a place in the show.”

Anna then began working on cruise ships and in the summer of 2015 she got a call offering her a place in the famous show.

She said: “I wasn’t able to take it straight away as we were half way across the world.

“I was worried I would lose my place but they said I could start in the November.

“It was amazing to get a place and I moved to Paris as soon as I was back.”

More than a year on, showgirl Anna now lives in an apartment with her French roller-skating boyfriend Jonathan, who also performs in the show with his sister.

She said: “It’s very tough physically and my day is backwards because the shows runs until 2am and then I’m sleeping until midday before going off to do it again six nights a week.

“But it really is the dream being in the show and if I did nothing else in my career then I’d still be proud to have done this.”