Shay Stafford - Memoirs of a Showgirl
It's quite a journey from taking ballet classes in Brisbane to being a celebrated Paris showgirl.
In her autobiography, Memoirs of a Showgirl, dancer Shay Stafford pulls back the curtain to take readers backstage at the Moulin Rouge and Lido to discover what it's really like to tread the boards of the world's most famous cabarets.
Shay details the highs and lows, the loves and temptations and the close encounters with the rich and famous in this remarkable account of a most extraordinary life.
Readers are given a glimpse of the grind behind the glamour and learn that beyond its sparkling fa?ade, not everything that glitters in the modern showgirl's life is gold.
The rich history of the Moulin Rouge and Lido is recounted as is the cautionary tale of how a stunning city's seedy underbelly routinely seduces vulnerable young ingenues.
After 12 years at the Moulin Rouge and Lido, Shay has seen it all. She details her transformation from a single woman making the most of the extraordinary Parisienne nightlife to a happily married mother of two.
See Paris through Shay's eyes. The view over the Seine from the back of a Vespa, the backstage dramas, the loneliness of a life far from home, the excitement of living your dream plus the high melodrama of French love affairs are all told in Shay's wonderfully warm and honest voice.
She brilliantly captures the journey from the ordinariness of Australian suburban
life to the glittering highs of the Paris stage, as well as showcasing the grit and determination needed to carve a successful career in dancing.
