Dancer Serena Sanford in Moulin Rouge — the Ballet, a special presentation for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 70th anniversary. (Nardella Photography/Royal Winnipeg Ballet)

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is inviting members of the public to kick up their heels in a cancan line to kick off celebrations of the ballet's 70th birthday.

The public cancan will begin a year of special events that includes the premiere of a new ballet, Moulin Rouge, choreographed by RWB dance instructor Jorden Morris.

The high-kicking cancan dance is closely associated with the Paris cabaret, which is the setting for the romantic and risqué new ballet. The Moulin Rouge club opened in 1889 and was a hub of bohemian Paris in the early 20th century.

Moulin Rouge — the Ballet will have its world premiere in Minneapolis on Oct. 17, then run at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg from Oct. 21-25.

It is part of a season that includes classical favourites Swan Lake and the Nutcracker and Val Caniparoli's A Cinderella Story, which has a 1950s take on the beloved fairy story.

The RWB was formed as a ballet club in 1938 by two immigrant English dance teachers, Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally.

It made its debut in 1939, with the short dances Grain and Kilowatt Magic. The club was renamed the Winnipeg Ballet in 1941 and operated semi-professionally. It became a professional company in 1949 and in 1953 became the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Further public events are soon to be announced for the 70th anniversary. The public cancan will be danced in the outdoor court of Manitoba Hydro Place to French cancan music performed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.